EDIT: For anyone who comes across this in the future: UNBOLT THE MOTOR MOUNTS AD LIFT THE ENGINE 3-4 INCHES.. Both line connections can be accessed and manipulated easily once the engine is clear.
'97 540i...leaking heavily from the top fitting on the steering box. How do you access it? It's right under the left bank and looks to be against the strut tower.
Last edited by makenzie71; 11-11-2018 at 05:49 PM.
It sucks big time but I've done it several times. There is a small metal heat shield next to the steering gearbox that you can remove from underneath the car that will give you a tiny bit more room. Then it's all about feeling around blindly with your fingers.
I do not believe in a risk free society where the thrill of living is traded for the safety of existence. Nick Ienatsch
The law does NOT determine "right" from "wrong". They are unrelated.
If you put cheap parts on your car, you will soon have a cheap parts car.
Do you know what size the banjo bolt is? I don't see any heat shields...I was hoping it'd be one of those there where you can get right at it if you take off the wheel liner or something. Bummer.
Off the top of my head I don't remember. I haven't had to revisit my steering box since I fixed it a couple years ago. Well, aside from realizing my pitman arm was slightly loose on the splined shaft a few months ago.
Mine had a small metal heat shield held on by a couple 8MM bolts that gave me slightly better access when it was removed.
I do not believe in a risk free society where the thrill of living is traded for the safety of existence. Nick Ienatsch
The law does NOT determine "right" from "wrong". They are unrelated.
If you put cheap parts on your car, you will soon have a cheap parts car.
I used a crows foot from the top side. Don't remember the size, if no one answers I'll go out in the garage after the Sox/Dodgers game and look.
That'd be great Jim. I've been out there trying to get a bunch of different wrenches on it but I get no room to position them and nothing gets seated. If someone can confirm the size I'll go buy a damn crows foot tomorrow morning to get it done.
I do not believe in a risk free society where the thrill of living is traded for the safety of existence. Nick Ienatsch
The law does NOT determine "right" from "wrong". They are unrelated.
If you put cheap parts on your car, you will soon have a cheap parts car.
I have a huge amount of...we'll call it stuff...and I've never needed one before. I'd prefer just buy the tool I need if at all possible. Parts and tool stores are right around the corner so if I need a different size it's not too much of a hassle.
I mean I'd rather have just the tools I need rather than buy a set that has six sizes I'll never use to throw on top of the huge assortment of stuff I already own.
Last edited by makenzie71; 10-26-2018 at 10:05 PM.
#6 bolt, right?
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=32_0927
I buy tools before I need them, you'll never know what you need until you don't have it.
I wait until there is a sale and just stock up. When one tool box is full I buy another tool box. Up to 7 boxes now.
Yeah #6.
The smaller banjo bolt #6 is 19mm, the larger one is 22mm.
Not that easy to get at. You could loosen the steering box bolts, that might give you better access from the top.
When you are putting the sealing washers back on the banjo put some grease on them to keep them in place, you'll probably drop it a few times, the grease keeps them from falling off.
I do not believe in a risk free society where the thrill of living is traded for the safety of existence. Nick Ienatsch
The law does NOT determine "right" from "wrong". They are unrelated.
If you put cheap parts on your car, you will soon have a cheap parts car.
If I'm reading that right those copper washers are 14mm, right?
Well the banjo that’s leaking is actually 19mm...I went and got a crows foot set (couldn’t get just the one size I needed) and none of them cleared the manifold. I had a pretty thin Chinese 19mm I chopped into an open end shorty and that fit the stupid thing..,was barely tight at all. A good quarter turn quit the leak.
Last edited by makenzie71; 10-30-2018 at 05:01 PM.
I did say 19mm.
Good thing you only needed to tighten it and not replace the washers, that would have been much harder to do.
In the Olden Days, thin end wrenches were called "tappet wrenches," and used for adjusting valves.
Those are one thing I've not seen at HFT.
Ed in San Jose '97 540i 6 speed aspensilber over aubergine leather. Build date 3/97. Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA Nr 62319.
yep misread your post...it's amazing how much information gets squeezed out when you're trying to get it from a tiny phone screen
I actually got these from Wal-Mart MANY years ago. They're not tappet wrenches, though...too thick for that...but they're about half the thickness of my (old) craftsman and snap-on wrenches. They're not great, but the thickness has been a great help with a few projects.
Yeah you and I pretty much take the exact opposite philosophy. I view it as "take the opportunity when you need one to buy the set, then you'll have 'em next time". Sure maybe you'll never use the odd sizes but, never know tho... ScottieDucati was confounded to find that BMW actually uses 16mm for some stuff, which is an "off-standard" wrench size vs. what you'll find used by many manufacturers - aka they stick to either use 15 or 17... and that's why its not included in a lot of wrench sets... So I'd rather have the set and be 'set' than be lookin' around in mid-job going "crap I got an X-1 size and an X+1 size but not X size... gotta hit the store..."
Not to mention that wrench sets are often priced such that 3-4 singles = a set of 10 or whatever. Unless its a super weird item, then just get the set...
Right. Obsolete tewls!
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
Get a few different sizes if bicycle/cone wrenches, they are thin. You'll need them to get behind the upper part of the rear sway bar link if you ever need to replace them.
https://www.amazon.com/SABLUE-Double...cycle+wrenches
Last edited by JimLev; 10-31-2018 at 08:55 AM. Reason: Added link
That's a great tip. I got bike wrenches, didn't occur to me for second to try them when I was strugglin' w/ my swaybar links last year! DOH!
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
Buying a set of tools because you need one and can reasonably foresee uses for the others is all well and good and something I practice...but I’ve never needed a crows foot before and when I bought a set, because that’s the only way I could get the size I needed, it didn’t work for the intended purpose. I think it’s safe to say that, after over 30 years of not neeeding them, that f I use them now it’s going to be in an effort to justify having them...that’s if I even remember I have them sitting in the bin of other tools I don’t have any use for.
I have this set and it’s been pretty invaluable. I work on dental equipment and there’s a lot of really tight spaces and these have been life savers. I crossed my min to cut the 19mm one up for my project here as I don’t use it normally, but managed it with one of the 25+ regular 19mm wrenches I got (with the help of an angle grinder).
I do not believe in a risk free society where the thrill of living is traded for the safety of existence. Nick Ienatsch
The law does NOT determine "right" from "wrong". They are unrelated.
If you put cheap parts on your car, you will soon have a cheap parts car.
Bookmarks