Re: 5k Steering Grinding <<?>>

[steveb@newkla.kla.com (Steven Buchholz)]

> Now, I've got a heavy grinding sound and feel when turning the wheel,
> like the wheel is interfering wiht something - except it isn't.
> The steering shaft seems to be spring loaded ... I can push the
> wheel away from me and it will move perhaps 1/2" toward the dash.
> When it's pushed forward like this, the grinding noise goes away.
> I don't know if the wheel had this 1/2" spring load effect before 
> or not, I never noticed it before.
> 
> I've had the steering wheel off and on a couple of times, and the grinding
> noise/feel is apparently coming from something on the steering shaft
> down in the dashboard.
> 
> Any ideas or suggestions?  I'm going to dive into the Bently manual,
> and start taking things apart if I can't figure anything else.
> I'm actually a bit afraid that something will catch and interfere with
> the steering while I'm driving ...
> 
IME the cause is one of two things.  Since you just replaced the switch 
module I'm thinking that it is not positioned properly on the column.  I 
leave the clamp loose at first and slide the switch unit up and down the 
column until I get to the point where there is no grinding noise when I 
turn the wheel and the horn works ... then I tighten down the clamp fully.
The other possibility is that the steering column itself has come loose.  
As you suspect, there is a spring that attempts to force the wheel toward 
the driver's chest.  The column is kept in place by a yoke that is splined 
to the steering rack.  When I replaced the rack I did not press the yoke 
fully down on the rack and I got a grinding noise very similar toi the one 
you describe.  In your case the yoke may have come loose at some point.

... should be a pretty easy one to remedy.  Hope this helps!

Steve Buchholz
s_buchho@kla.com
San Jose, CA (USA)