98 318ti

[ib456 0]

Hi,

My girlfriend got a 318ti M spec just before Christmas, very nice car and it looks good.... the only thing is that when you are driving it has the tendency to suddenly pull to the left or right, not hard, it is like it is following the bumps and ridges in the road or something like that.....

or is it possibly due to a worn steering rack?... it only seems to do it on uneven surfaces.. it sort of feels like my old Nissan was on metal with the wide tyres.. but just seems odd.... The BMW has 225/50/16's..... it just seems odd. It does need an alinement but even that isnt really noticable.....

Are there any things i can check or should look for. There doesnt seem to be any play in either wheel or that i can see in the steering rack, not that i am a mechanic or anything even close.

Other than that, which she doesnt realy notice she loves it, tho it wouldnt surprse me if she gets a ticket soon as her driving has gone from over cautious to i love my shiny new car........ how fast can i get to 60... oh its doing 80....

Thanks

[E30SIX 0]

Sounds like a stupid answer but have you considered a wheel alignment? It could be possible it's due or you have quite a bit of inner tyre wear.

It's always good to eliminate the basics before going straight to something like a steering rack.

[Jazzbass 1]

I agree - check the alignment, tyre pressures etc as a first, low cost step to sorting the problem. E36s do have a tendency to wear out the steering racks at around 120k, so that is a possibility.

[E30SIX 0]

I agree - check the alignment, tyre pressures etc as a first, low cost step to sorting the problem. E36s do have a tendency to wear out the steering racks at around 120k, so that is a possibility.

If this may be the case also check if the BMW is leaking any oil, also check your power steering fluid as it could be quite low if know ones checked it of recent. If there is oil leaking it would mean the seals have gone on the rack.

[ib456 0]

I was wondering if it could be alignment, but its not pulling all the time just on the odd occasion, the tyres are all at 35..... and it will pull either way but mainly right. But it does need the front tyres replaced soon....

Is there anything else to watch out for in general as it has done 178000kms... apparently it blows a little smoke, but i have never seen it while following it... i think it was just cold when they saw it... She doesn have a tendency to give her cars a bit of stick, so it will hit the redline or close to a a few times a trip..... I think it has an M44 motor.. not sure, my BMW knowledge is very weak.... how bulletproof are they? I am used to my nissan engines which i have abused for ages and they just stay the same, but they are always serviced 2-3 times a year and i am worse to them than she is to the 318 by a long shot. It is of couse based on what the previous owners have done to it in the past.

It will be serviced 2-3 times a year due to the kms we do and has just been done, the check she got done on it only showed up a split driveshaft boot and an airbag sensor mat needs replacing so not really a huge deal...

Thanks

[Neal 544]

My e36 325i is running 225/50/16's on 16x8 inch Schintzers rims. When I brought the car it had 1/3 tread left on the front. The car would tend to dart left and right following road camber or would do the same under braking. I had the wheel alignment checked with was fine. I changed the tyres from a very directional looking Uniroyal to a Bridgestone Grid II. The darting stopped straight away. The issue didn't return when the Bridgestones wore down and have been fine since with Grid III's as well

[ib456 0]

Thanks Neal,

it does sound like the problem... will get those changed and see how it goes....

cheers

Stuart

[ib456 0]

Thanks for the help Neal, got two new Grid III's on the front and an alignment, so much better now... much smoother and no darting all over the place.

Thanks

Stuart

[Neal 544]

Glad I was of help.