bmw E39 steering column up/down adjustment failure

[champaign777]

Well i was thinking i know all about E39 haha
I was searching but cant get an answer , - my steering column up / down adjuster failed

similar issue :

http://www.justanswer.com/bmw/553nv-...html#re.v/174/

i think its part

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=32_0702

18

SHAFT VERTICAL ADJUSTING

1

32316760684

$18.17

Motor is fine but this white worm screw mechanism ( plastic ! SHAFT thanks a ton to BMW engineers ) where you can see the screw driver
will not adjust the steering column UP/DOWN anymore



Anyone has experience with this crap and how i can replace this shaft /other fix ??

I feel another weekend lost with $10 E39 part and $1000 labor ahh

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found DIY on X5 forum
need a new shaft ...

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ement-diy.html

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ordered 2 shafts from ECStuning

32316760684
32311159013

Will post some DIY for E39 forum

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i dont believe that NOONE even fixed it for E39

[dannyzabolotny]

Maybe it's just not a part that breaks often? Even in my 2001 540i where almost everything else is broken, the steering wheel still adjusts happily.

[champaign777]

I want to believe haha , I have E39 carma , i have fixed all possible impossible broken issues ( 95% its rubbers and plastic failures ) with my car and its the latest 2003 E39
Also car is mostly used by my wife and i can understand why it failed as she likes to adjust it to the highest possible position
LOL

[fullthrottle540]

Did fuse blow? Does drivers seat still have electronic adjust?

[champaign777]

nothing blow , seat adjuster is working fine

[geargrinder]

Never heard of that broke on E38/39 before. I am sure its happenee, its just not common for sure. Looks like a hateful PITA to do in hot summertime.

[champaign777]

exactly ...

I can clearly see that motor is working fine and the metal worm on picture above is moving inside this white plastic so the whole worm screw mechanism is broken
E39 carma man , i am going to replace both shafts now

[champaign777]

got the shaft
took lower panel out

removed adjuster vertical motor , this one is easy , based on Bentley its just 2 T3 bolts

Bentley :




removed motor with shaft ( see new shaft down )



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now i need to figure out whats next ...

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crap
its not a shaft i replaced it
its an inner white plastic inside steering column which hold this shaft
There is NO part to replace and i need to removed entire steering column to play with this plastic
What a crap design BMW ... no way i gonna do it ,- too much work for the stupid adjuster

Video , see this white plastic with worm screw mechanism doing nothing as this plastic is broken/loose

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1Q...WgNo9RnIJC54k6

I am done with these cars no new BMW for me haha

[geargrinder]

that sux man. I am guessing at somepoint something / somebody jammed the wheel while it was trying to move somehow and then stripped that part out.

can't see your video because infuriatingly Google insists I sign in to do so and they can blowzme.

Given this is a 'no option' situation otherwise, can you maybe fabri-mod to fix yours? just spitballin' but maybe make a metal insert you can pound up into the stripped plastic piece to recreate a tight fit between the shaft and the stripped part?
JBWeld the shaft up into that part? less optimistic about that one...

[ahults]

I am having the same issue on my 01 540i/6. The plastic worm gear mechanism is stripped I can see the metal threaded shaft move then I try to move the steering wheel up or down but it just spins inside that white plastic nut. Has anyone fixed this without replacing the whole steering column? Would this be a DIY project or would it be best to take it to a shop?

[will308]

I am having the same issue on my 01 540i/6. The plastic worm gear mechanism is stripped I can see the metal threaded shaft move then I try to move the steering wheel up or down but it just spins inside that white plastic nut. Has anyone fixed this without replacing the whole steering column? Would this be a DIY project or would it be best to take it to a shop?

Yes, my fix was to adjust the steering wheel to where it suited me best and I installed a metal nut to hold it there.
Mine had gotten so loose the wheel wanted to constantly fall into the bottom most position.
Not the best solution but It's been like this for a number of years without an issue.
Short of replacing the column, I don't see another way to fix it.

[ahults]

Do you know where I can find a DIY for replacing the steering column? Its probally something that I could live with but would rather see if I can fix it. I found some used column assembly's on ebay I might go that route than buying new.

[champaign777]

Was thinking about steering column replacement as well but replacement will require 2 3 BMW tools which i don't have so i still drive it "as it" for now
Maybe someone will do DIY for this task which i believe we will see more often now ...

[shortedaman]

This is happening to me right now. Needed a new battery and I guess the power was so strong it broke. It's so hard to get into the car now.

[champaign777]

whats up fellas

so i bought steering column from ebay 2002 530i E39

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281662047188...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT




And it looks like both parts of this worm gear mechanism are made from metal ( copper ? ) !!

See close picture the outer part of worn gear is very short and its METAL ( checked and verified )

I am lost but if its true it can be a good replacement ... BMW redesigned it or what ??

Now i need to find the time to replace it ... to be continue



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update

I google it and it looks like ebay guy messed up as its from BMW 7 serious
part 1094265

if its direct replacement ( from what i see they are the same ? ) so it can be a nice solution to this problem

[geargrinder]

good catch. wonder if there's a parts replacement thing going on. would be nice to know what year/model exactly it came from. could be real early cars had metal? or just E38's?

its not going to be copper, nobody would ever use solid copper for a part like that. I would bet its just cheap steel with a plating, and therefore indeed far better than the plastic.

[itsbrokeagain]

I'm going to bring this back from the dead, but I'm pulling my column out tomorrow while I do my M5 dash swap, to see why it refuses to move. Checked with a scanner and the controls register when I move the stalk around but I get a weird 'motor transmission jammed' code. No one I've asked has ever even remotely heard of such codes.

[Perern]

I replaced the up/down shaft a few months ago, now it just goes down an inch from the top position. I'm sure I seated the rod properly

[Perern]

I replaced the up/down shaft a few months ago, now it just goes down an inch from the top position. I'm sure I seated the rod properly

No help needed, Gave it an extra push and now it works smoothly all the way

[itsbrokeagain]

Found my cables yesterday to be pretty fubared. I took the motors out and bench tested them, they work great in both directions. Also manually adjusted the up/down lever and I too have the metal guide, not the plastic one. Plenty of grease still there as well. Ordering them up on Monday and perhaps I can finally get this column working again

[Jason5driver]

Bump.
Just had this happen on my car...
The up and down tilt on the steering wheel does not work, however, the motor still runs.
Video:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...dfWDJ5VnBMSnZn

[champaign777]

I still have new shaft if someone needs but i believe in most cases its not the one which fail

[joekitch]

checking in
this happened to my car a while ago I've just been putting off dealing with it, although my symptoms are a little different. (2003, at about 150k miles)

Started with the auto adjust mechanism seemingly losing track of its own position and the end-stops, so when i got out of the car it'd try to adjust up, hit the end stop and just grind the motor forever. only way to counter this is to tap the adjustment stalk down EVERY time i turn the car off.

In addition something's stripped, the wheel will adjust but only if i really push on it while it's adjusting as an assist.

that "Screw it" option of just freezing the wheel in place at its highest adjustment sound really nice. Any lower and the top of steering wheel blocks my gauges, which is quite annoying, so there's no reason to put it lower

[schnell944]

Resurrecting this thread since the white plastic guide that the vertical adjustment shaft goes into is stripped. Is there no way to remove the white plastic piece and replace it with a good one from a salvage column without replacing the whole column assembly? For now, I like the idea mentioned above to keep it in place with a nut threaded on the shaft. Anyone recall what size nut worked so I don't have to pull the motor and take it to the hardware store? What an annoying failure!

[Jason5driver]

The white plastic cover with the molded wire just slides into the slots to drive the system .
Just use some needle-nose plyers and pull it out .