Roadster

Sounds like the tie rod ends. My car was making the same noise, repalceing the tie rod ends fixed it.

96meangreengt

mine just started doing this the other day, it only does it when you turn the wheel to the right. let us know what fixed it.

MikeyLikesIt

Any updates on if these suggestions fixed your problem? I have the same dilemma.

jjandascog

Could also be the ball joint, mine did the same thing and that was it. Since we do not have zerk fittings from the factory I got a greese needle from Autozone and injucted some greese in the joint, problem went away. I had planned to add a zerk fitting but never got around to it and that was 50K miles ago and the noise has never come back.

Brute03

i had the same problem, Cliff's mod did the trick. i also got a set of poly bushings since i was gonna be in there and it made a difference, the steering felt a bit more "direct"

hpwrestler220

Hmmm.. Honestly, all other cars that i have driven have more "crisp" steering.. Mine has a LITTLE bit of play in it. Poly Bushings will do the trick? What is the difficulty of install? Where can i get them and how much are they?

I have not really gotten a chance to go out on the car and tinker with it, but I need to somehow narrow it down. i plan on jacking up the car and having somebody turn the wheel to the right as i lay under there. I should then be able to tell whether the noise is coming from the balljoint or the steering rack... If it's the balljoint, would the grease help me out at all, or are balljoints non-serviceable? If its the steering rack, i will measure out and cut a little less than .100 and reinstall.. It doesn't seem too hard. Cliffy has some good info on his site...

I will maybe try to get to it this weekend... I will keep you all posted since there is a lot of interest on this topic...

MikeyLikesIt

if it was the ball joints, all it would need is some grease, but like jj said there's no zerk fittings on the ball joints so technically the aren't serviceable. the procedure cliffy used makes a lot of sense, i think i'm gonna try that myself

cliffyk

It is easy to determine if the steering rack is the source of the creak, and if shortening the tube brackets will correct the problem.

Just have someone, someone you trust, turn the steering wheel back and forth in the null spot, while you stick your head down under the front of the car and observed the steering rack. If it can be seen to be moving back and forth, and is creaking as it does so, then cutting down the brackets will correct the issue.

This should be done with the engine running, in neutral, with the parking brake on--this is why it needs to be someone you trust sitting behind the wheel.

This same method will of course work to pinpoint the source of any unwanted creak/clunk/knock that happens when the car is stationary; for obvious reasons it is not recommended as a diagnostic technique for sounds that only occur when the vehicle is moving...

jjandascog

"for obvious reasons it is not recommended as a diagnostic technique for sounds that only occur when the vehicle is moving..."

HAHA that is funny

hpwrestler220

What do you mean by this? I will actually see the steering rack move? I thought that the inside of it pivots? Maybe i am just stupid haha.

So all it is, is i pull off the nut and bushings, then i pull out that tube bracket and cut the side that is towards the rear of the car, then reinstall? It sounds easy enough...

I'll have my dad do the method with me...

I guess i will install some polyurethane steering rack bushings as well while i am in there. They are cheap and supposedly tighten up the steering!!!