HELP! steering wheel lock won't disengage

[joeygalv]

I did the same thing today finally after a month or so of playing with the steering column. I did everything correctly up until I got to the jarring and wiggling of the steering wheel to get the pin loose. Ya, well I broke the column bracket on the leftside and no free moving steering wheel. Now the whole column is loose. I'm screwed huh? my poor M3she never deserved this. what is a frustrated dude to do?

[MCoupeVet]

I saved the thread for when I need to fix this problem. Good info.

[mrbobo318ti]

hey guy, i bought a 318ti and the steering is lock ,what do i do, the car runs and the key comes out but cant move wheel. is it a good diy forum to fix at home or im stuck with the stealership prices so close to christmas .help!........i think the tumbler is good it engages

[Chinky420]

you will need:
3/8" metal drill bit
drill

take drill and drill hole in underside of steering column. the area is in the picture on the previous page, and if not, it's the rectangular metal part that is in the center bottom of the steering column. aim for dead center on the metal plate.

once outer metal plate is drilled through, you should have a spring wrap around the drill. stop drilling and remove spring

you may get through the metal plate and find that the spring does not wrap around it, look up into the hole, and see how far off the mark you were. re-drill, or try to fish the spring out via whatever you're comfortable with.

once spring is out, shake/jar the steering wheel back and forth, eventually the pin that the spring holds up (up = locked) will fall. pin down = no steering lock

worse case scenario, you're gonna have to get a new steering column.

happy trails/trials :-)

[e30hippie08]

ok so im checkin out this 97 318i for sale and it has this prob but the guy said it doesnt start. but does to the ACC. and lights up dash in normal function. would something like this also keep from the car to start or is this guy just really an idiot tryin to pull a no start scam? by the sounds of this post, he seems to be the bullshiester. let me know

...also, on these cars what is the best way to, in a sense, hot wire the car just to see if this car works would it just be the tumbler ignition sensor plug?

thx

[Chister]

+1 for Josh S!

I have a 1997 328i...

My wife got in the car the other day, and the (ATTN e30Hippie08!) ignition switch would not go past ACC. you could only rotate between ACC and LOCK. Well, I got in it and played for a while..and I was able to push DOWN on the key, and pull OUT just a hair, and was able to get the ignition to roll ro RUN, and also to START! yay! only problem was, once the car was running, the Steering Wheel was locked! I could put it in gear and go forward and reverse, but could not turn the wheel.

Well, I didnt want to take a chance on breaking some antitheft something or other, so I can to BimmerForums looking for an answer.

Lo and behold, i find this thread here.. I figure what the heck.. I'll try it.
So I go out, using my 3/8" drill bit, center and mark the target on the piece of aluminum and drill as described by Josh. The drill hits the dead air on the inside, and I hear and feel the spring wrapping around the bit. I pull the bit out and half of the spring. I get some forceps and pull out the other half of the spring that I can see in the hole.

Sure enough, it fixes not only the steering wheel lock problem, but also the LOCK/ACC problem!

So now, the car runs like a champ, starts no problem, but the steering wheel lock is broke. But hey.. I can live with that.

Thank you SO MUCH for your knowledge, Josh!

[tccknight]

Josh/Kwan,
10 minutes max, saved me a ton of time and money----thanks a million!

[pfrangip]

I often wonder how many car thieves use this forum for help.


"OMG I LOST MY KEYS HOW DO I START MY CAR??!"

"Oh its simple, you just drill a hole here, cross these wires, be careful not to touch the edges, and everything starts up fine."

"+1 I even put an aftermarket startup switch on mine so there's no need for a key."

[ith030]

Thanks for this thread and information. Same exact problem on my 96 328i. Worked like a charm.

[97IsMine]

It's appropriate that my first post to the forum would be a big THANK YOU!!! to those of you who posted photos and how-to's.

We purchased a 1997 Z3 a couple of months ago. This morning my wife (having a bad day...) first tried to unlock the Z3 with the wrong key (getting in stuck in the drivers-side door lock in the process) then couldn't get the car to start -- odometer and airbag lights came on, but no gauge movement or other indicators. At lunch I was able to get the car to start by muscling the steering wheel a bit, but noticed when I went to back out that the wheel hadn't unlocked A quick google search later, and y'all have provided the answer!

Thanks! Now if you can just fix my leaky top...

Eric W.

[sales4lee]

I have a 1997 328i with the same problem. Drilled through but can't find the spring!!! The column unlocked and car starts again. Is there any chance the spring could jam it while I'm driving? I'm a little paranoid to take it anywhere. Thanks.

[brm]

Lately when I'm driving, when I turn the wheel, especially when I turn it rapidly, I hear and feel a zzzzzz or ratcheting noise coming from the steering column. It happens when I turn in either direction, starts when the wheel gets 20 or 30 degrees off-center, and stops after 30 or 40 degrees of rotation. Does this mean the wheel is going to jam on me while I'm driving, and I should remove the spring before it's too late?

[E36M3Rich]

Thanks Josh! I have been dealing with this problem for over a year and a half (where my steering wheel would stay locked after starting my vehicle for 30 seconds up to 5 minutes while jiggling my wheel to get it unlocked). I didn't want to take it to the dealership, because they quoted me at least 2 hours of diag fees @ $117 per hour, plus any additional time to fix the problem and also cost of parts!!! So I did as you said and the little spring fell right out, and it maybe took 30-40 seconds of drilling... I can't believe there was such an easy fix!!! Thanks again!

[lokijibber]

I love the fact that this thread pops up every few months with such positive responses. This place rocks

For those who've asked about it freezing while driving, I think you're OK. I believe the lock needs to engage before it can sieze, but, I can't say anything from experience. Maybe someone else with more intimate knowledge can chime in.

[m3fordcord]

My 97 M3 steering wheel locked on me the other night in the parking lot at the shop. The key would not turn past the on position I thought I would have to have it towed to the dealer for an expensive repair. My son told me to check bimmerforums where I found this post. It took me no time to fix the problem and I didn’t even have to disassemble anything. Nice and thanks.

[tharo5280]

Worked for me on a 97 318i. The biggest waste of my time was trying all the other things I found and trying to figure out how to remove the steering wheel. Come to find out I didn't even need to remove the plastic parts. THANK YOU!!!

[hypnotiq1990]

wow absolutely brilliant ...josh big props to you and i forgot the name but posting pics was a great advantage ...i think ill never leave these forums lol

[d2007k]

just wanted to add for 97 318 ti works just like described .. one shot dead center of the rectangular box .. spring comes out and pin drops .. mine doesnt drop out it just lowers the pin (pin/small plate) and wheel turns fine .. at first wheel would only turn towards the right ..but a couple seconds of jiggling and working aback and forth its free ..excellent fix !!

[SixSquared]

Bumping this just because I just did this on my 96 328is and it worked like a charm. Apparently this problem is more common than thought lol

[bimmermo]

Had the same problem over the weekend. Worked great. Thanks

[DPett]

Had the exact same problem on 1996 328is .... took about 5 minutes once I found a sharp drill bit. After all these years, this post is still helping. Josh, Thanks for passing along your knowledge.

[tycat]

Josh:

What can I say, I have a big interview coming up and the steering wheel locked up and I was clueless. Read your comments. Exactly correct, took 10mins, and steering wheel works great…Was a little scary . Thank you

[sandmanscc]

Ok i know this post is OLD, but thank the lord for it!! I have a 1998 328i I just bought and you had to start ther car and wiggle the piss out of the steering wheel before it would unlock. I always had this fear itd lock in the middle of a turn or something crazy . Literally take two seconds drill right in the middle of the rectangle peice, the little spring fell out and all is well! Thanks again.

[djsurfer]

Had the same problem and after 10 min problem solved. You guys are amazing! thank you all

[hadashi]

This issue poped up on saturday on my 97 320i. Today I finally got up the courage to drill it and apart from my drill bit being a bit blunt all went ok.

I drilled one hole with a 3mm bit, then went to 7mm ish, which was just a little smaller than the spring, then 9mm and the spring was out. One note when giggling, you dont need to be very voilent, just go back and forth softly a lot of times.