My son is traveling thru Sea / B Ham / Vancouver BC and might need help...

[LateFan]

We spent a week getting his E30 ready for this trip to Bellingham / WWU. He's racing his bike Sat at the north shore of Lake Whatcom / Agate Bay Lane, and Sunday at Ferndale - Delta tech Industrial Park.

He says the steering is 'sticking' or binding up at certain points, then let's go. I've read a bunch of threads where people had this problem. It's getting worse he says.

We've worked on this car for the last year since we got it. All rebuilt suspension front & rear, new control arms, complete tie rods, H&R springs, E90 drop hats. We made sure that big washer was there at the drop hats, that shouldn't be it.

Sounds like it could be a steering shaft coupler u-joint binding or hitting something, the flex disk (seemed newish and pliable when I checked last week), the gears in the rack binding...what else...?

He did say the drivers outer tie rod boot had slipped off the mount and was open for a few weeks probably. Would water or gunk in there cause anything? I fixed that last week.

Is there anybody up that way with E30 smarts where he could drop by Sat or Sun and have you take a look see? He brought tools / lights / Bentley / drop cloth.

Thanks -
Worried Dad in MT

[e30 gangsta]

If I was local I would help. Hopefully other members of the community help out. Good luck.

[MPLFoster]

I'm in Bow, WA (40min south of Bellingham). I don't have any experience or expertise with that specific issue but if your son needs a place to stop and trouble shoot with R3V on the way up, he's got one here. Perhaps someone will know a cure and if he hasn't found a place to do the fix by the time he gets up here then he can feel free to stop by.

[LateFan]

Thanks - he's gotta be up there tonight, his first race is first thing Sat morning. Then I think there's a time trial late afternoon. He's hauling one other teammate and their bikes.

I see there are four good BMW shops right in Bellingham, but not on a weekend.

[Batz]

I not sure if i correctly understood everything, but it sounds like its a similar problem i had with my e30. The thing that "fixed" it is just a lot of WD40 on the steering coupler.

My wheel would get stuck in one position after a turn, and wouldn't straighten the wheel by itself (how its supposed to) So i had to do it manually. And it was getting worse and worse... Then i sprayed WD40 all over the steering coupler, and after driving it for a little, it went away..

But like i said i, maybe, understood you wrong.

[LateFan]

Yeah, maybe your steering coupler u joints were worn and binding..?

This could be the same. On a long sweeping turn, when you go to "unscrew" the wheel to straight, it sometimes binds up or "catches" like it's stuck. You have to just give it firm pressure to get through that so you don't overcorrect suddenly.

Sometimes you feel it near the center just driving straight - normal corrections hit this sticky spot - both directions.

If you swing the wheel back and forth, I didn't feel it. Handles fine. Sitting still (running) I didn't feel it. An alignment guy looked over my steering and front end work yesterday and didn't see anything - just the loose boot on the rack.

Driving across WA today, he said it's getting worse and tighter. I can't tell from here if it's annoying or not safe and going downhill. He said it's grabbing like before, and acting like it has no power steering.

Since I said go ahead, take a 1400 mile trip in your 30 year old car, I just want it safe - he's got other people with him.

[bmwsun]

Sounds like you may have a siezed power steering pump, a dead spot in the rack or a pinched PS hose

[LateFan]

The hoses looked fine - some leaking from up near the reservoir, but it's topped up and he's checking it regularly.

Could the pump problems be intermittent? Maybe it's just on its way out at 175k?

What causes a rack dead spot? Is it worn gears?

Thanks for the ideas -

[AustinK425]

Maybe the steering rack mounts are worn and causing the rack to shift and the colomn to bind up? Worth a look.

[LateFan]

Will check that - thanks.

If the binding in the steering is at a particular spot, would that imply something with the rotary valve, versus something with the gears in the rack? Or a pump pressure problem?... but why at one place?

It seems like it's just left and right of center, when coming back to straight.

[LateFan]

Thoughts and opinions on these local shops?

Elite Auto Care (we're originally from Ballard and he'll be there a couple of days)

Precision Motorworks on Elliott

Best Service & Repair - Greenwood-ish / 99

Eastside Bavarian - Issaquah / Sammamish - he might be staying near there on the way home.

[DrJosh]

Idk about those, but South Lake European are all E30 guys, although Renton is a little out of the way.

[LateFan]

He says it's better after it sits a while. The long hours on the freeway is when it stiffened up. He thinks the fluid looks normal, and that the wheel holds whatever line you give it.

[bmwsun]

I hear Precision Motor works is pretty good. I live really close to Ballard, don't have a lot if tools but I can take a look at the car if you want?

[BraveUlysses]

Maybe check out this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwinLm0b9gA

(steering binding due to strut mount bearings)

also:

i googled "binding steering e30" and someone on an s14 recommended lubricating the steering column where it enters the firewall or the u joint in the column.