BMW E36 Steering Rack Replacement (E46 Purple Tag Upgrade)

Рет қаралды 45,727

7 жыл бұрын

How to swap the steering rack in your E36 BMW, including flushing and bleeding the new rack.
I am replacing the rack here with a "purple tag" steering rack from an E46 but the process is the same for a standard rack.
Its a fairly simple task but hopefully this will cast aside any grey areas you might have.
Thanks for watching!
/ pamogriffiths
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Пікірлер: 99

@gioh2056 4 жыл бұрын

So e46 purple tag rack and e36 m3 inner and outter tie rods?

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

E46 Purple Tag - E46 inner tie - E36 outer tie rods. No M3 stuff, just good old regular parts.

@gioh2056 4 жыл бұрын

Pamo okay well i got an m3 so i guess e36 m3 outter rod if it screwa fine on e46 inner rods

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

@@gioh2056 it should fit fine. Don't forget to get your alignment checked afterward 👍

@gioh2056 4 жыл бұрын

Pamo sounds good what about steering coupler if i want to upgrade to solid coupler ?

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

@@gioh2056 I believe they're all the same.

@Groovy_mak 6 жыл бұрын

So detailed, thank you so much. Awesome channel man, keep it up.

@cr10001 5 жыл бұрын

Love the Nurburgring tat at 6:59! :) And thanks muchly for this video, I'm about to fit an E46 purple rack to my E36 318iS, so obviously this is a huge help.

@bsouza1675 6 жыл бұрын

Great detail! Cheers Mate 👍

@acroracing 5 ай бұрын

Thank you my man. This was perfect for my swap.. step by step. I finished the swap in an hour.

@OneCleans13 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent channel! Subscribed and looking forward to more e36 content :)

@ManSeeksCivic 6 жыл бұрын

One_Clean _s13 Thanks!

@Thegreendingler Жыл бұрын

Great resource. Thanks a lot

@shanta818 6 жыл бұрын

Great video ty so much

@robertobottonmineiro3670 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you soooo much pal!! Cheers!

@ManSeeksCivic 6 жыл бұрын

Your'e welcome Roberto.

@TheRealEddyNorris 5 жыл бұрын

Hey mate, Great video! Very informative! Just going through the comments, am i correct in saying the a z3 rack would be better for track purposes?

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

I believe so due to its linear action and thus more responsive. That being said - I have no personal experience... Just knowledge through reading.

@mrnoname35 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the detailed video. By fitting E46 inner tie rods, with E36 outer tie rods, do you still have enough thread left for the toe adjustment? (i.e. can we stay in the factory range for the toe with this setup?)

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely... There's no discernable difference.

@turbotastic 6 жыл бұрын

I'm about to follow this video step by step, thank you so much. But how can I tell if the purple tag rack I'm buying is duff or not?

@ManSeeksCivic 6 жыл бұрын

Its hard when not on the car. That's why I ended up with re-manufactured. Even still - the rack you see here is now leaking slightly from the adjuster nut.

@davew5784 4 жыл бұрын

Great vid Pamo! Quick question, my E36 now has fluid pissing out from one of the return pipe banjo bolts, going to try replacing the crush washers for a (hopefull) quick fix - but are they BMW specific power steering washers, or can I use any as long as correct size? Cheers!

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

A crush washer is a crush washer.... Mostly 😊. I use one of those cheap selection boxes of washers without problem. Just get the right size.

@Jesus649 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the great video! Did you need to add any grease under the dust cover on the new rack?

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

No it was lubed up enough 😊

@szephr2713 3 жыл бұрын

Great vid! Do you need to mark the rack and coupler with paint when putting it back together or is there no possible way to have it off center?

@ManSeeksCivic 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, yes you need to mark it because it can be put back together wrongly if the column rotates whilst you're working. Also take care to align the splines correctly allowing the cutout that the bolt sits in to be perfectly clear. This will be apparent once you take it apart.

@mikeb2496 5 жыл бұрын

Another great vid, thanks man! Thinking about doing the switch, I've got the parts and tools. Just curious if happen to oversteer (accidentally of course) if you let go of the wheel does the car return to driving line as well with a progressive rack. I'm not sure if my current rack is linear or progressive, 98 e36 coupe,gonna research that today. I'm just very confident sideways (on the track) with current rack. I need to replace and don't want to change the way it under/over steers drastically. Thanks again. I sub,d

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

Mike - I enjoy my car grippy and will be honest and say I'm green when it comes to sliding. You would need to seek the advice of someone who's used to looking out the side window :)

@Reebang 5 жыл бұрын

Very good video

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@Reebang 5 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic you are welcome

@becomematrix 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome. Do you have a part number for the purple tag rack by any chance? I'm looking into swapping my e36 out for the purple tag.

@ManSeeksCivic 6 жыл бұрын

I believe it ends on 067, the number is printed in the middle of the rack tag.

@jw200 4 жыл бұрын

Hello Pamo. If my current factory stock steering rack goes bad, do you recommend me to get this Purple tag E46 rack for my 96, E36, 316i ? I don't do any racing whatsoever. Just street and highway driving. I feel the rack starts to wear out. Car has over 320000 km on it and rack is original. I guess never changed. If i understand it completely then E46 rack is better some way?

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

I would recommend it yes. The rack is much better for feel, parking and is obviously newer so less likely to be worn. There's no downside to fitting one.

@tomc4524 4 жыл бұрын

Hi great vid Definitely looking into this. The mot man said I have a lot of play and the rack needs changing. I have a 94 M3 is it a straight swap or are there other parts needed Thanks

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

Same year as my other half's m3. It's a straight swap as shown in the video. I would buy new track rod ends, it'll make the job easier 👍

@tomc4524 4 жыл бұрын

Got all the kit but forgot to ask what fluid is needed and how much Thanks

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

@@tomc4524 Use regular ATF, capacity is just over a litre but check once its bled by using the caps built in markers 👍

@tomc4524 4 жыл бұрын

Pamo thanks again

@imnota 6 жыл бұрын

Which is better ? Z3 rack or purple tag ? I saw in one of your answers that the z3 rack is linear and that the purple tag is progressive, but I don't know which is better.

@ManSeeksCivic 6 жыл бұрын

I have no direct experience with the Z3, only what ive read. The purple tag is progressive meaning that the more input you give the faster it turns. The Z3 turns fast the whole time. Apparently this makes the car feel very responsive on track but can feel twitchy on the road. I went for Purple for this reason and because they are cheaper.

@imnota 6 жыл бұрын

Pamo Thanks for the answer. So, I guess the z3 rack is easier to predict since it's linear, but to be used on a track car.

@soundseeker63 6 жыл бұрын

Whats the advantage of this mod? Is it a quicker ratio? Better feel?

@ManSeeksCivic 6 жыл бұрын

soundseeker63 Quicker ratio... Quickest rack you can fit apart from the z3 which is a linear rack. The purple tag is progressive.

@tylergrantom9103 6 жыл бұрын

What years does this rack come off of? Or is it all e46’s?

@ManSeeksCivic 6 жыл бұрын

That I'm not sure of Tyler. Best to go by part number and tag colour.

@dokterkarel 4 жыл бұрын

is the purple tag rack really such a big improvement?

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

Yes.

@user-xk7pk7wq1x 5 жыл бұрын

Can you do a video review of the rack while driving? Would be good to see it in action. No videos on KZfaq at the moment demonstrating after install.

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

Sure, I'm having an alignment done on Monday, I'll film the rack in action pov style after it's setup. 👍

@user-xk7pk7wq1x 5 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic hi geezer, did you do the video review of the purple tag in action?

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

Not yet, I had alignment done yesterday and today I'm deep in another project thatll be revealed soon. I'll be videoing the rack at the weekend so watch this space.

@widdzzz 5 жыл бұрын

I would also very much like to see this!

@user-xk7pk7wq1x 5 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic what's happened to all the videos? Haven't had one for a while..

@mikle65 5 жыл бұрын

whats the difference between blue and purple tag?

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

I'm sorry, I don't know the spec for the blue tag rack.

@TechTokOffical 2 жыл бұрын

Is any e46 rack fittable on a e36?

@ManSeeksCivic 2 жыл бұрын

That's a great question I've not really considered.... But I guess yes. There is no difference I know of between the subframe so I would fairly confidently assume that any rack would fit.

@ChrisKeirRacing 4 жыл бұрын

im busy doing this however i run out of adjustment on the drivers side track rod, can't get the wheel straight? there new e36 track rod ends, any idea why?

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

Are you using E46 inner tie rods /steering rack ends?

@ChrisKeirRacing 4 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic Im just using whatevers come on the purple tag rack, yes i believe it was off an e46

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

It should bolt up fine then... You need to check for other issues. You may have a bent inner rack end, something wrong with the geometry of the chassis or possibly knuckles. I've fitted these racks now 3 times on 2 different e36's and have never had an issue with alignment. Get your steering wheel straight, measure both inner ends and work out from there.

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

To help, the E46 inner rack ends have grooves cut in the ball joint cup to allow the rack to vent, see Google images to verify.

@ChrisKeirRacing 4 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic Ok, ill have a check of those things, thanks mate for your help!!

@mattpistritto1424 5 жыл бұрын

where did uorder from purple tag e46 rack

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

EBay buddy. Good ol' ebay 😊

@MarinatedPasta 5 жыл бұрын

Where did you buy the rack?

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

Ebay.......

@Pr0vost 5 жыл бұрын

Did you build the pit yourself?

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

No, the previous house owner did.

@Homemade-Adventure 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, do you know what size crush washers I need to do this please?

@ManSeeksCivic 3 жыл бұрын

These are the oem part numbers - 2x 32411093597 2x 32411093596

@Homemade-Adventure 3 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic cheers fella. will be doing this next week.

@Homemade-Adventure 3 жыл бұрын

do you need 2 per banjo?

@ManSeeksCivic 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, 1 either side.

@PassioneCarrozzeria 4 жыл бұрын

hi. final code purple rack is 7852974679 or 7852974678? they are equal?

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

I believe they are yes.

@mennovanleeuwen 6 ай бұрын

one is RHD and other LHD (left is 678 I believe)

@FirstAidIndustries 4 жыл бұрын

newb question: what are the benefits of the e46 purple rack?

@ManSeeksCivic 4 жыл бұрын

It's a faster rack - less turns lock to lock. Makes the steering a little more responsive and makes parking a little easier

@FirstAidIndustries 4 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic That's great. thank you

@indomi1253 2 жыл бұрын

Does the purple tag makes more lighter feel than the original rack on e36 320i m50?

@ManSeeksCivic 2 жыл бұрын

No, it'll feel the same or very slightly heavier.

@indomi1253 2 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic is there an option to lighten the power steering e36?

@widdzzz 5 жыл бұрын

Hey Pamo, Great video! Im thinking of doing this mod and just wondered about venting. Came across this thread discussing getting the e36 tie rods grooved out, any thoughts on this? bimmersport.co.nz/topic/52450-thinking-of-putting-an-e46-rack-in-your-e306-read-this/

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

Don't bother - Use the 46 ones. They work perfectly ( provided they're not bent like the ones that came on my last 46 rack :) ).

@widdzzz 5 жыл бұрын

Pamo thanks for the reply, I thought you said ‘you cannot use the e46 track rod ends’ I’m confused :s

@ManSeeksCivic 5 жыл бұрын

@@widdzzz Don't worry Tom. It's purely a terminology thing. I tend to refer to inner tie rods as "steering rack ends" and outer tie rods and "track rod ends".

@widdzzz 5 жыл бұрын

@@ManSeeksCivic Thanks for your reply's dude, il let you know how I get on :D

@widdzzz 5 жыл бұрын

Did the rack, new inner and outer tie rod ends and new fluid and pump, and my deadzone is still present haha. I'm thinking its the steering coupler guibo? any thoughts?