Quote:
Originally Posted by SamW
Have been experiencing a stiff steering when turning left and a creaking noise from the front. Noticed that there was play in both of the front wheels, especially in the passenger side. When rocking the wheel side to side, the tie rod was visibly moving back and forth. After two broken ball joint remover tools, I managed to change both of the tie rods and the stiffness and the noise seems to be gone. While there, I also noticed that the driver side outer CV boot was a bit torn and oily.
There is still some kind of a clicking noise coming from the steering at one point which I initially thought was coming from the tie rods but apparently it's not. After a quick research one typical cause for that could be the universal joint in the steering column assembly. Have to look into that this week. Could a bad CV joint cause similar issues too? Obviously the CV boot or the whole axle must be replaced anyway at some point.
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I've got similar symptoms in my steering. Although old, my tie rods seemed in good shape when I did my motor swap so I elected not to replace them at that time. I do have a very regular clunk that I feel and hear when I turn my steering wheel. It happens every 45 degrees, or so, going into a turn, but not when you unwind the wheel. It feels to me like it is in the steering column, up closer to the wheel, however I'm sure that it could simply be being transmitted up the column.
The steering wheel nut has been checked and is secure. I read the double joint can wear, and at 20 years old I wouldn't be surprised. Mine feels secure, and I retorqued the bolts holding the lower column in along with some loctite. There are several plastic bushings that are on the upper column and I'm sure would be a PITA to change, but I suspect one or both are failing. I wonder too if it could be struts? Mine need to be replaced and I have my eye on some L322 Range Rover spring conversion struts that I think would work well with my lift as I suspect they are about 2" taller than the E53 struts, but look to be identical in other respects. .