My 'new' E36 M3 has about 1.5" of dead-zone in the steering. The tie rods look brand new and the rack is tight -- I assume in an attempt to cure this issue. I bought a new rubber steering coupler, but the one that's on it looks fine. Turns out all of the slop is coming from the top u-joint in the steering shaft.
A new steering shaft with the integrated joint is about $300. Thanks to the internet, I found out that the joint itself is an AS-1540 and about $16. I ordered one, just to say I've had the experience.
Question: Who has replaced small, staked-in u-joints and how would you recommend to attack this? Or should I drop it off at the local machine shop and let them deal with it?
The offending joint:
The AS-1540: