Hi everyone. I don't post often, actually this may be my first post, but I like to lurk and learn. With that said, I have an interesting problem that I have not found the right thread for, using search, and hope someone has an opinion

My 2003 Cooper S has an issue where the steering wheel and column move approx. 1/2 inch left to right and right to left, for a total of an inch of lateral movement. I pulled the lower cover off to take a closer look and it seems the entire column is shifting as there is play in all joints. So, my questions are as follows.

• Has anyone else experienced this and/or is this a known issue?
• Is there already a thread and I am a poor searcher? If so, can you send me the link? If not...
• Is there a solution that would solve for the play?

Thank you!
David

 

I had this issue with my '03. The play in the column came from the connector between the steering rack and the column. It's called the lower steering shaft, and my original one had rusted and the bearing had failed, which gave it some play. I bought one off of eBay for $80 and all was fixed! Good luck with the rubber gasket that goes in between the firewall and the outside! it's tough to get attached!

Here's the part# OEM 32306870777

 

Thank you very much. I will take a look this weekend.