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      09-10-2019, 06:18 PM   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Encanto View Post
Bolt has 3 holes, not Torx, Allen, or Hex.
I was just under my car Saturday and don't remember seeing a nut with 3 holes in it. Maybe the F80/82 are different from the f30.

Last edited by rezN; 09-10-2019 at 06:35 PM..
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      09-10-2019, 06:36 PM   #68
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This is more what my steering rack looked like. Couldn't see if it was a hex or a torx nut
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      09-10-2019, 08:04 PM   #69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rezN View Post
I was just under my car Saturday and don't remember seeing a nut with 3 holes in it. Maybe the F80/82 are different from the f30.
In this 2017 M3 the steering rack nut/screw had 3 holes like this: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...3&postcount=36

And you are correct, there are at least three versions of this nut/screw... holes, hex and reverse Torx.
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      09-10-2019, 10:54 PM   #70
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rezN View Post
This is more what my steering rack looked like. Couldn't see if it was a hex or a torx nut

My 2018 M3 (May 18 build) steering rack has this nut. it wasn't that easily accessible though because space was limited.
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      09-11-2019, 05:24 AM   #71
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan l. View Post
My 2018 M3 (May 18 build) steering rack has this nut. it wasn't that easily accessible though because space was limited.
Did you tighten or have the dealership do it?
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      09-11-2019, 12:31 PM   #72
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I didn't get to do it because i didn't have the correct size socket at the time.
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      09-11-2019, 09:30 PM   #73
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Interesting twist, dealership called today to say the noise is gone after they adjusted the steering gear preload. I'm picking the car up tomorrow, so we'll see. Happy to be wrong if the problem goes away.
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      09-11-2019, 10:54 PM   #74
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Wow! That would be crazy after all you've gone through.
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      09-12-2019, 08:52 AM   #75
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They say it takes a big man to admit when he's wrong . . . I should have known that as soon as I categorically ruled out the steering gear that it would turn out to be exactly that. The dealer was able to pinpoint the sound as coming from the gear. Since my car is out of warranty, they tried adjusting the preload before slapping me with a $5000 bill for a new gear, and so far, the noise is 100% gone and the front end feels as tight as ever.

Apparently this isn't a BMW sanctioned repair, but it worked for now, and at least we know for sure what's clunking. He said a 17mm socket is all that was needed. You can see the mark where it was originally lined up, he turned it 3 notches. He said 4 notches was too tight and two still clunked, so he settled on three. Note that the special tool for the F30 isn't needed for this gear.
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      09-12-2019, 09:08 AM   #76
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Guess i'll be under my car this weekend!

Did this require an alignment after adjusting the bolt?
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      09-13-2019, 01:17 PM   #77
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Racer... would you mind taking a picture of where this bolt is located?
And just to make sure, so basically we just need to tighten this bolt? Nothing else?

Thank you!
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      09-13-2019, 06:56 PM   #78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moonluv810 View Post
Racer... would you mind taking a picture of where this bolt is located?
And just to make sure, so basically we just need to tighten this bolt? Nothing else?

Thank you!
A few posts above there is a picture of the rack and location of the bolt

https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=25236273
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      09-13-2019, 07:54 PM   #79
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Once you remove the silver metal pan under the car it’s pretty apparent where that nut is located.
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      09-14-2019, 11:45 AM   #80
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moonluv810 View Post
Racer... would you mind taking a picture of where this bolt is located?
And just to make sure, so basically we just need to tighten this bolt? Nothing else?

Thank you!
Sorry, I just had surgery . . . And I'm done getting under this car for the time being. But other have pointed you in the right direction.

To be clear, I can't say I "recommend" this solution, that it won't loosen up again, or that it won't cause other problems down the line. But it worked for me for now, so that's at least something.
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      09-14-2019, 12:12 PM   #81
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If i were to take it to a shop/dealer, how would one explain to the tech/service advisor what exactly I want, as discovered in this thread? (asking for a friend, lol)
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      09-14-2019, 12:17 PM   #82
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The best way to explain is that BMW released a repair kit out for the F30 steering gear, but not for the F80 because the F80 gear is made by a different company. That way they can look up the F30 repair kit to understand the situation, then tell them that other people and other dealers have been able to fix the F80 noise by just tightening the bolt a couple notches, then checking for steering friction.
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      09-14-2019, 01:39 PM   #83
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer20 View Post
The best way to explain is that BMW released a repair kit out for the F30 steering gear, but not for the F80 because the F80 gear is made by a different company. That way they can look up the F30 repair kit to understand the situation, then tell them that other people and other dealers have been able to fix the F80 noise by just tightening the bolt a couple notches, then checking for steering friction.
Do you think this is the repair kit?

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...nit/1Vnc3X9PQZ
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      09-14-2019, 02:01 PM   #84
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ptper View Post
If i were to take it to a shop/dealer, how would one explain to the tech/service advisor what exactly I want, as discovered in this thread? (asking for a friend, lol)
I posted the dealer shop order of what my brother told the dealer to do on page 3...
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      09-14-2019, 02:02 PM   #85
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ptper View Post
Do you think this is the repair kit?

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...nit/1Vnc3X9PQZ
Yes, that's it.
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      09-14-2019, 03:50 PM   #86
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ptper View Post
Do you think this is the repair kit?

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...nit/1Vnc3X9PQZ
That’s the repair kit for the F3x rack. There is none for the F8x rack so far.
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      09-14-2019, 08:48 PM   #87
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I did the steering rack bolt today. Took 30mins with jacking the car up and removing the silver belly pan. Easy to adjust. I turned mine about the same as racer20. Can’t say it fixed my clunk yet since it only happens on this specific road that i drive on but I didnt notice any adverse effects with the car by tightening the 17mm bolt.


I’ll now more tomorrow with more driving.
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      09-14-2019, 08:49 PM   #88
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I've had this exact clunking and humming noises coming from the driver side shock tower since I've lowered my car over two years ago. I always thought there was something wrong with my jrz's and tried many things to troubleshoot (no where near to the extent of Racer20 here) checked the installation, reseated and reinstalled the shock many times, checked sway bar end links, tried tightening under load and just learned to deal with it, even though I loathed this noise and issue. To me, it made a fantastic car feel cheap and flawed. This thread and revelation of the underlying cause has given me knew hope!!!! I just checked under my hood to see what type of "mechanism" is used on my vehicle to adjust the steering rack and out of the three listed in this thread , mine is the 17 mm nut variety, 2015 m3 9/2014 build date. For others that are curious about their steering rack adjustment mechanism , you can see it if you look from within the engine bay if you look at it from the correct angle. I stuck my head directly over the driver side shock tower and in between the charge cooler and radiator tank and ifyou look a little to the left, following the steering column, you should be able to see it. It will be blocked by a few hoses but there is a small window where you can see it clearly with a flashlight.
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