Wobble Wobble

[Chippy]

Hello all, been chasing down the source of a wobble in my steering.

I am thinking it must be a worn steering box! Is it possible that a worn out box could create wobble? I'm a total idiot when it comes to steering boxes... don't quite get how it could create wobble as I don't understand where the opportunity exists in it for the wheels to point in different directions...but thats why Im here :0)

 

Let me list everything I've replaced:

 

• Every bushing (control arms and idler)
• Every balljoint (and all are tight)
• Wheel bearings (and wheels are snug)
• Rotors
• Wheels
• Tires
• Guibo
• Strut hats
• Struts

 

I've checked the torque on everything a half dozen times.

 

 

With car on jack stands...

• If I quickly move wheels left/right with my hands (as if they were being steered) there is a clunk in the steering box
• If I move wheels all the way left or right, then there is extra play or slop at the wheels resulting in clunk at the steering box

 

What do you guys think? Thanks!

 

[tzei]

Sounds like worm gear has too much play. Of course  examination of innards & rebuild would cure that but adjusting top screw just enough to take the play off when full lock left or right might be (short term) answer.

[Dudeland]

You can adjust some of that play out. But to eliminate it you will need to get a reman.   If you want to get race feel, then get a close ratio kit from I.E.; otherwise, get one of these. 

 

For BMW 2002 1600 1602 1800 1802 1964-1977 E10 Manual Steering Gearbox TCP | eBay

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[Chippy]

Ha! Of course it wants more of my money. Thanks for the link dude.

I tried tightening up my current box a little. It maybe helped a little bit but wobble still there. Especially in turns, and extra especially in right hand turns...Wonder why right handers?

['76mintgrün'02]

34 minutes ago, Chippy said:

It maybe helped a little bit but wobble still there. Especially in turns, and extra especially in right hand turns...Wonder why right handers?

I've tightened the adjuster on the box and had the steering feel less wandery, but wobbly is coming from something else.  You could try jacking up the front end and setting some sort of pointer beside each wheel to see if they're spinning true.  Perhaps a rim is slightly bent, or there's a bulge in one of the tires.  

 

It might also be a wheel balancing issue.  I've read about people having to go to extremes to get them properly balanced.  Do your wheels have weights on both sides, or just the back side?  

 

I had new tires put on my car last summer and have noticed a slight shimmy in the steering wheel at times.  It seems to happen when I first drive off in the car and then goes away a few miles later and might come and go throughout the drive.  I noticed that they only put weights on the inside of the wheels, which looks nice, but suggests that they were static-balanced, but not dynamically-balanced.  I am considering calling around to see what it'd cost to get them rebalanced.  In the meantime, I may swap front to back to see if that helps.  

Tom

[SydneyTii]

Check your wheel nuts and wheel bearings?

[Tommy]

Have you checked your rear axle? Rear wheels can steer too if there's loose trailing arm or subframe bushing.

Maybe it is the steering box but still worth to look the other way too.

It is normal that when the wheel is turned there is loose in the box. Straight it should be firm but not sticking.

[TobyB]

Quote

• If I move wheels all the way left or right, then there is extra play or slop at the wheels resulting in clunk at the steering box

this is normal.

 

Make sure the box is exactly in the center of the worm (count rotations and fractions thereof on the steering wheel)

and adjust it at that point for just the tiniest amount of drag when the wheels are off the ground.

It's surprisingly hard to get it dead- nuts on.

 

t

 

[Chippy]

About idler arm bushings...
 

This car came with black bushings. I put in blue. Does anyone know if there is a difference in the inner diameter between the blue and black? Could the Inner Diameter of the blue bushings be larger than the black, allowing the idler arm to wobble inside the bushings?


 

[Tommy]

Well there are two kinds of bushings but the difference is just the outer diameter. They're supposed to be pretty tight to press in the tube. Here's a topic on that one.

 

[Chippy]

Yes, I put the blue ones in by turning them down to the right diameter. But I wonder if the ID of the steel sleeve is different between the blue and black bushings, allowing the idler arm to slop around... I don't have my black ones anymore unfortunately.  I figure this could potentially be the culprit of my wobble.

 

A couple other ideas

• Maybe the right hand steering arm has a wallowed out hole for the ball joint? I replaced the ball joint, torqued it down, so it's not loose due to not being torqued...
• Could a strut moving up/down in the housing create a wobble? I wonder if there is any play, and if I need to put a shim inside...

['76mintgrün'02]

1 hour ago, Chippy said:

I wonder if the ID of the steel sleeve is different between the blue and black bushings, allowing the idler arm to slop around.

 

No.  The ID is the same between the two styles.  RealOEM lists both style sleeves in this diagram, but only one pitman arm.

 

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

WWW.REALOEM.COM

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BMW parts 1502-2002tii 2002 Steering linkage/tie rods