steering shaft buoyancy sensation?

[Joseinpe]

Hello friends. Do you know what the symptoms are, before disassembling, to change the tree? I have floating sensations, but I don't know how I should trust the part to know that it is defective?
my steering wheel has no play, but in running order, it gives bad feelings and mistrust, as if I were on an ice rink
Oem 32311092644

 

[andyglym]

Hi, have you checked other areas on your Zed? It could be one or more degraded bushes, shock absorbers or even something simple as over inflated tyre pressures.

 

[Joseinpe]

Hi, have you checked other areas on your Zed? It could be one or more degraded bushes, shock absorbers or even something simple as over inflated tyre pressures.

What pressures do you use? I use in roadster 2.8 2.5bar on all 4 wheels. I don't know where to start, the directional ball joints? Apparently with the naked eye it is difficult to see the ball joints or suspension arms in poor condition? It is true, a while ago, I hit a lateral blow with a step, but I would not know where to start.

 

[andyglym]

What pressures do you use? I use in roadster 2.8 2.5bar on all 4 wheels. I don't know where to start, the directional ball joints? Apparently with the naked eye it is difficult to see the ball joints or suspension arms in poor condition? It is true, a while ago, I hit a lateral blow with a step, but I would not know where to start.

I'd check your tyre pressures. 2.5 bar = 36 PSI, that's very high. I have mine at 2.2 Bar (32 PSI) all round. Some have it lower, around 2.0 Bar (29 PSI).

Manufacturers settings for 225/60 R16 wheels = 2.0 Bar all round (29 PSI)

225/45 ZR 17 Front = 2.2 Bar (32 PSI)
245/40 ZR 17 Rear = 2.2 Bar (32 PSI)

Do that first as it's free and see what happens. If little or no difference have a mechanic look at your bushes and suspension.

Edit: Taken from the Z3 2.8 Supplementary Manual.

 

[t-tony]

Never heard of anyone changing the steering column U/Js for excess wear (play) so it’s unlikely to be causing your problem. Much more likely to be front lower arm inner, or outer ball joints.
You can check for this by jacking the front wheels a couple of inches clear of the ground and gripping the the tyre at 3 and 9 o’clock and shaking the the tyre side to side. Another check is to push inwards on the front side of the tyre while holding the rear side in position.

Tony.

 

[Eddie Zedder]

Sounds like tramlining to me. Suspension components and tyres are the first place I would look.

 

[NZ00Z3]

The USA Z3 owners are into replacing the steering coupling. Some report great improvements, other not so much. But with their cars being Left hand drive, its a different part and an easier job than trying to do if on a right hand drive car.

It's a 2 person job to test the coupling. One person in the car turning the steering wheel from side to side. The other person under the car with a spanner on the steering rack side of the coupling, observing the movement in the coupling.

One of my Z3's is at 120,000 miles and I have improved the steering feel and eliminated tramlining by changing the lower control arms, tie rod ball joints (both inner and outer) and fitting M3 rubber lower control arm rear bushings.

My steering coupling is still original and I have no intention to replace it anytime soon.

 

[t-tony]

One of the tests of free play in the steering system for the UK MOT test is to have the car standing on it's wheels, then with your fingers rock the steering side to side operating the "free play". On a rack and pinion equipped vehicle which has a standard sized steering wheel the outer rim of the wheel should not move more than 13mm before the road wheels start to turn. Very rarely do you find a vehicle that has and when you do it's even rarer for it to be the steering shaft U/J(s).

Tony.