acklac7 Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Was out driving tonight (with the radio off...for once) and noticed a creaking coming from either the steering column or in front of the firewall on the drivers side. It would only creak or "chirp" when the steering wheel is at a specific angle, and usually only does so when taking turns (to the left or the right). I changed the PS fluid about a week ago and put a 1/2 bottle of lucas in with the fluid. Also the steering was slightly out of alignment, which caused the tires to wear unevenly (front driver and rear passenger). I got the tires re-aligned about 2 weeks ago and it already seems like there out of alignment again. Also you can feel a slight "knot" in the steering wheel when it chirps...Thanks..A.J. A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 yea same problem here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickster Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 How cold is it where you are? I know my car can makes some strange noises the colder it gets. Creaks, groans, and skweeks. But dam she runs fast in the cold. 2001 STS Mettalic Otter Grey, Black Leather, 213,000 kilometers - miles - ? Still running strong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted January 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Its been in the 30's-50's lately. One thing I have noticed was that creaking, followed by the sound of something cracking, is only apparent when I have a passenger in the car. Im guessing its the power steering but im not sure, I remember reading about how you can mess up all sorts of things if you don't remove the trans. correctly. I had my trans. rebuilt about 4 months ago and on the way home the fly-wheel cracked ( most likely there fault). Now im wondering if they didn't damage a PS component as well. A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STYES Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Does the sound seem to generate from the column itself? Caddy has had a long standing problem with this noise in the column. They were getting complaints of smoke generating from behind the steering wheel (too much lubricant grease) or a clicking (not enough grease) on the steering shaft. If this is the problem, you are not looking at anything that needs repair. If you get the clicking and have it addressed, you will probably get the smoke, but it is minor at best. If not, you will continue to get the clicking sound. Either way, I've never seen a car that had driveability issues because of either, just a slight nusiance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted January 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Im assuming that the shaft you are talking about is the intermediate shaft? From what I have read it sounds like I do have a problem with the intermediate shaft tjtjwdad "Popping noise when turning the steering wheel....Intermediate shaft replaced" I do have a popping noise, but it doesn't occur with great frequency. Now I do have a clicking that comes from the steering column right where the wheel bolts onto the column. It is accompanied by a detectable knot when turning to the left of the right, I've had this problem for a while. However now I hear (and feel) something alot worse, its more like metal cracking, then bouncing around, and I belive it is coming from somewhere around the fire wall. I'm now thinking it might be my CV joints? I ran across this post on the old board and the quote "When CV joints go bad they rattle/grind only while turning" really hits the nail on the head...There is definitely a grind and then a rattle. A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 The steering column in my Eldorado has been making this creaking or groaning sound for the last few years now, only in the cold weather. It is noticeable starting at around 35 degrees F and gets louder as the temp drops. You can only hear it on sharp turns at low speeds, such as turning into a driveway. Took it to a local dealer about two years ago. He heard it, and then said he didn't know what it was. Can you believe that? No interest at all. Have since found another dealer, but this one started pushing for me to have the power steering system flushed. Didn't like the sound of that, don't like system flushes in general. Read too many negatives about them. So, I've learned to live with the cold weather groaning. The car is eight years old now, so I guess it's entitled to make a few odd sounds every now and again. I know I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STYES Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 If it is a problem related to the steering shaft, you should hear it at the wheel, but the fact that you hear it at the firewall might pinpoint something else. If you have CV problems, it is true that you will "hear it more" during turns. A front driver will resonate sounds closer to the driver than normal due to the fact that the engine is "connected" to the steering. There is no way for me to tell with the given facts that you have CV problems. The front drive Caddys are unique in the fact that they have equal length shafts, and they have not posed cronic problems partially because of this. If you do suspect Cv problems remember that the joint will almost always make more noise under load conditions. That means that if you have a passenger side Cv that is bad, it will tend to make more noise turning left, and vice versa. Turning left means that the right wheel, from the driver looking out position, would be taking on the greater load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted January 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 I did some diagnostic "laps" around the neighborhood tonight and noticed a few things: The noise ( like a small pebble smashing the windshield) only occurs after I release the wheel from making a left turn. Just as the steering wheel is about to level out I fell a small notch and hear the fore mentioned sound. Also I first noticed this problem with a passenger in the car, and man did it sound bad. Like something could to snap/break at any time, and there was a distinctive grind then rattle. The last few days I've been driving by myself and haven't heard the grind (only a rattle as described above)...Something is likely going to need replacement..right? how hard is it to repair the CV joints? A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 You know, its funny that you should mention that it sounded bad when a passenger in the car. One time my friend was in the car passenger seat and when i was turning the wheel while stopped in anticipation for a right turn, the clicking sound GOT WAY louder and my friend said he could feel the popping by his feet. POP POP. Pretty strange. What are the symptoms of bad cv joints? All i know is that i have a really bumpy ride on the highway, and i just replaced both front hub assemblys a week ago to get rid of a whirring sound on both sides. Maybe mine are going bad as well and the bumpy ride is the indication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted January 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 Well the cracking and rattling sound has vanished, but I have yet to drive with a passenger since then. It may come up agian when I drive with a passenger...who knows. Im not really having any driveability problems, steering is fine, still have the click, but I've had that for years and am not to worried about it. Im not sure if a bumpy ride would be the indications of bad cv joints, on a 96' I would lean more towards the struts, due to the age of the car. I have a slightly bumpy ride on my 95', but its 10 years old! and im not throwing any trouble codes so I just keep driving..Good luck Tek A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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