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Thread: Fix the E39 Steering Wheel Tilt Creak, Squeak, Noise Problem

  1. #26
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Melbourne Australia
    Posts
    231
    My Cars
    '03 E39 Wagon & '04 E83
    Quote Originally Posted by rdl View Post
    I first applied an aerosol lithium grease but the groans persisted in spite of exercising the joint in & out several times. I then used a product SuperLube which is a thin lubricant I usually use for locks. After a little more exercise, the groans & creaks were no more. I'm not sure which lubricant did the job. Perhaps the SuperLube was redudant and the lithium grease just needed a few more strokes in & out to work its way into the spline. Regardless, I'm enjoying the silence.
    Sounds (pardon the pun) exactly like my experience. I too used aerosol lithium grease, over multiple attempts over a long period of time, with no success.

    But now that I've switched to a different type of lube (general grease) the groaning noises have not returned. Permanently. I will only use Lithium grease for my door locks only in the future.

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    473
    My Cars
    2014.5 Cmary Hybrid
    warning before anyone works on their steering squeaks. be careful where you laydown, as the plastic around the seat (with the electrical switches on the door side) gets broken if you lay near it and put any pressure on it while you lays under the dash. The cheap crappy plastic is not forgiving. Also, you have to make sure you apply the correct type, correct amount, in the correct place(s). This should be the once and only time you do it. IMHO

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Ooltewah, TN
    Posts
    6
    My Cars
    2003 BMW 530i Sedan
    What if your steering wheel will not move up or down? When I start car, I can hear the motor running for the up/down and noise like the gears are stripped out. Anyone else had this issue? I'd rather not just pull the fuse since it also kills the drivers power seat.

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Los Angeles Ca.
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    2002 BMW 540i
    Does anyone have a 2002 540i manual 6 speed?? I just replaced the clutch and now she won't start?? Any thoughts???

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Canada,Manitoba,Winnipeg
    Posts
    3
    My Cars
    1997 Bmw 540i
    Thanks allot everyone, i just got this problem on my 1997 540i yesterday. Thought somthing is srewd in my tire area, did some research and wooala

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    4
    My Cars
    2001 BMW E39 M5 Sedan
    Thanks for sharing this cool tip. Will bookmark this page for reference.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Bulgaria
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    E39
    I have the same problem too. When the steering column moves up and down, terrible creak sound hearing from the right side. When I removed all plastic covers around the column, I found that the source of the noise is one part of the moving mechanism, which is rubbing with aluminum base of the column. I used it WD40 and general purpose grease, but with not success.

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Alexandria
    Posts
    5
    My Cars
    e39
    Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I found an easier way to fix the creek by just following this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s075L_GDKbg

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Pasco, Washington
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    1998 BMW 540i
    Old but awesome thread. Fixed both my problems. Less and Less E39's on the road. I am proud to still have one. Thanks to all who contributed

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Alexandria, VA
    Posts
    9,049
    My Cars
    ‘01 540’00 528T’03 525T
    I see about one or two a day out here, makes my day to see another one out on the street. Keep ‘em running!
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    annapolis, md
    Posts
    17
    My Cars
    e46, e39
    DonE37, Did you use the long method on the original post or the short one by "duplicated" just above your post?

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Berkeley, CA
    Posts
    17
    My Cars
    BMW E39, Volvo 940T
    Quote Originally Posted by peakay View Post
    OK, since i got my car in August it has had the dreaded steering wheel creak, squeak, groan, whatever you want to call it NOISE problem. In other words, when I get in the car or shut it off, the steering wheel adjusts up and down and makes a terrible noise.

    I did many searches on this problem and narrowed down recommended fixes as using Wurth HHS 2000 penetrating lube and possibly backing off a nut on the steering wheel tilt. This was basically right and after playing around under there for some time, I figured out the exact source of the problem and fix.

    CONCLUSION:

    All the noise is coming from the threaded stud shown on the attached photo (see bottom of post). I could not initially isolate the source of the noise, but once I loosened this nut it got quieter and cranking it down made it loud. Bingo.

    Sorry I don't have more or better photos, but this will be obvious once you take of your lower panels. It is on the RH side of the column. Here is my recommended way to fix this:

    Supplies:
    - blankets/towels for overspray
    - HHS 2000 or white lithium spray lubricants
    - Loctite blue (or equivalent)
    - Various common tools.


    1) Put a blanket or towel down that will cover your entire floor area and also try to cover the side of your console. You will be generously spraying lube under your dash and need to protect the entire area.

    2) Remove lower panel trim from the dash. this is mostly obvious -- several little screws will be found under the dash. The steering column cover has a single screw to remove. The only part I had a problem with is there is one last screw on the upper left side of the lower panel (visible when door is open) and it has a cover on it, hiding the screw. I wasn't sure if a screw was under there or not and the cover was very hard to remove while being very easy to create a blemish in a very noticeable area. i ultimately got it off and discovered there was indeed screw under there. Just take your time and be careful not to damage your panel.


    3) Now that the panel is off, I can really save you some time. Go immediately to the nut on the right hand side of the column, closer to the firewall and remove the nut. no need to search around for what is causing the problem, this area is the culprit.

    4) With the nut off, operate the steering column up, down, in and out. stop at different points along the way and shoot a lubricant into this area. HHS 2000 is recommended, but white lithium grease would probably work too. The rubbing seems to be the up and down motion where the inner column is "sandwiched" together. Again, i wish I had a clear photo of this, but it will be obvious once you see it.

    5) While you are there, even though they are not the source, lube the other various joints that might squeek in the future.

    6) Apply loctite blue to the nut that you removed and fasten it on (it's a factory lock nut and since you won't be fully tightening it, thread locker is recommended). Tighten it fully , then back it off 1/2-1 full turn. This is subjective, but basically you want it barely snug but not tight at all. The thread locker will ensure an under-torqued nut does not fall off. You can play around with different tensions and test what works for your car's column by moving it down and up to see if the noise is gone.

    7) Optional: let the lube sit for a few hours or overnight, then test it again and re-lube. I did this since the HHS 2000 goes in as a penetrant that sets up over time, but this is not absolutely necessary. Other optional work at this point (since you have the car apart) would be to install a UUC clutch stop -- I did mine at the same time and it has made the car much more pleasant to drive.

    8) As they say, assembly is the opposite of removal. Put the car back together and enjoy!

    I hope this helps others...the recommendations I found were incomplete and I took a lot of time to make sure I isolated the exact area and cause of the creak. Enjoy your newly quiet, much higher-quality sounding E39!
    Hey Peakay! Thanks so much for your tips and fix here. Was having the dreaded steering column creak noise as it tils up/down for about a month now and I'm glad I came across your post when I did my search online. All I had to do was just crack the nut open a little and the noise disappeared completely. Couldn't be happier!

    Although this thread is a good 15 years old now - it solved my dreaded issue. Thanks again!

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