cmurda8 Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 When my 96 STS is stationary or moving slowly (less than 20 MPH) I can feel the steering wheel "pop" or "knot up" when I turn the wheel from left to right and vice versa. I feel the "knot" every 90 degrees of rotation. I already lubricated the intermediate steering shaft with part no. 26098237. That didn't seem to make any difference at all. It feels like the u-joints bind up momentarily and then release. When driving at high speeds I don't feel anything when I move the wheel back and forth. A friend who attempted to correct the problem only made things worse. He disconnected the air bag harness and now when I turn on the ignition my Air Bag light flashes seven times then remains lit and the DIC reads Service Air Bag. I get the code SDM 1026-Driver Deployment Loop Open. Also, my steering wheel controls for the stereo and climate control are no longer working. Can someone please help me to correct this steering problem and air bag situation? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Is the point of pop or knock always the same? The way you describe it is does sound like the u-joints in the steering shaft. Were you able to inspect the intermediate shaft for looseness or damage when you greased it? There is a bearing in the steering column and obviously the rack can be damaged. Was the carriage dropped to do work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmurda8 Posted September 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Yes, the point of pop is always the same. It happens at the top of the wheel, at 90 degrees to the left and right, and at the bottom of the wheel. The intermediate shaft appeared to be fine. It was not damaged and everything lined up fine when reinstalling it. Yes, the carriage was dropped. I took the car to the tranny shop because the front pump seal was leaking. They had to pull the tranny out to seal it and replace the bushing. It was immediately after this that I noticed the pop. I took it back to the shop and he said the car needs a new rack. He said it would cost $300 for a rack and $100 for installation. So did he mess up the rack or is it just worn out or what? Also, I still need help troubleshooting the Service Air Bag indication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Can't help you much with the steering problem but it sounds like you need to go back and reconnect everything that your "friend" disconnected again. Either he didn't reconnect something or didn't seat a connector properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Consider that 1) they began dropping the carriage before disconnecting the steering shaft and bent something (there are WARNINGS all over the service manual about this) and two, they loosened the rack and never tightened it (we had another member who had a loose rack after work..). You need to get this car up on a lift with someone turning the steering wheel slowly and see what you discover. Don't you think its aweful coincidential that you need a rack AFTER the carriage was dropped, the did something wrong and IMHO caused the problem.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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