Power Steering Hoses Replacement E38 2001 740i

[MJSanDiego]

Follow up. I figured it out. The Bentley manual is useless, it covers nothing on this. It's not easy, and it's a bit ridiculous how the cooler to steering gear box metal line must go behind this annoying hard to access bolt on the gear box. There is no way around this. There is one post up there about it, where one person gave up and left the line on, and another with brief one sentence on it, on a 750iL forum. Here are the steps from lower that bolt so you can remove and install the cooler to gearbox line:

1.) If you are also replacing the OTHER hose on the gear box, that is the gear box to pump line, you have to lift the engine up a bit to access the banjo bolt on that anyway, because it's slightly underneath the header. But in any case, there is NO NEED to jack up the car to replace any of the 4 steering lines, or the gearbox bolt in question. I would NOT ADVISE JACKING UP THE CAR. Unnecessary. No ramps either. Park car on flat surface. As a side note, you DO NOT need to jack up the car to change the engine mounts!! Why would you? Anyway, you simply remove the top engine mount bolts from above with a long extension (ONE TOP BOLT ON EACH MOUNT - REQUIRED!!!). But the two bolts on the bottom of the engine mount, you ONLY remove the DRIVER side bolts
2.) Jack up the engine carefully from the oil pan. I used a 4 x 6 lumber to distribute weight and so as not to scuff the oil pan
3.) Lift the engine high enough for enough clearance to either remove the driver side engine mount completely, or just be able to rotate it a bit, which is what I did, so you can access that lower nut for the gearbox with a ratchet extension
4.) Place a 15mm box end wrench on the top nut on the gearbox
5.) Get your 15mm ratchet with a 3-inch extension and access the bottom nut just above the engine mount and loosen it. The box wrench above hits the frame and stops the nut above from rotating, allowing you to loosen and lower the bolt below. Sometimes the box wrench above falls off, unless you want to stretch with your hand and try to hold the box wrench from the bottom, running your arm along-side and above the oil cooler. But I left the car on the ground, so there is not much clearance
4.) Once the bolt on top is now EVEN or FLUSH with the nut on top (do not fully remove!!!), you now have the clearance to remove the re-route the new cooler to gear box line
5.) Tighten the bolt from below (with box wrench on top), reset your engine mount, hand tighten two lower engine mount nuts, lower engine carefully, retighten all engine mount bolts

It's a royal pain job for one hose, but it must be done. The other three houses are so easy, even though you have to raise the engine a bit to access the banjo bolt on the gearbox to pump line. But the gearbox to cooler line is the most pain. Also please replace all crush washers and O-rings, or you wasted all this time!!!

[Btkeenan]

When I replaced all of my hoses I remember the bentley manual not being the best as a reference. I don't recall the issue you are referencing though on my car though, unless it's an iL specific issue?

[MJSanDiego]

When I replaced all of my hoses I remember the bentley manual not being the best as a reference. I don't recall the issue you are referencing though on my car though, unless it's an iL specific issue?

I must be an iL issue then, since you have a 2001. Perhaps it is just 2000/2001 iL with the technical update (M62TU) because there are very few posts about this, only two I could find and one poster had a 2001 750iL. That line would be super easy to remove otherwise, if not for that one bolt. As you know since you did it, there is plenty of clearance to remove the banjo bolt on the gearbox side which is not close to the header, all you need is the 3 ft extension with a wobbly and socket. And on the other side, the cooler side is one bolt on the cooler at the radiator, easy as can be. There is one mount bolt on its bracket below, and then the line simply comes out, slide it up, or down, and out. But not if you have a 2001 iL!!! There is no way around lowering (loosening) that bolt on the steering gear box where the metal line is sandwiched behind it along the frame. It was seriously super annoying, but it's done. With all the annoyances, it's amazing how simple it is to replace the engine mounts on these models at least!!

[RDE38]

Yeah that line was a major pain in the ass to replace. Mine is a 2001 750iL and I might have been the person you referenced above when I was trying to figure it out. There is very little information out there about this issue.

[chris33]

Hi Jerry, how is the 740i?

[MJSanDiego]

Yeah that line was a major pain in the ass to replace. Mine is a 2001 750iL and I might have been the person you referenced above when I was trying to figure it out. There is very little information out there about this issue.

Hi, it probably was you. So now we know for sure, it's definitely an issue with 2001 iL models. It might just come down to a manufacture date cut off. Next time I find a 2000 iL at the salvage yard, I will make a point to take a gander and confirm. That bolt in question is just one of the mounting bolts for the steering gearbox. BMW must have changed some design on the gearbox