Steering wheel judder?

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Warrior
Joined: Tue 11 May, 2010 10:02
Posts: 497

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Steering wheel judder?

Post by Warrior »

I'm sure there's something on here already but I can't locate the thread?

What I thought was a poor road surface was causing the steering wheel to judder. I'd checked to see if any weights had fallen off the wheels and checked the nuts as I'd experienced the same effect some weeks before.

Again this evening the same again. Happens at mid to high speed but only not all the time.

Any suggestions, bushes or bearings maybe?
bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
Posts: 1733

  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by bertiejaffa »

Mine was due to a front brake caliper sticking slightly - easy to spot, jack the front end up and spin the wheels, should be nice and free.

EDIT got a replacement one from euro car parts, £70 ish plus £25 ish of that back when I gave them the old one: £50 fix, 1 hours work max
Last edited by bertiejaffa on Tue 17 Mar, 2015 12:24, edited 1 time in total.
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gookah
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Joined: Thu 07 Aug, 2008 09:51
Posts: 2737

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by gookah »

after a drive see if one wheel is hotter than the other (don't touch the discs though :D ) the hot one is a sticky caliper
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Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by Del »

I agree with the two posts above - I would put money on a sticking calliper. Had the same happen to both my fronts, within weeks of each other, last year. I opted for "remanufactured callipers".
Warrior
Joined: Tue 11 May, 2010 10:02
Posts: 497

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by Warrior »

So not something a bit of WD40 would sort?
bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
Posts: 1733

  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by bertiejaffa »

Warrior wrote:So not something a bit of WD40 would sort?
Not usually the best remedy on the brakes lol
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by Southernboy »

go for a drive to heat up the brakes a bit or until you feel the juddering - go home, get the car up on jack stands st the front, start the motor (in neutral) and press the brake pedal - with the motor still running, get out and turn each front wheel by hand and feel for any "catching" as you turn them. You can feel for a warmer rim which may indicate which wheel may have a faulty caliper. Best attend to it sooner vs later - if it is a binding calliper, you could overheat the brake disc and end up warping it.
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Warrior
Joined: Tue 11 May, 2010 10:02
Posts: 497

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by Warrior »

Cheers...I now know what i'm doing this weekend :)
TR4man
Joined: Wed 24 Oct, 2012 13:34
Posts: 431

  Z4 coupe 3.0si
Location: Woore, Near Nantwich, Cheshire

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by TR4man »

I've had this happen twice in the three years or so that I've had my Zed - sticking calliper each time.
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by Del »

I think it was always quite a common problem on the E36 and E36/7 (Z3) ranges - particularly as they get older. The hot wheel is the absolute confirmation and the smell of burning paint (if you have painted the callipers :D ). I bought "remanufactured" ones from GSF which from memory were about £65 each (after exchange). They are stamped BMW/ATE as the originals and are rumoured to be either completely "remanufactured" or "as new" surplus BMW stock.

Dead easy to change, the calliper hanger bracket stays in place and it's just the centre calliper that is renewed which involves just removing the two, lightly torqued "slider bolts". If your slider bolts are anything like mine, around 3/4 of an inch close to the thread is coated in carbonised brake dust which took some time to clean off with a scotch pad before replacing.
TWO
Joined: Tue 05 Apr, 2011 22:04
Posts: 177

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Chelmsford

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by TWO »

bertiejaffa wrote:
Warrior wrote:So not something a bit of WD40 would sort?
Not usually the best remedy on the brakes lol
Funny you should mention this.......I went to Halfords today to see if there was any product I could spray on the calipers to avoid/prevent the them from binding......I got the usual "can I help you sir?"

The young assistant recommended a full spray with WD40. When I asked him if WD40 was safe; as its a lubricant and surely not wise, he advised that "you drive at 30 mph with the brakes gently applied to clear the pads"...........needless to say I ignored his advise :head:
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bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
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  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Steering wheel judder?

Post by bertiejaffa »

TWO wrote:
bertiejaffa wrote:
Warrior wrote:So not something a bit of WD40 would sort?
Not usually the best remedy on the brakes lol
Funny you should mention this.......I went to Halfords today to see if there was any product I could spray on the calipers to avoid/prevent the them from binding......I got the usual "can I help you sir?"

The young assistant recommended a full spray with WD40. When I asked him if WD40 was safe; as its a lubricant and surely not wise, he advised that "you drive at 30 mph with the brakes gently applied to clear the pads"...........needless to say I ignored his advise :head:
Jesus! That's frightening!!! Suddenly I'm quite happy that there are a fair few miles between Manchester and Chelmsford.... Although if he takes his own advise and applies his brakes down south he might end up in Birmingham!
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