Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Palm Beach County, FL
    Posts
    397

    Steering Fluid Leak DIY Tips/Warnings

    Hey guys, so the shop quoted me all these parts plus labor for a steering fluid leak. I have a friend who is an experienced boat mechanic and willing to help me out with this project so I'd like to know is there any critical process or part etc. that I should look out for or be particularly careful of? I know in any job like this there might be that one thing, if you knew about it, it could have saved you another 5 hours of heartache.

    I did find this video which seems pretty awesome and my friend said it should be pretty easy to replace any hose there if needed.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_kC9qhCOeA

    And these are the parts that was recommended I needed for this shop to do my repairs:

    $68 PS Reservoir
    $20 PS Res Cap
    $87 Return Pipe
    $300 Pump to Rack
    $55 Reservoir to Pump
    $59 Cooler to Reservoir
    $130 Rack to Cooler

    (overhaul PS system)
    + $330 labor
    __________________________________________________ ____
    2003 ZHP 4dr | 145,000 miles (ACTUAL before RIP) | BBS 17"
    Hankook Ventus V12
    Front: 225/45ZR
    Rear: 255/40ZR-17 Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 XL
    [ Staggered on square (17x8.5 +38) ]

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Lexington, KY
    Posts
    4,903
    Most definitely do not forget to buy the power steering line disconnect tool. It will save you time for sure.
    ttps://www.amazon.com/CTA-Tools-3466-Transmission-Disconnect/dp/B009VI9P62

    The trick is to put the tool on the upper power steering line entering the cooler near the expansion tank. This allows you to move the tube out about one inch. At that point, you remove the tool, and now you can remove the tube the rest of the way.
    Then you can do the hose right below.

    I had no problem getting the nut on the steering rack off from below the car. I only did one of the lines. Then found out it is the line from the reservoir to the coolant, NOT the line from the coolant to the rack that was leaking. Oh well, I will get it eventually.
    Last edited by Oli77; 01-18-2018 at 07:30 PM.
    325i, 2005, 5MT, Silvergrey, leatherette, Sport package; CDV delete, KONI STR-T & KYB Excel-G, Weisslichts, Stewart H2O pump

    328i, 2010, 6MT, Spacegrey, dakota leather, M-sport packages; has a 330 intake but no tune - yet
    http://s900.photobucket.com/user/othibau/media/Junesig.jpg.html][IMG]http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac208/othibau/Junesig.jpg

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    VA/DC
    Posts
    14,445
    Quote Originally Posted by Oli77 View Post
    Most definitely do not forget to buy the power steering line disconnect tool. It will save you time for sure.
    https://www.amazon.com/CTA-Tools-3466-Transmission-Disconnect/dp/B009VI9P62

    The trick is to put the tool on the upper power steering line entering the cooler near the expansion tank. This allows you to move the tube out about one inch. At that point, you remove the tool, and now you can remove the tube the rest of the way.
    Then you can do the hose right below.

    I had no problem getting the nut on the steering rack off from below the car. I only did one of the lines. Then found out it is the line from the reservoir to the coolant, NOT the line from the coolant to the rack that was leaking. Oh well, I will get it eventually.
    Thanks guys. Oli can you fix the link? (This is on my To Do list).

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Lexington, KY
    Posts
    4,903
    Fixed the link, I also have a good video link I should post.

    Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk
    325i, 2005, 5MT, Silvergrey, leatherette, Sport package; CDV delete, KONI STR-T & KYB Excel-G, Weisslichts, Stewart H2O pump

    328i, 2010, 6MT, Spacegrey, dakota leather, M-sport packages; has a 330 intake but no tune - yet
    http://s900.photobucket.com/user/othibau/media/Junesig.jpg.html][IMG]http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac208/othibau/Junesig.jpg

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Palm Beach County, FL
    Posts
    397
    Quote Originally Posted by Oli77 View Post
    Fixed the link, I also have a good video link I should post.

    Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk
    Post! Thanks

    Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
    __________________________________________________ ____
    2003 ZHP 4dr | 145,000 miles (ACTUAL before RIP) | BBS 17"
    Hankook Ventus V12
    Front: 225/45ZR
    Rear: 255/40ZR-17 Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 XL
    [ Staggered on square (17x8.5 +38) ]

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Lexington, KY
    Posts
    4,903
    Thought it was a video link. It is as good, if not better than a video.

    http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=414455

    The 2 banjo bolts on the rack need two crush washers each (should come with the new hoses). The M14 bolt takes 26 ft-Lb. The M16 bolt takes 30 ft-Lb.

    I filled it up with ATF Dexron III. I did not do what the guy did at the end of the link. This is overkill I think.
    325i, 2005, 5MT, Silvergrey, leatherette, Sport package; CDV delete, KONI STR-T & KYB Excel-G, Weisslichts, Stewart H2O pump

    328i, 2010, 6MT, Spacegrey, dakota leather, M-sport packages; has a 330 intake but no tune - yet
    http://s900.photobucket.com/user/othibau/media/Junesig.jpg.html][IMG]http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac208/othibau/Junesig.jpg

  7. #7
    I can't speak to the E46 system, but suspect it is similar to the E36 setup. My 328i was leaking fluid slowly for some time and I waited for better weather to tear into it. Finally on a nice spring day I decided not to put it off any longer. First step was to find the exact location of the leak by getting every component around it squeaky clean with brake spray - fluid from leaks tends to travel down and back, so make sure you clean the highest wet area first, as that will likely be the source of the leak. On my car it turned out to be a crack in the return hose that I found by touching the hose with a kleenex after running the car a few minutes - the exact location of the leak became obvious. The toughest part was removing the upper clamp - I ended up loosening the reservoir for better access, then cutting the clamp with a dremel tool and replacing it with a standard hose clamp. Replacement hoses priced from about $13 to $25 on RockAuto - this source might horrify purists, but it works for me on some basic non-critical parts. For about 40 bucks and a couple hours of work my system was restored - the $300 I saved was later spent wisely on women and beer...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Liberty Township, OH
    Posts
    37,935
    Quote Originally Posted by Sailor View Post
    I can't speak to the E46 system, but suspect it is similar to the E36 setup. My 328i was leaking fluid slowly for some time and I waited for better weather to tear into it. Finally on a nice spring day I decided not to put it off any longer. First step was to find the exact location of the leak by getting every component around it squeaky clean with brake spray - fluid from leaks tends to travel down and back, so make sure you clean the highest wet area first, as that will likely be the source of the leak. On my car it turned out to be a crack in the return hose that I found by touching the hose with a kleenex after running the car a few minutes - the exact location of the leak became obvious. The toughest part was removing the upper clamp - I ended up loosening the reservoir for better access, then cutting the clamp with a dremel tool and replacing it with a standard hose clamp. Replacement hoses priced from about $13 to $25 on RockAuto - this source might horrify purists, but it works for me on some basic non-critical parts. For about 40 bucks and a couple hours of work my system was restored - the $300 I saved was later spent wisely on women and beer...
    Great advice

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    Call Me Dane l 2/2004 330i ZHP l 18x8 ET45 BBS CK's wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ @ 245-40-18 l KW V1 Coilovers in front l KW V1 springs w/ Bilstein B8 dampeners in rear l BMW Performance Rotors l UUC StrutBarbarian l Racing Dynamics Rear Strut Bar l Jim Conforti Shark Injector l Light Birch Interior Trim l Bimmian Celly Mount l M3 Trunk Mat l l e90 Performance E-Brake & Shift Knob l M3 Tri-Stitched Boots l AL Headlight Retrofit with ZKW Lenses l CobyWheel Wrap w/M3 Stitching l LCM sw 4.5 triple blink and rear fogs l Maple Interior Trim

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Location
    Lake Wylie, NC
    Posts
    333
    Quote Originally Posted by Oli77 View Post
    Most definitely do not forget to buy the power steering line disconnect tool. It will save you time for sure.
    ttps://www.amazon.com/CTA-Tools-3466-Transmission-Disconnect/dp/B009VI9P62
    Thanks for the link to the tool and the advice. I'm hoping my PS leak is just the o-ring under the cap, but I imagine sooner or later I'll do a swap.

    Salty
    __________________________________________________ _____
    2005 BMW 330Ci ZHP Jet Black/Black with aluminum cube
    Bone stock at the moment

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Palm Beach County, FL
    Posts
    397
    Yup, thanks guys, I think I have enough to go on to diagnose first to see where the leak is and then if needed, replace parts... I hope I dont run into "something stupid" that makes me regret this and down a car for over a week!
    __________________________________________________ ____
    2003 ZHP 4dr | 145,000 miles (ACTUAL before RIP) | BBS 17"
    Hankook Ventus V12
    Front: 225/45ZR
    Rear: 255/40ZR-17 Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 XL
    [ Staggered on square (17x8.5 +38) ]

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