Replacing Power Steering Lines and Reservoir

[abandel]

My project for this weekend is to replace my leaking power steering lines and reservoir on my 1999 M3. I ordered the kit from ECS tuning and found a good video but wanted to see if anyone can share any additional tips/tricks for this job.

Thanks!

[JasonGM3]

It's not horrible IMO, just very dirty. I had LOTS of paper towels and shop rags and still made a huge mess.
I ended up pressure washing the bottom of the car after I got done with it all and it still looks great a year+ later.

[E85STI]

I recently replaced everything steering related but the rack itself(and steering guibo) and have to say it is very straight forward as Jason mentioned. Remove the bolts and hoses, and replace with the new one. Make sure you account for all of the old crush washers as the inner one tends to be very stuck to the pump or steering rack side. You don't want to accidentally have the new washer installed on top of the old or I imagine it will leak badly. Also make sure that the kit comes with all the crush washers that you will need, two for each bolt. You don't want to be working on it and then realize last minute you don't have all the parts to complete the install. I ordered a bunch of BMW crush washers ahead of time just to make sure I had what I needed, though most kits should have them. Also, when you attached the hoses to the reservoir it is easier to put them on with the reservoir out of the car as well as easier access to the clamps though not a necessity. I have some pics in my 98 restore thread but it really isn't a how to, however it might help a bit.

[82bmw633]

I replaced the rack, the reservoir, and all hoses. Bleeding is important. I left the front end in the air to bleed. Run the engine and turn the steering wheel left and right but just short of lock. Moving the rack helps circulate fluid and get the air out.

After replacing everything I discovered the pump failed…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[abandel]

I recently did my cooling system and that was a total mess, especially draining the block.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for the tips! I hope this goes smooth.

[abandel]

Job complete! Wasn’t too bad except for the high pressure line. It was a pain to get lined up to thread the bolts.

[E85STI]

Good to hear it went well.