e60on19s

My steering wheel hasnt automatically returned to centre for as long as i can remember, when i make a turn to either side the wheel stays that way the last 15 degrees, Unless i make a sharp turn then the wheel will come back but the then only on the last 15 degrees it will stop again.

i have checked for leaks in the power steering and even added a addative, no leaks but also no improvement.
i have done a alignment, did not do anything.
i changed the tie rod ends, sharper steering but still no self centering.
changed the strutt bearings, still nothing.

Could this be the result of overtightening steering components. Tie rods too tight ?

Thanks in advance my fellow enthausiasts.

donpb

Check out your caster alignment. It is responsible for returning your steering wheel to center.

e60on19s

I thought caster wasnt adjustable on the e60.
Caster adjustments are made on top of the strutt tower right?, the 3 holes have no adjustability.

habbyguy

Caster could theoretically be off, but only if something "interesting" happened to the car. I'm betting this is just a garden variety "worn out suspension component issue". The centering forces are actually pretty minimal, but on a car that's working correctly, they're sufficient to bring the steering back to center. Add drag from nearly anything in the front suspension, and the centering forces might not be enough.

I'd suggest getting the front of the car in the air, and start pushing / pulling to see if you can tell if something is hanging up - maybe a strut mount, or a bad ball joint or tie rod end are the ones that pop into my mind as likely suspects, as well as the steering rack itself, though I don't want to mention that. ;-)

e60on19s

For the people that want the answer quick:
it was the rack, it still doesnt return to centre when driving slow so i might go for a steering pump next. Diy ability 3/10, it really sucked to wedge it out.

At one point i jacked up the car and disconnected both tie rods to check if maybe my rack was the problem, even without the tie rods attached it was very heavy to steer, i didn't think too much of it other than that i slightly knew more about it being the rack. The steering feel also changed depending on temperature and moisture level. So last week i decided to just go for it and order a slightly used tested rack and try to fit it myself. They said it would be a 2 hour fix but it ended up being almost the entire Saturday till like 22:00, it fixed the self-steering problem by a lot but on slow turns it still doesn't straighten out entirely so I might buy a new pump since they're not that expensive. Bought the rack for €275 btw. Saved myself a fortune but at some points I wished that I let a mechanic deal with that mess.

e60on19s

It did actually loosen up my steering a bit but now im back where i started. I have changed every steering component except for the steering shaft, from the steering wheel to the rack. I started with the power steering resevoir because i thought it might have a clogged filter. After that didnt work i decided to do the tie rod ends. You could guess that that wasnt it either. Going on, i changed the rack, inner tie rods, power steering pump. The only component that i havent changed is the steering shaft. After that doesnt work im gonna drive this car into a wall. Good luck to the people using this thread because of the same issues.