Re: Bleeding Power Steering

[Al Waschka <awaschka@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

My factory manual says:

With the engine running, turn the steeering wheel lock to lock and back twice.
It does not mention raising the wheels.  If I think about it, and how the rack works, you
probably want to put some load on the wheels and it should be done with the wheels on the
ground.  There is a valve in the rack that applies hydraulic pressure proportional to the
load imposed on the steering.  With no load, there may not be enough fluid flowing to
bleed the system of air.  But driving it should do the same thing, I think.  You may have
a leak in the system soemwhere that is letting air in.  IS the reservoir as full as it
should be?  Are you loosing any fluid?

bmw-digest wrote:

> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 10:08:31 -0400
> From: Peter Cain <cain@domain.elided>
> Subject: How to bleed the power steering on E30?
>
>    Help. The power steering on my '87 325is groans and there's bubbles
> in the fluid reservoir every morning whan I start out.
>    The car did not have this problem in the fall before it was stored
> all winter. On startup this spring the power steering needed bleeding. I
> performed the Bentley and Haynes manuals' procedures (raise front off
> ground, turn steering wheel full lock in both directions, start the
> engine, repeat this 4 or 5 times). It then works fine until the next
> morning, when the same groaning and bubbles reappear.
>    Any suggestions? TIA!
>
> Peter Cain
>
> ------------------------------

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