Using E36 steering rack in E30, some user comments

[Froos]

ok i am think about buying a z3 unit, but i dont know which one to get or which part no it has

[gearheadE30]

I'd suggest trying to find a rack out of a junkyard. I picked up an e36 rack with no leaks for $25. The difference is very large; I'm somewhat confused as to how you cannot notice the difference. I had a leaky 3.0 turn rack in the car for awhile as well, but the difference between it and the 3.2 turn rack wasn't large enough to justify a price difference. I have no experiece with the Z3 rack.

[nomad]

i'm bout to do this swap using a '94 E36 steering rack. I'll hook up the PS lines even though i figure they'll leak. I may depower the rack with fluid left in and call it a day.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[tjts1]

i'm bout to do this swap using a '94 E36 steering rack. I'll hook up the PS lines even though i figure they'll leak. I may depower the rack with fluid left in and call it a day.

I'll let you know how it goes.

You are better off draining the rack. I've been driving with a drained e36 rack for 10k miles now. It's still as tight as the day I installed it.

[E30tii]

I've had a powered, standard e36 rack installed for about 7.5k miles with no leaks. Big improvement from the old, leaking E30 rack even though it is the 3.2 one vs the 3.0 or 2.7 one.

I did put in all new low pressure lines and a used, good condition high pressure line, so there's probably more chances of leaking if all the lines are old.

I had it de-powered for a while when I was sorting out some issues with the pump belt tensioner (belt removal only, rack was not drained), and I did not mind normal driving, in fact I actually liked it. Parking and low speed maneuvering was a hassle though, and since I do lots of that, I opted to keep it powered.

[318idol]

Swap Completed: Mission Accomplished
Okay, I did it. Quite a thrash --will take half the time next time. (Ha, like there's ever a next time...)

Swapped in a standard e36 rack, with help from this thread, into a 1991 318i with an airbag.

All the tips were pretty much correct.

My thoughts:

1. The position of the column through the firewall must vary a bit from car to car. Mine was up against the bottom corner of the firewall opening (with plate removed). I made a completely new plate AND augured out the firewall using a die-grinder and a carbide tip. Like knife through butter. The idea is to put the column in the CENTER of the round hole that the rubber boot slides into (per stock). This is the cleanest way and offers the best weather protection. Yes, it's a pain to make a new plate. But not as big a pain as getting the boot back in place. Sheesh, no way to really grab the sucker to pull it into position!

By the way, the RMEuropean pic with the firewall marked is what I had to do. Some cars you need to open up the firewall, others you don't.

2. You really need to loosen the compression nut on the steering column -- which can be a bear. It allows the column to shorten itself, which was only way I could get the rack to line up with the subframe mounting holes. Remember to tighten the big nut down as tight as you can, to keep the column from rattling.

3. I wasted 20 minutes trying to remove my original rack. It wouldn't pull off the column spline, even though the bolt was loose and I had hammered in a screwdriver to widen the clamp. Tip: Take that bolt all the way out, as it sets in a depression in the spline, keeping it from sliding free. Duh...

4. Used the e30 PS lines, with gentle bending. The banjo bolts are a tight fit, as the fluid ports are close to the motor mount (the opposite side from where the e30 rack ports are located. Weird.)

5. My e30 rack came complete with tie rods, off a complete car. I simply measured the length of both racks, tie rod to tie rod, and made the e36 match the e30. The e30 was about 3/4 inch wider, for those keeping score. Still, off to the alignment shop tomorrow.

6. All in all, no big surprises. Some steps just took longer. Degree of difficulty is enhanced by working on a garage floor and under the dash and behind the pedals. Need to work on my yoga.

7. My power steering pump still hums at idle. Might still be purging air out of the fluid. Any ideas?

8. The car feels way better -- tighter, more direct, quicker. If your rack is leaking, it is worth the trouble. Just find a lift. And work on your flexibility.

Thanks for all the help! Gary

[phivethreephive]

Swap Completed: Mission Accomplished
Okay, I did it. Quite a thrash --will take half the time next time. (Ha, like there's ever a next time...)

Swapped in a standard e36 rack, with help from this thread, into a 1991 318i with an airbag.

All the tips were pretty much correct.

My thoughts:

1. The position of the column through the firewall must vary a bit from car to car. Mine was up against the bottom corner of the firewall opening (with plate removed). I made a completely new plate AND augured out the firewall using a die-grinder and a carbide tip. Like knife through butter. The idea is to put the column in the CENTER of the round hole that the rubber boot slides into (per stock). This is the cleanest way and offers the best weather protection. Yes, it's a pain to make a new plate. But not as big a pain as getting the boot back in place. Sheesh, no way to really grab the sucker to pull it into position!

By the way, the RMEuropean pic with the firewall marked is what I had to do. Some cars you need to open up the firewall, others you don't.

2. You really need to loosen the compression nut on the steering column -- which can be a bear. It allows the column to shorten itself, which was only way I could get the rack to line up with the subframe mounting holes. Remember to tighten the big nut down as tight as you can, to keep the column from rattling.

3. I wasted 20 minutes trying to remove my original rack. It wouldn't pull off the column spline, even though the bolt was loose and I had hammered in a screwdriver to widen the clamp. Tip: Take that bolt all the way out, as it sets in a depression in the spline, keeping it from sliding free. Duh...

4. Used the e30 PS lines, with gentle bending. The banjo bolts are a tight fit, as the fluid ports are close to the motor mount (the opposite side from where the e30 rack ports are located. Weird.)

5. My e30 rack came complete with tie rods, off a complete car. I simply measured the length of both racks, tie rod to tie rod, and made the e36 match the e30. The e30 was about 3/4 inch wider, for those keeping score. Still, off to the alignment shop tomorrow.

6. All in all, no big surprises. Some steps just took longer. Degree of difficulty is enhanced by working on a garage floor and under the dash and behind the pedals. Need to work on my yoga.

7. My power steering pump still hums at idle. Might still be purging air out of the fluid. Any ideas?

8. The car feels way better -- tighter, more direct, quicker. If your rack is leaking, it is worth the trouble. Just find a lift. And work on your flexibility.

Thanks for all the help! Gary

Thanks for you write up. There's not many airbag conversion write ups, this winter I've be putting the Z3 rack on my 1990 325i and your thoughts will definitely help me.