Arash Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 Dear all members I'm experiencing a severe thump noise when turning right or left in a corner. The car made this noise when I bought it two years ago but it got worse and worse. it's now at a level which is very noticeable both by the driver/passenger and an outside observant. I took it to the dealer and they say it's the steering rack(gear).Has anybody had this problem before? Is this a common problem for this car? I raised the car myself yesterday and told somebody to turn the steering wheel left and right quickly. It made a sound like tuk,tuk, tuk. I checked the tie rod and it wasn't loose or anything. I went under the car and the noise was comming from the middle of the car. The car is a 94 STS with 90,000 miles Thanks in advance for all responses. Arash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arash Posted June 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 BTW, I also hear the noise when comming out of park,while turning the wheel sharply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis421 Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 CV Joints? You say it comes from the middle of the car. May the passenger side CV where it enters the tranny... That may not be the case considering it has happen now for 2 years. Just an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Any unusual tire wear? Do ever hear it when driving straight but over some rolling bumps? "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arash Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 I saw no unusual tire wear the last time I opened the wheels. I also don't get that sound when going straight but over rolling bumps. Sorry I said "The noise was comming from the middle of te car."It's actually comming from the front of the car, just behind the engine and gearbox oil pans, where steering rack is approximately located. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Arash, There is a part called rack bearing preload adjuster. It regulates the tightness of the contact between the steering rack and pinion. It it is , say, to tight your steering wheel will not return back after you turn it. If it is too lose - no good the rack and pinion may wear out. This is just a guess. Can you check it out. I f you hav eany service manual you will find easy to foloow up instructions. If you do not have it let me know. You will have to lift the car. Do not do any inspection using jacks. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arash Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 I do have the factory service manual. I will check the rack bearing preload adjuster as soon as possible. I think it's good to mention that the variable steering assist in my car works fine. It's just this harsh tump noise that I get every time I turn sharply or comming out of park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 There is some preload in the rack that can be adjusted. It can also be caused by the strut upper mount, or even the strut itself. The intermediate steering shaft can also cause quit a bit of noise and cluncking. Todays project: Again, fix the clunking 2001 Fake DTS steering clunk. It came back again after 10k. This is the original shaft that had the factory handling nicks on it. Yes: the TSB grease has been tried. The shaft has been regreased several times. Have used a vise to squeze the shaft back into tolerance. The problem is: You cannot squeze in 2 directions. These shafts seem to a have a half *smurf* heat treat. They will wear out of tolerance in 15-20 K miles max. Anyways... here is today developments: .0025 feeler guage insterted and left with the shaft.. http://images.andale.com/f2/115/106/376867...6_shaft_004.jpg We will see.... Logan Diagnostic LLC www.airbagcrash.com www.logandieselusa.com www.ledfix.com www.ledfix.com/yukontaillightrepair.html www.ledfix.com/ledreplacements.html www.ledfix.com/j42385toolrental.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arash Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Actually my car does has a problem with the strut mount and the seat.The mechanic doing the inspection confirmed this, which I long ago suspected. The strut noise is very different than the steering noise though. I should correct myself when I said the steering noise looks like a "thump";it actually looks more like "clunk." The mechanic said that the left side of the steering gear is worn and I have to replace the whole steering rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.