EPS Failure Rate, do they all go wrong in the end?

Kamuela · Post by **Kamuela** » Wed Dec 14, 2016 4:43 am

It still could be me. I'll poke at it when I get home in a few days, drop the airbag and maybe I can actually get a hand, or part of one, in there.

Kamuela · Post by **Kamuela** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 2:35 am

Fixed!

After 3 hours of horrible language and a little blood, I finally got that upper bolt loose (hint: needed to make a very short 6 mm allen wrench, maybe 15 mm long, hold in in a 6mm ¼" drive socket, lean on it hard), tweaked the adjustment ring about 10 mm CW, went for a 2 hr drive. This is what it is supposed to be like! If there's any hint of sticking in the future, I'll add another 5mm, maybe, now that I know the trick. You guys without the knee airbags don't know how good you have it. I managed to loose one of the airbag retaining clips (no biggie, but I can't imagine where it went) and it ate my 6mm ball end wrench; it's up there somewhere, I'm hoping it'll shake loose and drop on my foot someday.

So, my thanks to everybody, and if there's anybody in the US needing to do this, I can offer detailed instructions. It's subtly different from the German website.

MACK · Post by **MACK** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 10:18 am

Well Done, glad you got it sorted!

bladeowner · Post by **bladeowner** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 10:26 pm

Kamuela wrote:Fixed!

After 3 hours of horrible language and a little blood, I finally got that upper bolt loose (hint: needed to make a very short 6 mm allen wrench, maybe 15 mm long, hold in in a 6mm ¼" drive socket, lean on it hard), tweaked the adjustment ring about 10 mm CW, went for a 2 hr drive. This is what it is supposed to be like! If there's any hint of sticking in the future, I'll add another 5mm, maybe, now that I know the trick. You guys without the knee airbags don't know how good you have it. I managed to loose one of the airbag retaining clips (no biggie, but I can't imagine where it went) and it ate my 6mm ball end wrench; it's up there somewhere, I'm hoping it'll shake loose and drop on my foot someday.

So, my thanks to everybody, and if there's anybody in the US needing to do this, I can offer detailed instructions. It's subtly different from the German website.

Well done, I'm glad you sorted it.

Ducklakeview · Post by **Ducklakeview** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 11:53 pm

Was removing the reverse beep wire from the sounder under the dash earlier so decided to check out the access for the bolts. I don't have the knee airbag and was able to easily slip on the 1/4" drive snap on wobble socket to both bolt heads...

Will adjust when it's daylight to see if I can remove some of the twitchiness, which I think is due to the gears being too tightly engaged, creating sticktion when the pinion first starts to apply torque, which is then rapidly reduced by the torque sensor, creating that weird feeling. At least that's what I think.

Mike

bladeowner · Post by **bladeowner** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:30 am

Ducklakeview wrote:Was removing the reverse beep wire from the sounder under the dash earlier so decided to check out the access for the bolts. I don't have the knee airbag and was able to easily slip on the 1/4" drive snap on wobble socket to both bolt heads...

Will adjust when it's daylight to see if I can remove some of the twitchiness, which I think is due to the gears being too tightly engaged, creating sticktion when the pinion first starts to apply torque, which is then rapidly reduced by the torque sensor, creating that weird feeling. At least that's what I think.

Mike

What type of bolts do you have?

Ducklakeview · Post by **Ducklakeview** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:46 pm

Male headed torx.

Mike

bladeowner · Post by **bladeowner** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 1:58 pm

Same as mine then. Interesting.

Shady Ady · Post by **Shady Ady** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 11:43 am

Hi
I have suffered with the steering issue for a while now and having tried the grease nipple and lubricating the ujs had just about given up resigned to saving for a column or considering the hydraulic solution. I then came across this thread, slightly sceptical I thought nothing to loose so one evening last week had a friend make the 10mm clockwise adjustment. Having just driven over 500 miles around the lake district in glorious sunshine I can't believe the transformation, it's fixed!
Thanks to everyone one who researched and posted detailed accounts. I would recommend to anyone having the problem to try this first.
Mine fittings were E10 torx.
Cheers
Ady

MACK · Post by **MACK** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 12:27 pm

Shady Ady wrote:Hi
I have suffered with the steering issue for a while now and having tried the grease nipple and lubricating the ujs had just about given up resigned to saving for a column or considering the hydraulic solution. I then came across this thread, slightly sceptical I thought nothing to loose so one evening last week had a friend make the 10mm clockwise adjustment. Having just driven over 500 miles around the lake district in glorious sunshine I can't believe the transformation, it's fixed!
Thanks to everyone one who researched and posted detailed accounts. I would recommend to anyone having the problem to try this first.
Mine fittings were E10 torx.
Cheers
Ady

Good to hear it worked for you. When I started this thread before I bought mine this was my principle fear in buy a zed. The horrendous cost of replacement would have sent me down the hydraulic route if mine went wrong I think. Since then a few places seem to be offering repairs to these when they totally go down (ecu failure) as well which makes it a lot more palatable. I also learnt recently that the column on my 05 reg was replaced when the car had been on the road 12 months or so. Obviously at the time something went wrong and no doubt BMW picked up the tab. Not sure having a column replaced with new in 6/06 really negates further issues, as depending where you read both pre and post facelift cars suffer issues.

Ala5dair · Post by **Ala5dair** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 10:48 pm

Ducklakeview wrote: ↑Sat Dec 17, 2016 11:53 pm Was removing the reverse beep wire from the sounder under the dash earlier so decided to check out the access for the bolts. I don't have the knee airbag and was able to easily slip on the 1/4" drive snap on wobble socket to both bolt heads...

Will adjust when it's daylight to see if I can remove some of the twitchiness, which I think is due to the gears being too tightly engaged, creating sticktion when the pinion first starts to apply torque, which is then rapidly reduced by the torque sensor, creating that weird feeling. At least that's what I think.

Mike

Hi Mike.

I saw this post when studying potential solutions to the sticky steering I experience after 60 - 90 mins of motorway driving. I’m pretty convinced that either a grease of the UJ’s or an adjustment of the steering column will fix the issue, and I wonder if these are easy fixes, or whether you’d give me an idea of cost?
I’m also interested in removing the reverse beep, as this is the most annoying part of zed ownership....

Huz-z · Post by **Huz-z** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:04 pm

Kamuela wrote: ↑Sat Dec 17, 2016 2:35 am Fixed!

After 3 hours of horrible language and a little blood, I finally got that upper bolt loose (hint: needed to make a very short 6 mm allen wrench, maybe 15 mm long, hold in in a 6mm ¼" drive socket, lean on it hard), tweaked the adjustment ring about 10 mm CW, went for a 2 hr drive. This is what it is supposed to be like! If there's any hint of sticking in the future, I'll add another 5mm, maybe, now that I know the trick. You guys without the knee airbags don't know how good you have it. I managed to loose one of the airbag retaining clips (no biggie, but I can't imagine where it went) and it ate my 6mm ball end wrench; it's up there somewhere, I'm hoping it'll shake loose and drop on my foot someday.

So, my thanks to everybody, and if there's anybody in the US needing to do this, I can offer detailed instructions. It's subtly different from the German website.

Hi!

If you are still on the forum, I would be grateful if you could post your instructions here! A mate of mine has a 2008 Z4 from the US and is having this issue.

Cheers!!

j3aviator · Post by **j3aviator** » Tue Jan 04, 2022 2:10 am

Hello, I have a 2005 Z4 2.5L convertible. My steering has started tightening up as the weather has cooled. If I turn on my heater floor vent selection, the heat actually removes the sticky steering issue and my drive is flawless. When i come out and start the car the next morning, no power assist, then turn on the heat or drive a few miles and the issue goes away. This seems to be the opposite of what everyone else is experiencing. I hope someone is on that can offer some advice! Happy New Year from Texas!!

firebobby · Post by **firebobby** » Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:58 am

Does the sports button work when this is happening

Zulu4 · Post by **Zulu4** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 12:04 pm

This long thread is very useful for fixing sticky steering as it has some good photos:
viewtopic.php?t=100725&start=30

Z4-forum.com

Z4-forum.com