Awful creaking noise from steering idler (RHD PAS)

mrtask

mrtask

Well-Known Member
Looking from underneath the car I can see the steering idler has drained of any oil that might once have been in it. The steering is now making the most awful racket, and it seems to be coming from the idler, although I have tightened all the bolts (yeah, a couple had come a bit loose) I can reach, bar the one holding on the Pitman arm(?) underneath. So I suppose my question is whether the creaking is because the idler is bone dry inside, or might it be something else? Errm, Harvey? Vern? Wise ones? Do/can the mounting points/turrets/whatever they're called develop cracks? It sounds like two sides of a crack moving against each other, if that makes any sense.
Either way, I can't drive it making that racket, I'll have to get a new idler (roll on payday!). How do I check for play in the ball joints of the steering side arms and the main steering rod? Any tips?
 
Have you taken the plug out of the top of the idler and dribbled EP90 in there?
Cracks in the mounting plate will show up as rusty marks.
Get someone to rock the steering wheel back and forth to test the steering joints.
 
I tried dribbling EP90 in it today. Got a couple of drops in. :rolleyes: At this rate it must take a month to get a tablespoon in there. How much should it contain?
Last time I swapped the idler I asked Colin Gould at Kingsdowne Classics how to tell when they're knackered. He replied that if it looks as if all the oil is on the outside underneath, it's toast! That is, once again, the case. I'll buy a refurbished replacement next week.
 
mrtask said:
I tried dribbling EP90 in it today. Got a couple of drops in. :rolleyes: At this rate it must take a month to get a tablespoon in there.
Click to expand...

It does. Patience is a virtue, Grasshopper.


mrtask said:
How much should it contain?
Click to expand...

I have no idea, I just fill until the bubbles stop.

mrtask said:
Last time I swapped the idler I asked Colin Gould at Kingsdowne Classics how to tell when they're knackered. He replied that if it looks as if all the oil is on the outside underneath, it's toast! That is, once again, the case. I'll buy a refurbished replacement next week.
Click to expand...

That's a reasonable assumption, but taking the time to fill it again will at least tell you for certain that it's the (empty) idler that's causing the noise.
 
It's waaaaaay too loud to be just a dry idler.
Do the spring seats in the bulkhead develop cracks?
If there was a crack there, would I have to take out the road spring to see it? :eek:
And how would it be fixed? Welded up again? Or do the spring seats come out of the firewall? As in can they be replaced, or is that a big deal?
I might be getting ahead of myself here, but this is a really really really loud creaking noise. Turns heads at 100 yards loud.
 
if ist that loud. then it sounds like we might have an unroadworthy car. suspension issue possible ? joints and springs etc need checking. might be worth. popping in for. an MOT test! as these guys do check the parts that can lead to catastrophic failures!
 
Does it creak worse when you’re driving then? Turning a particular direction?
You should film it and upload so everyone can hear, then we’ll know what kind of creak you have, and whether you have a paddle :p
Jim
 
classicalgreen said:
suspension issue possible ? joints and springs etc need checking. might be worth. popping in for. an MOT test! as these guys do check the parts that can lead to catastrophic failures!
Click to expand...

Most MOT testers don't have a clue how to check the steering and suspension, especially the top and bottom ball joints.
 
OK, I'll see if my missus can make a little video while I chauffeur her to her fitness club :rolleyes:.
I peered underneath with the car on the lift yesterday. I can't see anything unusual, and I couldn't recreate the noise by pulling and shoving on everything and everything! :confused:
 
I have come across the track rod ends ( under the heater unit ) creaking before as these don't have fully enclosed gaiters to keep out the damp / water.
Try putting a hand on one and turn steering carefully to feel if it's creaking .
Spray some WD 40 on them to prove it's them.
Clive.
 
Her majesty is none too impressed by the sound effects my whip is making when I ferry her to and fro! I made a short video clip, MP4, 9 seconds duration, just under 4 MB. I can't attach it to the forum. I'm not on any of the various platforms it says I can link to media from. Is there a workaround?
Clive, thanks for the hint. I'll try that.
 
That's also what I would have said if watching this video without any additional info.
When you're driving straight it does appear to be making a lot of noise still.
Doesn't yours have the Aussie mod lower shock mount strengthening?
Have you checked that area?

My recent full strip down of front suspension revealed a fractured bowed near side spring which makes some very odd noises compared to the other side when tapped/dropped..

Jim
 
Got a mate to rock the front of the car up and down, seems to be creaking from the front of the passenger side road spring at the front spring cup. Liberal application of spray lube hasn't quietened it any though. The lads at my preferred garage were all knackered at the end of the afternoon after a day wrenching in 31 degree heat here, so I couldn't detain them long. Funny how from outside the car it seems the noise is coming from near the front, but from in the cabin it sounds as if it is emanating from right near the firewall.
Jim, I did have the strengthening kit fitted, including beefier front shock mounts and shocks with bigger lower eyelets. Reckon it just transfers all the forces to the next weakest link! I can see the front balljoint on the passenger side steering arm is dragging on the additional metal plating. No wonder the idler(s) die, they're fighting against that friction. The extra wheel well metal plating will need dressing / massaging / brutally hammering, a few inches along the top weld, to achieve free travel of the steering side rod. I think only the rubber gaitor rubs, not the arm proper, but it is noticeable and needs sorting. It is not the source of the creaking though, as far as I can tell?!?!
 
33243514_10216022208458885_1533343121838964736_o.jpg



Lots of bits.

I hope the person who took the pics doesn't mind me posting them here.
 
You can get them in poly by Superpro if you want a quicker option. Cobraboy has them fitted although not quite the original setup of course!
I recommend buying one of the new style spring compressors mentioned in my project thread if you want a feeling of confidence in spring removal, they’re about £70 on eBay
The noise must travel through the spring like a tuning fork
Jim
 
I've got a pair of Poly ones. They look like clown noses. I seem to recall the original rubber ones were okay so we refitted them. I guess if they perish and disintegrate the metal rod is exposed, and contacts the inside of the front spring cup/cone thingy? That'd do it! "Kkkkrrrreeeeeaaaakkkkk!"
I hear you Jim!
If it all has to come off I'm paying somebody else this time! The springs are uprated, and it terrifies me.
I suppose at the same time I can finally fit new inner bushes on the front links, where my purple poly ones have been sagging for a while. Also fit camber shims between the top link and the firewall to tweak the stance. The front wheels tilt in at the top and out at the bottom a bit more than I really like. Aesthetically speaking, can't comment about handling. Can't be good for tyre wear!
Harvey, amuse me, how long did it take you to strip and refit the bits'n'pieces in that pic? Also, what would the 'Book time' have been?
:rolleyes:
 
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