Repair of BMW 3-series electric steering rack

There was water and rust inside the rail, which damaged both the needle bearing in the cover and the torque sensor, i.e. both the mechanical and electrical parts So, our client got off pretty lightly. Firstly, this was due to the BMW design: in rear-wheel drive cars, the steering racks are quite high above the road, so it's harder for moisture to get in, even if the seals are damaged. Front-wheel-drive cars, such as Audi, where the EPS control unit is the lowest point, would be more severe about the error. And secondly, it still came to us quite timely – without waiting for the steering to lock up completely. But in fact, a steering unit as important as the steering system needs regular checks and diagnostics – every 100,000 kilometres or after two years of use, whichever comes first. You haven't had your car's steering rack checked yet? Then it's time to come and see us. All summer long, until 31 August 2024, we're running a unique promotion from STS.Parts – free steering diagnostics before summer driving. And remember: we provide a 12-month warranty on all hydraulic, mechanical and electric steering racks we repair – 12 months from the date of sale.

Repair of BMW 3-series electric steering rack

The great physician Hippocrates said: «Disease is easier to prevent than to cure». Since a car, in fact, is also an organism with its own laws and sometimes even character, these words are relevant for it. Prevention, that is, timely diagnosis of the problem facilitates and reduces the cost of repair and favourably affects the performance of the machine. But let's talk about everything in order.

Boosting or not: problems with BMW's electric rack

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The owner of a 2009 BMW 318 contacted us with a complaint about the steering not working properly. According to him, the power steering was not working consistently, either enhancing the driver's movements or stopping to do so. As this car already has a fully electric steering rack, we started our work by diagnosing the electronic unit using a scanner.

The diagnostic equipment showed a large number of errors, most of which were not related to steering rack operation. But one of them was right up its alley: 63 ED, the steering torque sensor. It's mounted on the steering shaft, which means we need to remove the electric power steering rack and sort it out.

It should be noted that, although removing the steering rack is not particularly difficult, and at first glance, if you have a pit or a hoist, anyone with locksmithing skills can do it, we would strongly advise against it if you have no experience of repairing steering racks. For this process requires first of all attention and knowledge of the nuances associated with the unit.

Without experience, it's difficult to fix the steering wheel correctly, you can tear the tape in the sensor, remove the steering wheel gimbal incorrectly, and make many other mistakes that will then have to be fixed by a qualified technician – at an additional cost.

Causes of power steering problems

Dismantling the steering rack and removing the cover from the sensor, we immediately realised what had caused the fault. There was water and rust inside the rack, and it had damaged both the needle bearing in the cover and the torque sensor, both mechanical and electrical. It could not be repaired – it was impossible to guarantee its normal operation even after cleaning and drying.

And the cause of the moisture getting in was a worn shaft oil seal. This too, of course, had to be replaced. Here it is impossible not to note «insidiousness» of electric rack, especially for those drivers who used to drive cars with hydraulic power steering. As is known, in hydraulic systems the main indicator of malfunction – is the leakage of fluid outside, lowering its level in the tank, stains under the car. And if there are no such symptoms, there is probably no problem.

In electric steering racks, on the contrary, trouble starts when moisture gets inside. And the sooner the owner finds the seals are leaking and takes action, the more components he'll be able to save, which means less money and effort to repair. It should be noted that the owner of our BMW 318 was lucky. We replaced only the top cover, steering torque sensor and oil seal. But there could have been problems with the rod, motor, control unit – these are also often caused by water getting into the steering rack.

Conclusions and recommendations

So, our client got off pretty lightly. Firstly, this was due to the BMW design: in rear-wheel drive cars, the steering racks are quite high above the road, so it's harder for moisture to get in, even if the seals are damaged. Front-wheel-drive cars, such as Audi, where the EPS control unit is the lowest point, would be more severe about the error.

And secondly, it still came to us quite timely – without waiting for the steering to lock up completely. But in fact, a steering unit as important as the steering system needs regular checks and diagnostics – every 100,000 kilometres or after two years of use, whichever comes first.

You haven't had your car's steering rack checked yet? Then it's time to come and see us. All summer long, until 31 August 2024, we're running a unique promotion from STS.Parts – free steering diagnostics before summer driving. And remember: we provide a 12-month warranty on all hydraulic, mechanical and electric steering racks we repair – 12 months from the date of sale.

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