Play in steering wheel after FCAB replacement / Clockspring-steering angle sensor replacement / alignment

A local independent shop did some work on my '04 coupe last month. Relevant (I think) items were a) replacing the FCAB's, b) performing an alignment, and c) replacing the steering angle sensor (spiral cable/clockspring). Before these repairs, I recall my steering wheel having virtually zero play. And now it has...some. Not a ton...maybe a few degrees. But I can now definitely wiggle the steering wheel when the car is totally stopped, while before I recall there being no play in that kind of scenario. Same feeling when driving (at any speed)...before the repairs: zero play; now: a bit of free wiggle. Car otherwise feels and runs great.

Any suggestions for

i) a list of things that could possibly have gone wrong in the course of any of the above that would cause this symptom
ii) a list of things unrelated to the above that might cause this symptom (or just generally a list of things to check if someone told you about that symptom)
iii) what other info I could pass along/things to try that might pin down what the issue is?

I'd love to be able to go back to the shop with some specific suggestions.

Thanks!

Check about the steering coupler, PN 32301094703. But I can't explain why the issue just started after the recent work. There's another part that could be a factor. I will post it tomorrow, I have that info on my work computer.

I agree that it could be the steering coupler. The only thing that I can think of is that with your FCAB being bad, it settled in one direction so it kept your steering tight still even though it was out of spec.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fredo

Check about the steering coupler, PN 32301094703. But I can't explain why the issue just started after the recent work. There's another part that could be a factor. I will post it tomorrow, I have that info on my work computer.

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I'm planning to replace this part at some point: lower joint assy 32306764006

https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...t-diy.1106109/

What do you think would be a fair price to pay for a mechanic (dealer or otherwise) to swap the lower joint assy? (Parts + Labor)

Well, this is both hilarious and embarrassing to admit, but I think I know what was going on here. The problem is sorted. Final price for what fixed it: $1.75.

In trying to troubleshoot this problem, I had the car back (twice) to the shop that did the work on the steering column when the issue came up. And I had it into the dealer as well when the indy shop didn't really have any ideas. In the end the dealer suggested replacing both the lower steering column shaft as well as the entire upper steering column assembly (for well over 2k installed). The indy shop took a third look at it and suggested replacing the lower steering column shaft with a donor from another car. We tried that and the problem did get a bit less severe. (And there was a bit of play in the part that came out of my car).

But the feel was still frustratingly loose on center. Lived with it for about half a year after the lower shaft swap. Well, I've recently started driving the car on the highway more and the vagueness when making lane changes across "north south" asphalt seams was just spooky. Got me thinking maybe the tires were getting a bit soft based on how it felt. Well. Fuck. How did I not check this sooner. All four corners were in the low 20's. Got all four back up to target and, yup, that fixed it. And of course things feel better in a dozen other ways, too.

Putting it all together: I mentioned in my initial post that in the indy shop visit that "caused" the problem, the car got an alignment among other things. What I'd forgotten was that we did that because they swapped all four tires for wear that day. In retrospect it seems very likely they just never inflated the tires correctly at all. Should I have caught this, of course. Do I feel dumb, more than I can put into words. But am I frustrated that the car was in and out of the indy 2x and the dealer 2x (each time with "complimentary safety inspections") without anyone checking a tire pressure, sigh, yes.

All's well that ends well. Happy to have a car that feels right again!