[06nissansentra]

when at a stand still or going slow,when i turn the wheel front left to right you hear creaking but not while driving fast. also when jerking the wheel quickly in on direction with the top to the steering wheel 90 degrees in either direction you can hear a clunk from the steering column under the dash by the firewall. i had my friend listen under the hood for the noises and by each front strut to see if the noise were there but they weren't. so i had him put his head under the dash by the firewall and he said he heard the noises. are the two noises related or is the creaking due to lack of lube? i read on a Maxima forum that the rubber piece where the column goes thru the firewall just needed to be lubed and the noise went away but the clunk idk.

 

[06nissansentra]

anyone

 

[06nissansentra]

no suggestions???

 

[06nissansentra]

thanks for the help

 

[i68k]

when the steering wheel is straight, there is a slight space that may feel like a clunk when turning past center. jerking the wheel while stopped can ruin the steering system, esp if you have nice tires.

if you can feel the clunk on the drivers firewall it might be the steering column, ive never done anything to my steering column, and dont read of many issues. if you barely feel it in the drivers floor, it maybe suspension related. check the tower mounts, ball joints, tie rods, etc. it could also be more internal, like an axle or something wearing out. use the screwdriver butt in your ear trick to find the exact location.

 

[06nissansentra]

thanks, i dont feel it in the steering wheel and tie rods, control arms, bushings and links, and struts are new and are all less than a year old

 

[ten-sec Spec]

i know this sounds unusual/wrong, but replace your brake rotors and pads... i get a small steering clunk when my rotors are worn down. twice i have heard the clunk a few years apart, and replacing the front rotors made it go away both times.

 

[06nissansentra]

replaced them not to long ago about 2 months ago and the noise is still there, was messing around with the tan rubber piece where the steering column goes thru the firewall on the inside of the car, i spun it and now the creak is gone but the clunk is still there, it doesnt happen everytime i hit a bump. i take the same route to the gym and school everyday and it happens on the same bumps and dips everytime and i had my mechanic check the suspension and there is no play in the suspension or excesive play in the steering wheel and all suspension components are new and less then a year old. its weird the noise comes and goes, when i had my mechanic check everything i drove the car and the noise was gone but about a week ago i went over a nasty bump that i couldnt avoid and the noise came back.

the noise is driving me crazy.

 

[06nissansentra]

if i bounce the car i cant replicate the noise, when i do hear it while driving it sounds like it comes from the driver side.