Shaky steering, clacking noise in column

tkwonger · Apr 21, 2004

Hi all,

When driving straight, at ertain speeds approx above 55 mph, i'm getting this clacking noise in my steering column, in addition to some shaking, vibration, or shimmering in the steering. I see some of this in braking also. Funny thing is none of these symptoms occur when i'm driving below 45 mphs.

I was wondering if this is associated to wheel alignment or wheel balancing. I just got a wheel balance yesterday, and did not fix the problem and seems like it only made it worse.

Years ago I did change the stock rims to some aftermarket ones, and added some spacers and new lugs to the front end. I don't believe I had any problems after that change, but was wondering maybe if it is affecting it now.

I did read up on some of the posts on here, about replacing the control arm bushings or ball joints. However I'm not sure if it could be related.

Is usual wheel alignment maintenance required for a car of this age? I don't believe i've brought it into the shop for one.

If anybody has any insight, that would be great. Thanks.

[driving2]

Tony

E30 91 318i
125K miles

jsylvain · Oct 18, 2004

Did you ever get a response about this? I have the same problem in my 91 318iS. After asking around to several mechanics, no one seemed to know what to do about this problem.

jrt67ss350 · Oct 18, 2004

jsylvain said:

What exactly is your car doing?

epj3 · Oct 18, 2004

Sounds like it could be a ball joint or something, but if its definitely in the steering colum, this is what the colum looks like between the firewall and rack.

Part #3 is a rubber disc designed to dampen some of the vibration. It can wear out just like the guibo on your driveshaft.

Big Daddy · Oct 18, 2004

Usually a shaking in the wheel during braking is warpped rotors. My 91 318is would on occassion get a shake right in the steering column (light) and a click click noise. This quit after I put ATE slotted rotors on her. Maybe the same?

Ben · Oct 18, 2004

yeah it could be that rubber thing in the stering column or the u-joints. also, check your tie rods, ball joints and wheel bearings.

jsylvain · Oct 20, 2004

OK, I wasn't too clear about which of tkwonger's problems I'm seeing. My car doesn't shake any more since I bought all new tires with matching tread wear. It's not the brakes since the car slows to a stop smoothly (slight pull to the left during braking, but nothing major). The trouble is the clacking in the steering column whenever the car gets shaken by bumps in the road. Sport suspension provides a constant reminder.

I'm certain the clacking not ball joints. I had the control arms replaced a few months ago which did take car of a separate rattle. The clacking I'm refering to is definitely on the steering column inside the cab of the car. It sounds like plastic to metal or hard rubber to metal (not metal to metal). As tkwonger points out, it's ONLY present when driving straight. When take a turn on a bumpy road, the steering column rattle goes away once the steering wheel is turned either direction.

epj3 is on the right track with parts #2 and #3 of his diagram. Is this something easily replaceable by me or does disassembly of the steering column require the expertise of a dealership/certified mechanic? I'd like to avoid my air bag unintentionally discharging among other hazards.

mjbst111 · Oct 20, 2004

the rubber thing epj is talking about is just above the steering rack under the car. You wouldn't have take apart anything in the car.

however those joints just below the rubber disc are a pain to get off. Maybe his wouldn't be too bad i dunno. You should difinitely give it a try.

My car makes the same noise at low speeds. Perhaps not as loud. I don't mind it at all. It's been doing it for a while (since i bought it). And my steering flex disc looks fine. Never really tried to debug the problem though or tried to flex the disc to make sure.

Kether · Oct 22, 2004

This problem is caused by a failed Control Arm bushing(s). The bushings are made of rubber, and usually aren't replaced on the E30's I've noticed. A good replacement choice is the entire control arm (contains 2 pressed-in ball joints), the bushing mount (BMW techs call this the lollypop) and to replace the stock bushing with an E30 M3 solid rubber offset piece. This is offset to increase stability and tracking at high speeds. Leaving this problem go for too long can cause the rotors to warp slightly; they can be resurfaced if within tolerances. Also, check your tire wear. If the inside edges have an odd sawtooth wear pattern, it's indicative of this condition. Also, I was told on this forum that M3 control arms themselves will fit on a 325i/e/is/es. They're made of aluminum and take some unsprung weight off the front end.

jsylvain · Oct 28, 2004

Hmm, I can see that we're getting misdirected. The control arm bushings are definitely not the clacking I'm hearing in the steering column. The noise was there before and after I replaced the control arms (including replacing the control arm bushings).

Further, it looks like I mistook epj's diagram for what's inside the cabin of the car. The noise is definitely coming from inside the cabin. It sounds like it's right behind the steering wheel (between the steering wheel and where the ignition goes into the steering column). Any more info here would be useful.

mjbst111 · Oct 29, 2004

jsylvain said:

you shouldn't have mistaken, i told you his diagram was outside of the car....

mine does the same thing at lower speeds. If i ever get a chance to look at it and find the problem i'll let you know.

bichmgnt · Oct 29, 2004

I have the same noise. The amount of noise/shake usually has to do with the road I'm on as some roads (mostly cement freeways with rain grooves in the surface) are worse than others. Lower profile tires, which have stiffer sidewalls and transmit more road perturbations to the steering wheel, would tend to make it worse. As for the noise itself, I have a feeling it is only a connector or wiring contacting the surface of the steering column when the road makes the car shake. If you find out what it actually is, let us know.

Steve

xLibelle · Oct 31, 2004

bichmgnt said:

Steve is on the right track but its not connectors either. Its not control arms and prolly not column linkage or steering damper.
I know exactly what he means. You can actually "shake" the wheel, rotationally and feel the clicking. Its also felt on bumpy roads and especially with lower profiles due to the stiffer ride.

In your situation, you have something imbalanced that resonates at above 50. my wheels were perfect until some shit car shop decided to balance them and i had a shimmy above 80 there after. but i remounted the wheels a few weeks ago and no problem since.

but my shop mechanic has had this problem before and fixed it. pointing it out, a coupler behind the steering wheel gets worn or loose on these cars. he said its not that easy to fix. i dont believe him on that part, but i havent taken a good look at it either.

removing the airbag wheel isnt too bad. you just need to disconnect the battery 5-10 minutes before you start tinkering with plugs for removal. might as well take a good hard look under the knee bolster first though, to determine best route.

jsylvain · Nov 9, 2004

After disassembling the steering wheel, I found the problem. It's the contact ring, a plastic ring inside the steering wheel which brings the air bag wires from the steering column (static) to the steering wheel (rotational). This plastic ring, which remains static with the steering column, holds a flexible coil of tape, about 10 turns. The tape has two wires imbedded in it which connect to wires in the steering column and to the airbag on the steering wheel. This coil of tape normally sits loose to allow the steering wheel to rotate all the way in either direction without running out of tape. Turning the wheel one direction loosens the tape, the other direction tightens the tape.

The clacking rattle comes from the contact ring against other parts of the steering wheel. Once worn, the ring has less than 1mm of play between the inside of the ring and the parts it touches on the steering wheel. I don't see how to get the ring off the rest of the steering wheel, so I haven't come up with a decent (hacked) fix for this. However, there's the cause.

As xLibelle says, you can shake the steering wheel rotationally and hear/feel the ring rattle.

mjbst111 · Nov 10, 2004

thanks for the info!!

Is the part you are talking about in this pic?

or this?

bichmgnt · Nov 10, 2004

No. It looks like you got that from the ETK. Look under steering wheel supplemental restraint system and I think you'll find it. My problem is I have a sport steering wheel but I still have the noise. I may have to pull mine apart to see what's going on there.

Steve

xLibelle · Nov 10, 2004

i will be able to do the same after Thanksgiving

jsylvain · Nov 16, 2004

So I got the contact ring off of the steering wheel (after loosening 3 hex worm screws and removing 3 small 5mm nuts). I tried driving on a bumpy road without it (horn and airbag are disabled). Most of the clacking/rattling is gone but there's still more rattle. I could just replace the contact ring and be satisfied with the improvement. However, the BMW dealership wants $160 for this part. I wouldn't feel bad about buying a new one if the old part was actually broken, but it's not. It just causes an extra noise in my car.

I couldn't see mjbst111's pictures (tried different versions of Windows as well as different browsers). Could you tell me where you found the pictures? I'd appreciate being able to look up a variety of parts on my car.

mjbst111 · Nov 17, 2004

i used the link in the general chat section. Don't know why the pictures don't work anymore....

http://www.bmwboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10555

jsylvain · Nov 18, 2004

Nice site. The part is called SLIP RING (rather than Contact Ring as the Chilton's manual says). It's part number 32341156363 for $103.44. That's a step in the right direction.

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