$500 BMW E46 Flip DIY Steering Rack Replacement

I am so happy with this repair let me tell ya! This episode we replaced the rack and pinion with a used unit in order to correct the steering. It had a bit of a dead spot in the center and wanted to wander at higher speeds. We swapped the new tie rods over to this used assembly as well.
I hope you enjoy! I will link the sealing washer kit used down below.
If youd like to support the channel consider becoming a member!
/ @dayoffdiy
Or if Patreon is more your speed, we have one of those too!
/ dayoffdiy
Aluminum sealing washer kit:
amzn.to/3OoqlrA

[@ruptureviles241]

Ayyy back at it! Suprised no one has scooped up this gem you have restored! Hope Daniel enjoys this new E46

[@DayOffDIY]

Thanks Rupture! Im super pumped on it now. Its driving perfect. You know what they say about project cars... They are never finished... lol Finally she is at a spot to where Im ready to let her go and send her off to her new home

[@ruptureviles241]

@@DayOffDIY can’t wait to see what you get your hands on next!

[@bogusienombre355]

You make that look so easy. Still diggin' your California cool vibe attitude in the E46 world.

[@DayOffDIY]

Thanks friend! Appreciate it :)

[@bogusienombre355]

@@DayOffDIY Welcome.

[@tweedjohnny8740]

So glad you put out a video today! The e46 has come along way. I know Daniel will get plenty of miles out the car. Great job as always Alec.

[@DayOffDIY]

Thanks Johnny! Should have a few more to produce this week! I also have some new shop updates to share with you guys very soon

[@ivorvanwerven6210]

Smooth job! Definitely looking forward for the next videos and projects! Keep it up.

[@DayOffDIY]

Thank you Ivor!

[@chadriddle3517]

Alec , great job man ! You made this look like pie …. I been putting this project off myself guess need to just do it like you did . Gonna miss the e46 content but being you still have one I’m sure we will see some in the future again.

[@DayOffDIY]

Thanks Chad! The E46 content will always stay alive on the channel, it will always be one of my favorite and most reliable platforms. The job was actually really easy! I would assume for most the hardest part will be removing the outer tie rods from the knuckle. An air hammer makes quick work of em though.

[@lieutenantdan8170]

Glad to hear it's sold

[@DayOffDIY]

Just found out Daniel backed out! couldnt get financed :/ back on the market she goes

[@VyprMoto]

Hey man. great tutorial, best on KZbin, you’re awesome man!!!

[@DayOffDIY]

Hey, thanks! That means a lot. Glad to hear youre enjoying the content. More to come!

[@rendanialex2994]

Good content always,thanks keep up the good work

[@DayOffDIY]

Thanks Alex! Appreciate it!!!

[@Bchara-Knio]

Great job man👍

[@DayOffDIY]

Thanks Bchara! always good to see ya

[@masteralfaia7249]

congratulations 🎉to daniel i'm sure he'll be satisfied with the car

[@DayOffDIY]

Thanks! I hope so !

[@VNEMUS]

Hell yeah, Celebratory Crispy Tacos! Es Todo! New Owner going to be very happy!

[@DayOffDIY]

I sure hope so hermano! Good to see you as always Craig!!!

[@ridwanbhaimia1693]

Great content 👌 I must say that I am learning a lot about 330

[@DayOffDIY]

Glad you enjoyed friend! Thanks for the content

[@altoncaldwell2361]

This guy is actually pretty cool

[@DayOffDIY]

appreciate you!

[@volxy8636]

best channel fr!

[@DayOffDIY]

thanks volxy!

[@therandomnessofitall1707]

I would trust driving any vehicle you worked on!

[@DayOffDIY]

Appreciate that! Was always my goal workin at the shop. Now I get to show my work on KZbin

[@JVBNorway]

Sad to see the e46 go to be honest with you, but im excited about future projects so it will be worth it! Hope to see some more videos on the other e46 as well:) Keep up the great work👍🏼

[@DayOffDIY]

Me too, but I think we got enough videos out on her, I’m sure there will be one or two more before she’s truly gone. Been day dreaming about a E46 M3, or an E90, E60

[@DayOffDIY]

Thanks for the support Schnapps!

[@kirk.818]

The amount of rotations to full lock in the racks is different the silver I think is 2.5 turns to full lock and the yellow zhp rack has 3.0 turns to full lock so it has more angle and feels the best driving overall with the purple tag being the second best rack behind the yellow tag

[@Mikejones51046]

I would def paint or replace that steering wheel trim. It stares you at you the whole time you drive lol Great progress on that E46

[@DayOffDIY]

I’ve thought about it! I have paint for it but eventually I have to stop tinkering and get her sold. If I don’t stop it will go on forever and I will just keep spending money on her lol

[@Mikejones51046]

@@DayOffDIY i totally feel you on that lol any idea on the next project?

[@DayOffDIY]

@@Mikejones51046 not yet! depends on what i can find a good deal on... my buyer backed out due to financing problems so shes still for sale :/

[@Mikejones51046]

@@DayOffDIY don’t worry bro. I know you’ll get it sold with no problem. Where in NorCal are you from btw?

[@DayOffDIY]

@@Mikejones51046 Thanks Mike! Hope so! Im in Humboldt county!

[@martinsanchez2832]

awesome video… new project could be another 3 series :) e36??!

[@DayOffDIY]

an E36 would be awesome! id also be interested in an E60 or E90

[@georgepacey6280]

Is the diesel the same as a petrol ?

[@nebojsa1976]

Would using Lucas steering stop leak work to stop leaks? One of my boots is ripped and fluid is coming out every week.

[@DayOffDIY]

I never use stop leak additives, don’t really believe in them. You can pull the boot back to find out where it’s coming from, but there are seals on the outside of the rack and pinion and that may be where it’s leaking from. Replacing it with a manufactured rack and pinion might be a decent option

[@1504zak]

Hey dude you mentioned a dead spot in the centre, can you explain what you meant. I have an issue with my steering when stationery and the steering is on full left lock the steering wheel becomes locked and I have to give it a real push to free it any ideas?

[@DayOffDIY]

hey! ya so there was a bit of slop in the center of the wheel. The car wouldnt respond well while making slight adjustments at highway speed. turned out to be too much play or slop in the rack and pinion. Sounds like you may have an issue inside of the steering column perhaps? is it locking up like it would with the key not in the ignition?

[@jonathanvelasco8976]

This man doesn’t know how alignments work

[@DayOffDIY]

I mean i used to do em for a living

[@yobel09]

You are doing a good job and a tip ?make something with dash trims and wheel trim,cheers from România and from my 99’ m52b20TUB sedan 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@DayOffDIY]

Great idea, if i have time id love to repaint the lower steering wheel trim before she sells. We shall see! Thanks for stopping by :)

[@VyprMoto]

Hey I have a crack towards the top of my oil pan, will removing the rack give me more room to see the upper part??

[@VyprMoto]

Update it DID!!!

[@DayOffDIY]

wow! you pulled it just to get access?! Im glad it helped. you didnt have to remove the tie rods did you? just the steering column? well done

[@akame7276]

What power you use for highpressure bolt? i mean 22 one? in nM's

[@DayOffDIY]

i belive 35nm for the M14 bolts and 40 nm for the M16. hope that helps

[@wiltonmarto407]

At work and haven’t watched the vid yet but how long should I budget for this job? I’m guessing it’s an all day thing for me, just want to make sure it’s not a multi day thing.

[@DayOffDIY]

It was actually pretty quick, took me a few hours total

[@sbrave]

My 2000 e46 power steering is nowhere near that easy, and I've seen other e46's the same as yours. I think I need to flush out the old fluid, or have the pump looked at/replaced. I know these cars are not like my CRV's pwr steering, but I can't make a left turn from a stop with one hand that easily. Any ideas?

[@DayOffDIY]

We gotta get you fixed up! It should be effortless. A fluid flush and new reservoir/filter is a good starting point. There’s a filter built into the fluid bottle and that can become restricted causing stiffness. Could be the pump too, but a flush is a lot cheaper

[@sbrave]

@@DayOffDIY Yes sir! I figured it should be pretty effortless. I've only done a flush on the CRV, so I'm hoping there's a similar way on the e46. If I remember correctly, basically I removed one of the hoses from the res and stuck it in an empty 1-2 gallon water jug, started the car, cranked the wheel hard L & R, shut the engine off, re-filled the res and basically did that 4-6 times, to flush out as much old fluid as possible. With the e46, I tried the turkey baster thing, trying to suck out fluid from, the res, and doing a similar thing, running engine and cranking the wheel L & R, but I feel like you're not getting anywhere near as much fluid replaced that way. What do you suggest without (hopefully) removing the lower hoses? Oops, just saw your video. I need to get one of those extractors, and a long hose that fits into the pwr steering hose and just rinse & repeat like you showed. I replaced the res itself maybe 6 months ago, so hopefully it's still good?

[@sbrave]

@@DayOffDIY So, I did a full flush using the method of capping off the return line and getting new fluid int the system. It seemed way better at first, but a day or so later it seems back to how it was for the most part. Wonder if the pump is on its way out?

[@DayOffDIY]

@@sbrave the res should still be plenty good if recently replaced. Some people like to flush them other ways, but i prefer this method as its clean and easy with a fluid extractor

[@DayOffDIY]

@@sbrave it could be! you could always pull the belt and spin the pump by hand and see how it feels. I have seen a few fail in the past.

[@tehedx]

Nice repair! What exactly was the problem? Mine has an almost dead spot in the middle, which is pretty annoying if you like this car for its stable and precise steering. It does give a little bit steering response in this 'dead zone' though, but a lot less than when you turn it further. Or does that more sound like bushings?

[@DayOffDIY]

Hey Edgar! The problem I was having was while driving straight around 70-80 mph the car didnt want to track straight. There was a significant dead spot in the center of the wheel. One small movement to the left would cause the car to track left, and the same for the right. I felt like I was always making minute adjustments to the wheel to keep her straight. I figured it was excess play in the rack because tie rods didnt clean it up enough. Luckily I was correct and the rack fixed it up beautifully! I rarely assume bushings are related to steering issues, control arm bushings are most present to me when driving over bumps or when I stab the brake pedal I can hear a clunk in the front end. Hope that helps!

[@tehedx]

Thanks for clarifying your issue Alec, I totally understand the satisfying feeling afterwards :) Everything seems to be pretty tight, there is no play when I shake one of the wheels. Perhaps not the bushings then. Oh well, I'll keep searching. Local shops tell me it's all fine and there is some spongy steering just because it's an older car. Well, I tend to disagree :)

[@DayOffDIY]

@@tehedx could be a worn out rack just like mine! you could check for play on the tie rods and go from there

[@tehedx]

@@DayOffDIY I hope not! It's not one the cheapest parts :)

[@DayOffDIY]

@@tehedx you know, i got the rack and pinion used for $90 off ebay! cheaper than the tie rods!

[@luicipur7265]

I love the smell of WD-40

[@DayOffDIY]

its a great smell

[@adasterdezaster2865]

Alec, It will be interesting to see if the dude from Texas actually buys the car. Having sold a ton of cars using eBay Motors, FB Marketplace and just putting a sign on the car in a parking lot. My experience is almost 70% of the people who call from a sign being placed on a car will buy the car. 30% of the people who contact you from eBay will buy. FB Marketplace is less than 10% with 90% of your phone calls being scammers or people asking if its still available and then never hearing from them again or some jackwad who offers you 10 cents on the dollar and then you never hear from them again.

[@DayOffDIY]

I hope he pulls through! we chatted this morning and hes coordinating shipping for early next week. If he doesnt pull through im sure I can get her sold locally for a good $. You have a lot of good experience with sales! Im not nearly as well versed but ill definitely keep your comment in mind. Always great to see your comments Adaster!

[@justswippin2693]

interesting it did have a zhp rack

[@adasterdezaster2865]

All the 330i's with the sport suspension option had the ZHP rack.

[@DayOffDIY]

This is new info for me too! I was pleasantly surprised. No noticeable difference between steering performance of the two racks yet.

[@krosstalk1688]

Trying to figure out how you spent $500

[@DayOffDIY]

i got lucky and found this one on craigslist! just keep lookin!

[@bogusienombre355]

First!!

[@DayOffDIY]

Damn Bog you are quick on the draw! Enjoy :)

[@Mommyhas2smokefirst]

Yayyy🎉 u sold it❤❤❤

[@DayOffDIY]

very sooon! Can’t wait for the next project