E46 loose steering column?

Hi everyone. I've seen numerous posts on this topic but nothing that answers my question. On my e46 320 coupe - on rough ground I get a knocking through the steering column. Also, if I open the bonnet and shake the column there is a fair amount of movement at the point where it goes through the bulkhead. Is this normal? Anything to do with the safety retract system? worn UJ's?, steering about to disconnect and me about to go cross country? Thanks for any advice and experience. Roy. UK.

Reply to
roy
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My guess is worn control arm bushings. This is a normal event, and one that is easily repaired. In theory, you could do this job at home, but as a practical matter I suggest an independent BMW garage.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Years back, I had a nice looking 1970-ish Cortina with ~90K miles on that I wanted to sell. The steering column jarred and vibrated when you let the steering wheel go free to centre itself from a turn. I tracked it down to a worn and very sloppy bearing in the column sleeve at the front of the bulkhead.

I slathered some strips of rag in grease and used a small screwdriver to poke as many of them as I could into the gaps in the bearing. It worked like a charm, and the car was quickly sold.

I don't do that kind of thing any more.

Reply to
Dean Dark

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