E89 23i Steering Issues

[hantigg]

Hey everyone,

I've been having some strange issues with the electric steering in my E89. For the past four years of ownership, I've mostly dealt with heavy steering, making parking and city driving a bit of a hassle. However, it felt solid and stable on twisty roads and also very predictable.

A few months ago, I replaced the battery (myself, without knowing I should have an alternative electricity source during the process, therefore I completely cut the electric power when replaced), and suddenly the steering felt lighter and more responsive but more artificial. But this effect didn't last long, and it went back to feeling heavy again.

Recently, I replaced my ignition coils and got a new set of tires and rims, and once again, the steering feel changed completely.
(first start with new ignition coils, the engine was not running smoothly, and while on, I removed each ignition one by one to see which was not properly connected, I am wondering if that could have affected somehow the electric components, as the engine was running )

While it's now much easier to handle for daily driving, it feels disconnected and unpredictable during aggressive driving. I'm trying to figure out what's causing this inconsistency. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

I want back my precise steering feel

Thanks!

[B21]

There was a small batch of E89s that had a faulty steering ECU that sounds a bit like your issues..E85s were much more problematic but it was a completely different design..

As usual a decent BMW specific fault code reader may be helpful..

There are folks who refurbish the units..

Ignition system is not related to this..

There are some more obscure issues but again without a fault code reader …

[RobbiZ4]

Originally Posted by hantigg

Hey everyone,
...I replaced the battery (myself, without knowing I should have an alternative electricity source during the process, therefore I completely cut the electric power when replaced...

Never heard of this requirement and never cared about it before (and won't in the future) on E89's.

The only thing to care about is, not to close the trunk lid, when the battery got removed. But even this is managable using the jump start poles under the bonnet.

[hantigg]

As only next week I am going to be able to check if there any faults, I will keep researching to find out more about potential solutions.

I am wondering now:

1. What if now it is working as it should from the factory, and I may not have experienced this due to faulty ignition coils?

(after the replacement of the ignition coils, the engine is way more responsive and way smoother) so I am wondering if before, the ECU was "pushing" more voltage toward the coils to "support" the faulty ones and this caused a lack of voltage for the EPS. - This might be nonsense, but reading through the forums, I've learned that the ECU is readjusting the parameters if needed.

2. If the steering rack is the issue, to replace it brand new is around 2.5k which I find way too expensive, therefore I am thinking of getting a used hydraulic steering rack from 1M and just totally ditching the electric one, perhaps the final cost will be the same, but in the end, a better setup will be achieved.

3. If there is no issue at all, no error codes, etc, and this is the way how it actually should behave (very artificial), I am thinking of finding someone who could remap the EPS for sport+ mode. Has anyone done EPS Remapping?

Looking forward to hearing your advices!

[B21]

As stated engine coils has no bearing on steering save if you go faster as a reset of more power then the steering is speed sensitive

Compared to sorting out the current problem a hydraulic conversion will be orders of magnitude greater pain..for no real benefit..

There are complex tables governing how the steering ECU does it sums, which varied between E89 models..

Like most BMW tables trying to work out what variables effect and by how much the steering response with no documentation is problematic to state the obvious

[hantigg]

Problem solved- SOLUTION:

Disconnected the battery and now it works perfectly. Hope it won't change the current "settings". The steering feel is heavier and works great; crazy how it changes the overall feeling of the car.

My conclusion, the EPS had to recalibrate based on the new tire size/width.

Edit: Chatgbt quick answer: "Steering recalibration typically involves resetting the steering angle sensor, which is part of the vehicle's electronic stability control system. This recalibration is usually done by turning the steering wheel to its full lock position in both directions after the tires have been changed." Is this the way it has to be done?

[B21]

Originally Posted by hantigg

Problem solved- SOLUTION:

Disconnected the battery and now it works perfectly. Hope it won't change the current "settings". The steering feel is heavier and works great; crazy how it changes the overall feeling of the car.

My conclusion, the EPS had to recalibrate based on the new tire size/width.

Edit: Chatgbt quick answer: "Steering recalibration typically involves resetting the steering angle sensor, which is part of the vehicle's electronic stability control system. This recalibration is usually done by turning the steering wheel to its full lock position in both directions after the tires have been changed." Is this the way it has to be done?

Never heard of a tyre / width change causing such issues..but I’ve only done it 5 times in 7 years…