steering problems

[stix125]

hey guys stix again cant understand this, park the car up next morning start up and turn the steering wheel and there is a clunking noise coming, when turning from left to right and vise-versa i have checked the the oil and thats fine there are no leaks !!! it seems to be coming from near the power steering pump i called my local bmw dealer who said "no probs drop it in and we will look at it for you ....but charge £108.00 to tell you whats wrong with it" i declined their offer, when turning the wheel you can feel juddering on the steering wheel this is whether your at stand still or driving however when driving the engine also drops revs like it wants to cut out.. any ideas?? thanx:(

[joshua43214]

An occasional juddering when turning th ewheel while stoped is normal, especialy if you have sticky tires. Normaly a juddering inthe steering while driving is a sign of low fluid. Did you check the PS fluid level with engine cold and off? Alot of times the fluid will fill up with bubbles when it is low and make it seem higher than it is. Also are you sure you have the correct fluid? If you run the wrong fluid for long enough, it will damage the PS pump and you will get lower PS assist.

As for the knocking sound, do you hear any noises going over bumps? probably you just need one of the steering or suspension parts replaced and are hearing a knock as one of the joints pops back and forth.