steering clunk....i give up

[jimtweet]

ok. i just went through a pretty extensive rebuild on the car

before the car was taken apart i had this clunk but it was very very minimal and did not happen all the time

I installed RSR bushings, new ball joints, new turbo tie rods, and RSR front coilovers along with new Bilstein inserts.

I removed the steering rack and took it to a local porsche shop to be inspected and have tie rods installed since i did not have removal tool. They told me the rack looked amazingly clean and tight and there was no reason to even replace the tie rods, but i did anyway.

When i turn the wheel right or left i get this loud clunk "in the steering wheel", it literally feels like its somewhere in the steering wheel.

I removed the steering wheel and inspected the steering column bushing and it is still bright white, intact, and super tight. There is ZERO movement in my steering wheel up and down or side to side

I was told to remove the black plastic boot from the steering back and inspect the top bolts as they can come loose. They are tight, still have factory red markings on them, and have a safety lock on them, which appears to be factory.

I read in another thread that this problem was fixed by having an alignment. Can someone please explain to me why this would be fixed by a alignment?

I just got the car back together and have not had it aligned yet as i am researching my local shops.

anywhere else i can check?

[Flieger]

When is the clunk? Just away from center or at the extremes?

[DW SD]

Did you inspect the u-joint on the steering shaft? Those can go bad.

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by Flieger

When is the clunk? Just away from center or at the extremes?

right after i start to turn the wheel from center

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by DW SD

Did you inspect the u-joint on the steering shaft? Those can go bad.

yes, it is very tight, i cleaned and re installed.

[jmohn]

Just a thought - I had similar problem (some time after I had hit some road debris), I discovered I had a fracture in the aluminum crossmember that the rack (and other components) attaches to.

Jerry M
'78 SC

[stevie 77 930]

Clunk in steering? Here is a possibility

[manbridge 74]

So it wasn't a clunk on mine but more like a knock-knock if the wheel was turned from center. Especially noticeable when moving slowly over road irregularities like the small lip heading into my garage.

I had way to much toe out and once it was set correctly this annoyance went away. Here is what I believe happens. The toed out or wrongly casterd wheels are trying to re-center themselves against road forces sort of like a bum wheel on a shopping cart that wiggles back and forth as you push it forward. My theory anyhow....

[na2ub]

I had a similar clunk that you could feel in the wheel. With the front wheels jacked up off the ground, I could turn the steering wheel left / right and it would clunk everytime it went past center.

Solution, steering rack rebuild. There are threads on this if you search. I replaced all the bearings (3?) including the one in the smugglers box (which was shot) and flipped the puck in the steering rack, regreased and put it all back together. Problem solved.

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by stevie 77 930

Clunk in steering? Here is a possibility

checked this, all is super tight

[techweenie]

Here is another possibility. I had this.

There are two u-joints in the steering shaft between the wheel and the rack. When you move the rack (as with bump steer spacers) you can shift the angle of the upper part of the steering shaft and bring the u-joint into contact with the cowl sheet metal. You can loosen the upper u-joint clamp to the splines of the steering shaft and move it on the shaft. It will only move a couple millimeters to lengthen or shorten the effective length of the shaft. I found I needed to lengthen a bit to keep the upper u-joint from contacting body sheet metal.

Sorry I don't have pictures.

This was a tough one to diagnose and fix.

[DanielDudley]

How is the steering wheel held together ?

[na2ub]

In all fairness, when I rebuilt my rack, I could not be sure as to what was causing the clunk. The only obviously fault part was the bearing in the smugglers box. However, taking everything apart and R&R'ing it fixed the problem.

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by techweenie

Here is another possibility. I had this.

There are two u-joints in the steering shaft between the wheel and the rack. When you move the rack (as with bump steer spacers) you can shift the angle of the upper part of the steering shaft and bring the u-joint into contact with the cowl sheet metal. You can loosen the upper u-joint clamp to the splines of the steering shaft and move it on the shaft. It will only move a couple millimeters to lengthen or shorten the effective length of the shaft. I found I needed to lengthen a bit to keep the upper u-joint from contacting body sheet metal.

Sorry I don't have pictures.

This was a tough one to diagnose and fix.

i just stopped by my local shop again, and he said to play around with this joint a couple times, lengthen and shorten and try...

i am off this afternoon to mess with it and report back, i cant imagine what else it would be

he said getting an alignment would not fix this problem and probably has nothing to do with it.

[DW SD]

you said you cleaned the u-joints? Does that mean you removed the joints and pressed out the center cross and lubed the bearings? Didn't know those were service-able.

I had a perfect looking steering ujoint that stuck a bit in one portion of its range of motion. I had assumed it wore in an odd way. Might double check their motion is smooth when you have it apart.

Also, does it only clunk when in motion or static on the ground? Might be worth checking if the clunk happens when the wheels are off of the ground, too.

good luck,

Doug

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by techweenie

Here is another possibility. I had this.

There are two u-joints in the steering shaft between the wheel and the rack. When you move the rack (as with bump steer spacers) you can shift the angle of the upper part of the steering shaft and bring the u-joint into contact with the cowl sheet metal. You can loosen the upper u-joint clamp to the splines of the steering shaft and move it on the shaft. It will only move a couple millimeters to lengthen or shorten the effective length of the shaft. I found I needed to lengthen a bit to keep the upper u-joint from contacting body sheet metal.

Sorry I don't have pictures.

This was a tough one to diagnose and fix.

The "bump-steer" spacers/washers many users install when lowering front ride height in effect elevates the steering rack higher than normal to re-establish the position of the steering rack to the steering arms. In so doing, something has to give. In this case, the steering rack U-joint can be loosened, adjusted, then retightened for the repositioned rack. However, in so doing, it can cause the shaft(s) to encroach and physically interfere with the operation of the U-joint. At worst, this could restrict a full rotation of the steering wheel. It could also interfere just enough to create a "bump", felt at the steering wheel as the shafts/U-joint rotates.

Inspect with the suspension fully loaded.

Sherwood

[cellison]

Originally Posted by stevie 77 930

Clunk in steering? Here is a possibility

i have the same clunk and it is coming from the rack. i'll check the nut.

[NeunElf3.2]

had the same "clunk" around the center point of steering; replaced steering rack, and it was gone.

[tshebib]

Pull the rubber boots off the rack where the tie rods attach. There is a star washer that holds the bushing in place at the ends of the rack housing. These washers can slip out or break (in my case it broke on the drivers side). It may have been disturbed when you had the rack out of the car.

Tom

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by DW SD

you said you cleaned the u-joints? Does that mean you removed the joints and pressed out the center cross and lubed the bearings? Didn't know those were service-able.

I had a perfect looking steering ujoint that stuck a bit in one portion of its range of motion. I had assumed it wore in an odd way. Might double check their motion is smooth when you have it apart.

Also, does it only clunk when in motion or static on the ground? Might be worth checking if the clunk happens when the wheels are off of the ground, too.

good luck,

Doug

i soaked them in some simple green, they were dirty and gritty, then put some new grease on them and re installed

i dont know about if the car is in the air, but it is doing it when on the ground. moving and standing still