Something in the steering feels loose.

[Jand3rson]

Started noticing something feeling loose in the steering system a few weeks ago. I have an E36 rack, and relatively new tie rods, rod ends, control arms, etc. While driving, I can every so often feel a looseness in the steering, almost like a light clunking, and I can feel it in the steering wheel, then it seems to go away.

I jacked it up tonight and checked all the of the fasteners at the subframe, tie rods, steering knuckle, etc, and everything seemed fine. It doesn't seem to be anything major, but I can definitely feel that something is loose and/or clunking. Any other ideas on what to check/how to check? I feel like of silly asking, but I can't figure out what's causing it.

[Aluke123]

Is it an airbag car?

[defaultName]

Started noticing something feeling loose in the steering system a few weeks ago. I have an E36 rack, and relatively new tie rods, rod ends, control arms, etc. While driving, I can every so often feel a looseness in the steering, almost like a light clunking, and I can feel it in the steering wheel, then it seems to go away.

I had a similar situation after I installed a Z3 rack.

When my steering wheel was centered and I started to turn it either left or right it would clunk.

It ended up being my steering knuckle needing to be tightened a little where it had been modified. The 2 nuts pictured here.



I know you said you checked the steering knuckle, but did you check the knuckle itself or where it attaches to the steering column?

[maneeno325e]

since you can feel it in the steering wheel it sounds like it could be because you deleted your steering guibo perhaps. is there any other alternative to keeping the guibo on an early model and shortening it some other way?

[Hellabad]

Passenger side inner tie rod end?

Instead of trying to see if it rattles left and right, check for play up and down. This can make noise and be hard to find.

[Jand3rson]

I'll check that stuff again tonight, but I think it might just be because the steering guibo was deleted, any little bits of slack are being transferred more directly through the steering linkage, because it's really not that bad, just a light feeling in the steering wheel occasionally.

[Gooch]

One of the things that always bugged me about my car was a very loose steering feel. I have an airbag car so the first thing I tried was tightening the large nut under the knee bolster. It was definitely loose and helped a little, but didn't solve the problem.

So I decided to get a new u-joint assembly when I did my Z3 rack swap and it was absolute night and day difference with the new u-joint and giubo. The airbag cars are a little different as they only have one u-joint but my original steering u-joint assembly was completely shot. I am very pleased with my steering feel now.

[pantelones]

I'll check that stuff again tonight, but I think it might just be because the steering guibo was deleted, any little bits of slack are being transferred more directly through the steering linkage, because it's really not that bad, just a light feeling in the steering wheel occasionally.

Yep, I have the same feeling. I have no power-steering, e36 rack swap, and the AKG 75d poly guibo replacement and it puts more load into the linkage. Are you running power steering? If not that springy or mushy feel is natural since you are putting a load on the linkage that is not intended to be there. If you are running power steering though I'm not sure if that deleting the rubber guibo would increase slop, it actually would seem like it would reduce it due to the power assist doing most of the work.

[ZekeTheSneak]

Mine just started clunking as well, airbag car with urethane guibo. I've been waiting for my wheel to fall off or something lol. Good luck

[thepoloplaya]

I got the same issue on my car, it started right after I did the guibo delete, its a very light clunking sound, not nearly enough to be a nuisance.

[Jand3rson]

So I was just up under there again, double checked every nut and bolt in the subframe, tie rods, control arms, and the steering linkage, not a single loose one. Sounds like it's side effect of the steering linkage modification, so it's something I'll just have to live with. I know nothing under there is loose, so at least I don't have to be worried about it.

A pleasant bonus to being under there was I discovered what was causing a rattling/buzzing, the little heat shield around the passenger side control arm bushing was right up against the header, so I pulled it out (not too worried about it with ceramic coated headers), and tightened the clamps on my exhaust system V-Bands.