Z3 rack: best mod to date!!

[Heysüß]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1992-...item27ba0db180


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1998-...item3f047c2e9b

if i recall correctly only the 1996 Z3 rack will be 2.75 turns lock to lock and mine cost ~$300 but since I didn't have a core to return it cost a bit extra as well. PLUS the power steering block but that's besides the point.

[grantlacey11]

Done! I also ordered the AKG kit, it looked clean and for $20 I figured i couldn't go wrong.

Hell yeah!

[Wh33lhop]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1992-...item27ba0db180

That is a great deal if they are really the 2.7 turn Z3 racks--good enough that I want to pick one up.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1998-...item3f047c2e9b

NO you do NOT want the 3.2L Z3 (MZ3) rack. That is identical to regular E36 racks.

[grantlacey11]

Yeah its not worth it to find a used one. Not worth having it leak shortly after installing!

[Ian McClure]

Hey everyone, hoping you all can help me out with this. I purchased a z3 rack and mounted it in the car fine with no problems, but now I need to know what the deal with the power steering hoses is. Do all of the E30 hoses match up because for me the one from the pump to the rack is not the same. The hole on the pump side is 19 and the hole on the rack is 22. So my question basically is do all of the E30 hoses work or do I need to go scavenge some e36 hoses?

[CHITTY]

I just finished mine and ran into a little problem, but its all done now. As for the ps hoses, I first used the existing e30 lines and thought I had a problem with them, so I used a e36 pressure line thinking that would fix it, but it didn't. The culprit was the return line from the rack to the res had a small enough kink under the res that I didn't see when first installing it. So either pressure line will work but the e36 one looked cleaner installed and fit with minimal bending at the pump. The e30 presure line took some bending at the rack side which was a little harder to do. But the hoses can only fit correctly with corsponding banjo bolts into the rack, so you can't acidentally reverse them.

[Heysüß]

hey guys, if I got a remanufactured steering rack and the inner tie rods are covered by the protective boots what other points of reference can I use to make sure the steering rack is centered (lock to lock wise)

[bubbajan21]

It doesn't have to be exactly centered. After you install it, you can straighten the wheels, then take off the steering wheel and recenter it.

[Heysüß]

Never mind guys I got impatient and just took those metal bands off the dust boots, seems like they can be fastened back on.

It doesn't have to be exactly centered. After you install it, you can straighten the wheels, then take off the steering wheel and recenter it.

yes it does have to be exactly centered because if it isn't then your lock to lock will not be even. You might end up with 2 complete turns to the left side and one complete turn to the right side (exaggeration), and maybe it's also that I'm pretty OCD about stuff like this. But yeah I wanted the same amount of turns to lock left and right, and I got them! :)

[grantlacey11]

It doesn't have to be exactly centered. After you install it, you can straighten the wheels, then take off the steering wheel and recenter it.

[grantlacey11]

Hey everyone, hoping you all can help me out with this. I purchased a z3 rack and mounted it in the car fine with no problems, but now I need to know what the deal with the power steering hoses is. Do all of the E30 hoses match up because for me the one from the pump to the rack is not the same. The hole on the pump side is 19 and the hole on the rack is 22. So my question basically is do all of the E30 hoses work or do I need to go scavenge some e36 hoses?

All of the hoses will work. One hose is a 19mm and one hose is a 22. 19 is high pressure and 22 is low. The high pressure line will work if you flip it around and do a little bending. Make sure you put all new crush washers in when doing it, 2 per banjo fitting, aka one on each side.

[CHITTY]

Never mind guys I got impatient and just took those metal bands off the dust boots, seems like they can be fastened back on.



yes it does have to be exactly centered because if it isn't then your lock to lock will not be even. You might end up with 2 complete turns to the left side and one complete turn to the right side (exaggeration), and maybe it's also that I'm pretty OCD about stuff like this. But yeah I wanted the same amount of turns to lock left and right, and I got them! :)

I think you are confused, The rack is what limits the locks not the column. So what they are saying is if you had 1 3/4 on one side and 2 1/4 on the other when you installed it, all you would have to do is repostion the wheel after everthing was done. You won't have a uneven lock on one side verse the other. It helps if you start out even, and in my case I did, which made the wheel perfect and no adjustments were made.

[tonywonder]

any body run the non m z3 rack with no power? how much stiffer will this be? and im assuming this difference is only significant at 0 to 5 mph? just got mine today. debating running it powered or not. kinda dont feel like dealing with PS BS.

[mr2peak]

It will be almost a 3rd stiffer than an E30 rack. 4.0 turns lock to lock vs 2.7. think machanical advantage there's nothing more to it.

I've done a lot of research and most people choose run power steering when changing to a faster rack.

[mr2peak]

Is there a non-bmw all manual rack that can be swapped in? I think I'm going to start looking at the length of different car racks.