320 Electric power steering, any experiences?

[Mikelead]

Hi,
firstly I am a 'newbie' to the forum, having had my '82 E21 320 since March, so hello to you all.

Having restored many cars, e.g. MG, AH, Jaguar, Riley, Porsche, Aston Martin, Triumph, the 320 is, for once, a car I intend keep, as its very practical, simple to work on (ie no electronics), reliable, and great to drive. Also parts are amazingly cheap, I nearly bought a Merc instead, and am glad I didn't for that reason alone.
As I am getting a little older (62) I am considering some upgrades to make the BM even more enjoyable, and have already fitted central locking ( at a cost of £15 via a Chinese kit, which seems reliable so far), and have acquired a short-shift gearlever at a similar cost, which I hope to fit soon.

My question is has anyone fitted electric power steering?
I am thinking of fitting a steering motor unit from a Corsa (a Vauxhall model common in the UK) with an input from one of the many control modules offered online to give the necessary engine running signal, and enable variable servo power, or, even speed related assistance as some more expensive units offer.
I have acquired a used steering column from an E30, which I will chop up to enable insertion of the motor, keeping the old column intact in case I need to refit the original unpowered system.

Any feedback on your experiencees would be welcome.

Cheers
Mike

[uwbuurman]

Welcome, Mike!!! Nice intro. I love to see pics of the work on the e21. As for the electrical powersteering, never used it, but I hear it is kind of vague steering. Because it works at the same torque all the time. And with a bmw e21, you might kill the caracter it is famous for, namely driving pleasure.

My advive would be to invest some more and get an original set.

[mcjjordan]

I too thought a corsa motor would be ideal with either a rotary dial or speed sense .
I did enquire to ezpowersteering and they said £1600 to do it . Add in a quickrack and your good

[Jeroen]

Welcome! With a speed dependent kit I guess you should be pretty ok. If I'm not mistaken my current E82 daily driver has electronic PAS and it feels fine. You may have to test a few kits before you get the right feel as you want to keep communication through the steering wheel intact but worth the try!

Looking forward to see follow up, and pics indeed!

[petroscf]

Welcome here!
I am also interested into fitting a kit like that, especially now with the quick rack (parking steering has become very heavy!)
So I would be very curious to see your findings.
An especially curious to see where the system my be hidden (under dash I am afraid there's no space at all or almost?)
sure it 'd have to be speed sensitive, or even power steering at all when speed increases, for example more than 25-30 km/h

[uwbuurman]

Well, Jeroen, as my f30 320d has electrical steering, and my e91 320d has hydraulic powersteering, I must say that I like the handeling if my e91 better over the f30. F30 is more agile, needs much more corrections on the motorway and is very sidewind sensitive.

All in all I like the hydraulic power steering better.

[Dammizi]

so why not an original hydraulic power steering setup on the e21? quite easily obtainable and should cost no more than 150 to 300gbp max!

[Jeroen]

I loved the hydraulic power steering in my E46, quick and with a lot of feel, best sofar, but the electronic setup in my E82 isn't too bad, doesn't feel like it needs many corrections or is sensitive to crosswinds at all. Funny!

[uwbuurman]

Well, recent prices are above that number but 500 quit will get you there.

[uwbuurman]

Funny indeed. F30 320i in 18" which I drive often has the same handeling.

[Mikelead]

Hi,
Thanks to all for the welcome, no one as yet has done the conversion, so will have to be the pioneer, will keep you informed of progress.
I have messed about with hydraulic PS in the past, and don't fancy fitting it again, too many oily bits to sort, so will definitely try the electric system. Have owned several cars in the last few years with it, all very pleasant to use and maintenance free. Assistance is easy to vary, either manually or with an speed sensing unit
I estimate a budget of maximum £150 for a simply controlled system, more if I fit a speed sensitive unit.
I should be able to get all the parts on eBay, already have the column for £37 and plenty Corsa motors available, and can always remove it if not happy.
This project will hopefully keep me busy over the winter as the road tax expired end of November

There are plenty of posts on utube showing conversions on other cars, particularly VW camper vans.

Hopefully plenty of room under the dash, first job is to make sure the motor will fit.

Thanks again for your comments, will keep you posted,

Mike

[Mikelead]

I have obtained an electric PAS unit from a Corsa, and a control unit, and fixed it up in my vice with temporary wiring, it worked fine.
I have also fully stripped the unit to see how it works (a childhood habit) and done some machining to enable the existing column on the 320 to be cut and have the drive fitted inline.
There is plenty of room under the dash on my uk Rhd car, all that seems to be in the way is the brake light switch, which will need moving, probably to the inner front wing to work against the servo actuating lever.
Not sure if there is room on a Lhd car though.

I am still considering other PAS systems, maybe a hydraulic traditional rack but using an electric oil pump, as used by Citroen on Saxo models. Any one have experience of electric hydraulic pumps?

Can someone please answer my question: will a PAS rack from an e30 fit the e21?

Reconditioned rackets for the e30 are easily and cheaply available in the uk.

Thanks, will keep you updated on progress.

Mike.

[Mikelead]

Power steering in and working very well, has transformed the low speed steering of the car, spins with one finger.
Mike

[uwbuurman]

Great. Some pics please!

[joe14]

Nice, what set up did you go for in the end?