Clunking in steering wheel??

[heyraver]

(Yep, its me again)

'98 Regal LS
195K

After changing my ball joints and
outer tie rod ends, I've noticed a
clunking noise in my steering wheel.
When I turn my wheel back and forth,
I can hear AND feel a "clunk" noise
under my feet. The sound is absent outside
the car though.

I've never changed the inner tie rod ends
yet, since owning the car. Anyone think
this could be the problem?

Any advice Thanks!!

[Godofwarmike]

try jacking up the front of the car so the tires are about 3 inches off the ground.

Lock the steering wheel then:

at 12' and 6' oclock try to rock both wheels back and forth.

then do the same at 9' and 3' oclock and see if it moves or clunks.

most likely it wont move at 12 and 6 but if it does and 9 and 3 try to look at the tie rod while you move the wheel back and forth to see if it is moving in the steering rack or at the outter tie rod.

[BNaylor]

Did you take it in for a wheel alignment after replacement of those components? Normally an alignment shop can confirm whether the inner tie rods are worn out and with 195K miles that is a probability.

Also, make sure the rack and pinion to subframe mounting bolts are tight or torqued to specs properly.

[heyraver]

Okay, so I took my car to the
mechanics, and they told me I
needed new strut bearing plates.
Parts and Labor together will be
$572.08. #@%& That!
I'll just do it myself. I've changed
the whole passenger side spindle
that came from an '03 Century.
I'm just going to change the driver's
side and see what happens.

One question though, could you see
a strut bearing plate causing a clunking noise
in my steering wheel?

[Ruley73]

Originally Posted by heyraver

Okay, so I took my car to the
mechanics, and they told me I
needed new strut bearing plates.
Parts and Labor together will be
$572.08. #@%& That!
I'll just do it myself. I've changed
the whole passenger side spindle
that came from an '03 Century.
I'm just going to change the driver's
side and see what happens.

One question though, could you see
a strut bearing plate causing a clunking noise
in my steering wheel?

Yes, a strut bearing plate could cause that noise. Another possibility could be a bad wheel bearing. I hit a curb with my wife's old Intrigue and fixed it. After I got it all put together, I heard a muffled popping sound occasionally when turning the wheel at really slow speeds. Ended up being a defective wheel hub assy. This happened twice using a Timken hub assembly. Switched to National and problem went away.

[heyraver]

I could actually see it being a wheel bearing
rather than a strut plate. I do get a humming
sound from my driver side when accelerating
from a stop....
While moving the wheel back and forth,
You can feel the clunking in both of the strut towers.
My steering wheel also knots up
turning right while reversing...
A few told me it could be the steering knuckle
or the rack.
What do you guys think?

[jjwillman]

I have read similar clunking problems regarding the Intermediate Steering Shaft. Look for an old post that describes the problem.