Oh dear steering is clicking!!! I want to cry!

Hi folks,

After the last three months of hell (new brake pipes,discs,pads,coolant hoses etc etc) I thought things were too good to be true.

About a week ago I noticed a slight click on the steering when turning on full lock- initially thought track rod end ball joints. Had a look and all appeared good.

Thought nothing more until this weekend - halfway through a 200 mile road trip noticed steering wheel wobbling and noise coming from front wheel - pulled over and saw front passenger was red hot - seized caliper great!

Limped the rest of the way home with an intermittent wobble and by the time I got home the steering wheel click when turning was quite pronounced. Don't know if the wobble caused by the caliper seizing made it worse but heh ho.

Got under tonight to have a look - ball joints seem ok and the click seems to be coming from the steering rack!!!!

The noise seems worse when the engine and pas are off and I've uploaded a video of it. Sorry for the camera angle had to leave the phone on the engine bay while I steered!!

Does anyone have any ideas looking and listening at that? Unfortunately I fear the worst but any views or suggestions would be welcome.

Ps... The steering joint looks like it is saturated in oil... I think this is down to the rocker cover gasket above it although I suppose there could be a fluid leak on the rack as well!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH9S5ipfY24&feature=youtu.be

If that is the UJ where it enters the steering box on the vid...looks like that is at fault....as it turns on the vid, look at the circular plate under the UJ...it flexes in time with the noise!

it could be nothing, but it sounds like the noise is closer to the camera than the steering rack!

Blimey that sounds bad !

2.0_hippo said:

Blimey that sounds bad !

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I know, headache Central!!

Saint,it is the lower uj where it enters the rack...

It does seem to be coming from there, i don't if you notice on the video but the arm seems to recoil at one point in time with the noise. Driving wise it's only noticeable at low turning speeds and I have had a bit of a knock when going over bumps.

Tbh my biggest worry is that the teeth in the rack have worn and the pinion's jumping... Looking at rave removal looks like a nightmare (engine hoist jobby!!)

think your right...either pinion gear or rack sounds shot!

Sorry!

Ouch thats not a good noise sorry to hear your having such a crap time with it tho...

Littelwill said:

Ouch thats not a good noise sorry to hear your having such a crap time with it tho...

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For each thing I fix another 2 go!!!

Has anyone removed their steering rack before? I might just get it jacked up and double check track rod end joints before I remortgage but it does definitely sound central!

Could it be a CV joint breaking up ?
'

ovalandrover said:

Could it be a CV joint breaking up ?
'

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Is there any way if checking the cv joints?

Just had another look- what I can't get my head around is that the noise doesn't seem to happen at a particular point in the steering wheel turn. I can go through the full turn each way with no noise but If I stop the wheel straight and pull it slightly either way I get the noise. I'd have thought if it was a tooth on the rack the noise would always happen at the same point?

Are the universal joints themselves known to go?

Not known too on the L322...but as with any mechanical joint, they will be subject to wear and potential failure

Thanks for all the replies guys...

Caliper seal kit should be here by Wednesday so will get that freed up as I'm sure that's not helping...

Hopefully I'll have a good look in the daytime tomorrow and clean it all up to see what exactly is going in down there. Fingers crossed its a joint somewhere!!!!

I'd go with Saints first post - always do the cheapest thing first - there's deffo something not right in the UJ area.

Unless the cars been bashed around kerbs or had some other kind of trauma, rack failure is pretty uncommon.

Fergie46 said:

I'd go with Saints first post - always do the cheapest thing first - there's deffo something not right in the UJ area.

Unless the cars been bashed around kerbs or had some other kind of trauma, rack failure is pretty uncommon.

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+1 Ive not come across rack failure before on an l322 good luck

Steering racks have been known to leak...but complete failure I have not come across (yet)

Najainitro said:

Is there any way if checking the cv joints?

Just had another look- what I can't get my head around is that the noise doesn't seem to happen at a particular point in the steering wheel turn. I can go through the full turn each way with no noise but If I stop the wheel straight and pull it slightly either way I get the noise. I'd have thought if it was a tooth on the rack the noise would always happen at the same point?

Are the universal joints themselves known to go?

Click to expand...

Are you saying if you turn it to full lock and then move the steering wheel side to side does it do the same thing as if its backlash in the joints somewhere rather than the rack and pinion?

I have a brilliant 6 way electronic diagnostic stethoscope that you can clip up to 6 different microphones to and then scroll through a selector switch or it also has a pointer that connects to the headphones that you can touch on different places to see where the noise comes from.

This is it in use to find my water pump noise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcJWpesxjM8

Car Electronic Stethoscope Kit Auto Mechanic Noise Diagnostic Tool Six Channel | eBay

Thanks for all the support guys.

It's hard to describe buy basically the noise doesn't seem to always happen at the same point which makes me think that it my not be a particular area on the rack/pinion as I'm guessing it would always jump at the same point in the turning circle.

Had my hands down there tonight and given the linkage a good shake... Seems to be quite a bit of play...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2EoyHlyMMM&feature=youtu.be

What do you guys think ... I'm airing towards saints initial assessment re the uj, or is that just wishful thinking?

That doesn't look like play in the UJ on the vid, but a knackered bearing race where it enters the rack.....the UJ looks solid from what I can see on the vid, but where the lower yoke enters the rack there is excessive play in that part.....if it runs in a bearing when it enters the rack...that bearing is no doubt fecked giving you the amount of play shown!

Saint.V8 said:

That doesn't look like play in the UJ on the vid, but a knackered bearing race where it enters the rack.....the UJ looks solid from what I can see on the vid, but where the lower yoke enters the rack there is excessive play in that part.....if it runs in a bearing when it enters the rack...that bearing is no doubt fecked giving you the amount of play shown!

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Ah ok cheers saint, that makes sense... Would that cause it to click when turning?

I take it that would be a rack out and recondition jobbie? I'll entertain most jobs but if that's the case might be one for the specialists!!

if the bearing is breaking up, it could well click and or grounch and grind!

Yep, rack out I would think!

EDIT: Just read the procedure....feck that, hmmmmm I'd have a go at most things, but even I would get a specialist to do that...Lift engine, remove from mounts, disconnect the world and drop the front subframe...sod that!

Najainitro said:

Thanks for all the support guys.

It's hard to describe buy basically the noise doesn't seem to always happen at the same point which makes me think that it my not be a particular area on the rack/pinion as I'm guessing it would always jump at the same point in the turning circle.

Had my hands down there tonight and given the linkage a good shake... Seems to be quite a bit of play...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2EoyHlyMMM&feature=youtu.be

What do you guys think ... I'm airing towards saints initial assessment re the uj, or is that just wishful thinking?

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Can you put your hand on that part and get somebody to wiggle the steering to make it click like in your other vid, without taking your hand off in the process of course ?