Clicking in Steering

[camrybartockus]

Hi there all -

I have a 94 Camry.

There is a clicking coming from the steering wheel. Mostly clicks when going very slow, when I turn the wheel, eg.in my parking garage when parking.

I checked the CV boots - no problems there. No rips that is. Based on other Camry owenes' suggestions on the internet, I sprayed silcon spray on the steering balljoing inside the hood (if thats the proper terminiology). It didnt go away immediately, but after about an hour, did go away. It came back after a couple hours of the car sitting/driving. I figured it needed better lube, so i added bearing grease to the balljoint inside the hood connected to the steering. This did not work! So surprised. Perhaps the noise going away was merely a coincidance.

A mechanic told me my cv joints can be bad - even if there is no boot damage. He told me to pull the car off the ground, grab the axle, and try to shake it. If it there is play he told me, it means its the cv joints. I tried this, and sure enough the axles move back and forth - ever so slightly. I do notice the axles have cotter pins on the end though sticking out of the wheels, and in my knowlegde, anything fastened with a cotter pin usually is not 100% tight.

Question:

1) Are there any other things in the hood that may need greasing that might have been sprayed by the silicon when i sprayed at the balljoing that causes cracking noises in the steering?

2) Are the cv shatfs going to give ever so slightly no matter what? Or is this an indication they are worn out? Eg, if you grab it with hand when the vehicle is jacked, will they move back and forth?

3) Any other suggestions about the cracking noise, what are the chances it is the rack?


Thanks,

A camry owner

[Cody the Mechanic]

who ever told you that is the way to test cv axles is wrong. thats how you test for wheel bearings and inner tie rod ends. if you grab the top and bottom of the wheel while the car is off the ground and can move it excessivly in and out, that is a wheel bearing. (i dont think this is whats wrong with your car) if you grab both sides of a wheel and can move it excessively in and out with alot of play, that indicates inner tie rod ends. (which is what i think is wrong with your car) it will feel loose and very obvious at the steering rack. there are two ways to fix this 1. replace the tie rod ends or 2. replace the rack. neither fix is fun or easy, and both time consuming and both need to have an alignment done after the repair.

the other thing that may be wrong with your car is strut top/mounts. they wear out and make a rattle/click noise depending on how far worn out they are. but try testing the other stuff first. you may also have a totally off the wall problem and need a steering shaft. (given that you lubricated the joint on the shaft and it made it go away temporarily)

usually when a cv boot goes bad, it makes ALOT of noise when you are in a turn, holding a turn, not just when you turn the steering wheel. the mech that told you a cv joint can be bad without the boot being broken is right, but that is rare, because 99% of joint failures are caused by a busted boot that lost all of its grease and the joint got dirt and road grime in it.

[camrybartockus]

Cody thanks for the suggestion.

I have a feeling I may have also sprayed the top of the strut as well - thinking that could be it too! I bought a used strut about a year ago - it was from a salvage yard so it could be the problem.

So - I will spray just that area later today - go for a drive and find out. Let me ask you, is there a way I can just grease the strut? Or do I need to buy a new one?

Lastly, in reference to my last question - would a cv axle shake evr so slightly if you grab the shaft behind the boot and move it back and forth?

Thanks,
B

[Cody the Mechanic]

well spraying the strut isnt going to do anything for the noise if it is a strut mount. the strut mount is a different part from the strut.if you got a used strut and put it on there, then it could be messed up. i would recommend replacing both with new parts. there really shouldnt be anymovement from the axle unless you are moving the joint itself....the part contained inside the boot. if the axle isnt properly secured to the hub with the hub nut, then its going to make noise. the cotter pin is only there to provide backup if the hub nut is loose. make sure your hub nut on the end of the axle going into the hub is tight. its quite a large sized nut, i cant remember the size off the top of my head.