OK, finally got this one done. The BMW bearings have a plastic race, so no surprise they developed play. I ended up pulling the steering column complete with the steering shaft intact so I could figure out what was going on. The new bearings snap in place and with a little
synthetic grease on the shaft collars at the end...things go together easily. You do need a steering wheel puller and 5mm screws to attach the puller to the steering hub. Should be worth it, now that I've got the front end smooth as silk with the new gas cartridges.