STEERING component FAILURE!! READ ASAP

Hi e30 Friends,

A rather SCARY thing happened. One of the 2 lower steering column universal joints almost seized with rust in my '89 e30. The BMW mechanic said this was the second e30 they have seen with this problem in the last 2 months. My car has spent its operational life in coastal California. We have moist, cool air but do not salt the roads for snow melting.

Had the joint broken (it did not), I would have lost steering control. Mine lower steering column joint was replaced, and my car is now safe to drive.

Please, for the love of _____ ( insert your favorite spiritual figure), HAVE YOURS CHECKED now.

I will post more info and a video here soon.

Pls tell any other e30 owners to do the same.

Let's keep everyone rolling safely.


Best Wishes, Kelly :-) Will post more soon.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2018 01:34PM by Kelly.

Kelly,
I am a bit suspicious of the "rust" leading to a failure. I have three E-30s and have changed the racks in two of them. No rust was seen on either but the important part is that the bearings for these are sealed and lubricated for life. There is no maintenance required for them. Even if they were coated with rust, it would not likely affect the function.
The mechanic may be overly enthusiastic about changing a part that is difficult to remove and expensive as well.
Did you get the "old" part back from the mechanic? If there was rust on the U-joint, it may have been caused by leaking brake fluid running down from the master cylinder. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it soaks up moisture out of the humidity in the air. So a steel part coated with brake fluid will have the paint removed by the fluid and then rust from the moisture that will accumulate under the hood of a parked car on a warm humid morning. The cooler under hood parts will condense water out of the air after being parked at night and warm humid morning brings the dew point above the temperature of the car parts.

Best regards,
Bob

Bob in Lake Havasu

Quote
Bob in Everett
Kelly,
I am a bit suspicious of the "rust" leading to a failure. I have three E-30s and have changed the racks in two of them. No rust was seen on either but the important part is that the bearings for these are sealed and lubricated for life. There is no maintenance required for them. Even if they were coated with rust, it would not likely affect the function.
The mechanic may be overly enthusiastic about changing a part that is difficult to remove and expensive as well.
Did you get the "old" part back from the mechanic? If there was rust on the U-joint, it may have been caused by leaking brake fluid running down from the master cylinder. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it soaks up moisture out of the humidity in the air. So a steel part coated with brake fluid will have the paint removed by the fluid and then rust from the moisture that will accumulate under the hood of a parked car on a warm humid morning. The cooler under hood parts will condense water out of the air after being parked at night and warm humid morning brings the dew point above the temperature of the car parts.

Best regards,
Bob

Hi Bob,

Great to hear from you. Yes, I have the old removed part. I think I will keep it - like a soldier who saves the bullet that did not kill him or her. Maybe this is overly dramatic. The part has not been cleaned and does not look like fluid has dripped onto it. It is quite grimy and dirty.

I can look for drips under the master cylinder. It's a good point. I had the brakes checked when the steering universal joint was replaced. They were fine. It never hurts to check again.

Will post more soon.

Thanks, Kelly

Hi All,

Here is the problem from the driver's perspective. The tapping noise was much louder that it sounds on my computer speakers. Note that my left hand is shaking rapidly as I try to manage the steering wheel.

e30 steering shake video

The vibration started suddenly at about 65MPH. I slowed to 55 which did not help. I exited the highway which solved the problem for the short term. Then I visited the mechanic after my adrenaline level reduced.

You may also notice that my speedometer does not work. It operates intermittently. I'm not a fast driver by many standards.

Now I need to make a video of the failed joint for you.

Best, Kelly



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2018 03:03PM by Kelly.

Hi again All,

Here is the video of the seized universal joint. I highly recommend that you check your cars for this same bad steering joint. If the part had fully broken, I might have lost steering control on the highway.

E30 failed Universal joint in Steering

Pls check yours for your own piece of mind.

Be safe my friends,

Kelly