creaky steering?
 

does anyone elses fc have like creaky steering? like, when you turn the wheel it makes weird creaky noises? this happens to mine whenever i turn the wheel...it seemed to start happening when the weather was getting colder, but i didnt think it was cold enough to do that at first. Plus i unhooked the power steering to see if that might be it, still did it, and then i made sure the power steering fluid was full and it was (topped it off just in case even). Anyone have any idea? is this normal or is something screwed up? btw i have a 1988 gxl if that means anything

how big are you tires and wheels?

I get that too on a 87 SE stock phone dials with 205/60s

16x7 wheels, 225/55 tires, but it started right before the tire change on the old 15x6.5's with 195 tires

If it's anything like mine, it's probably the struts. Mine started doing that right after I swapped in my TII struts.

i was gonna say the tires might be rubbing against the wells because they might be too big.. but thats probably not the problem.

if that might be a possiblility, check for black marks on the wells for the front wheels.

strut top bearings I'd suggest. there was a technical bulletin about it. mine used to do it when it was cold, but seems to have dissapeared.

My '88 SE does the same thing. It's fine when it's warm outside, but when it turns cold, the creaking starts. I put on new Tokico struts last year, so I don't think the struts are the cause, but, as the post above suggests, strut top bearings are the likely culprit.

What's the easiest way to fix it?

If it's strut bearings then just pay $50 at CHecker and get the new mount. Rent the spring compressor and in about 20 minutes you are done swapping.

The front struts are so easy to replace. Just undo the 4 bolts up top. Remove the Brake line clip. Remove the 2 bolts holding the strut in and yank the whole setup out.

Then just use the compressoron to hold the spring and then undo the middle bolt on the top.

replace the strut or bearing. Install in the opposite order. Done.

thats what i thought at first, but it was doing it with my old smaller tires too, but i checked anyways and there doesnt seem to be any indication of rubbing

yah that seems logical, cuz i have fairly new struts in there (KYB GR-2's) so i doubt it is the struts themselves...i guess ill try the strut top bearings

mine creaks when its cold. 88 Turbo II.

mine too, weird clicky/squeaky noises...

Mine creaked, for a while, drove me nuts, turned out it was the back of the steering wheel rubbin against plastic around the column. heh

Dan

That happened with my aftermarket steering wheel in my DSM.

I wasn't aware there were bearings in the stock upper strut mount. On my coil overs there are, but I was under the impression that on a stock mount it was simply a steel collar inside the rubber sheathed mount. It is not like the spring rests on anything other then the rubber sheathed mount, so there are no bearings that the spring meets up with there.

Again, I could be wrong, but like I said, a coil over setup has a upper perch or hat that the spring meets up to, then has a series of needle bearings and races, a spherical bearing through the center where the strut rod goes through and then a spacer nut to sandwich every thing together. This is to allow the spring to rotate as the strut rotates.

I guess it is probable that the stock mount is set up like this, but I was unaware of it.

BTW, I have the same issue with my 88GXL with Tokicos, and Eibachs. I always thought it was something in the PS rack. It really wasn't mentioned in the above posts, but I am assuming we all have PS?

yes i still have my PS, but i unhooked it at one point to see if that stopped the creaking, and it did not, so im assuming its not the PS... plus i topped off the PS fluid to make sure it wasnt just low or something

I don't think it has to do with the pump it'self, so simply unhooking it or topping it off may not solve the issue.

Lets try to list some possible items it could be.
The rack itself, any number to the gears inside the rack. The seals on the outside of the rack where the tie rod ends come out of the rack. The lower ball joint. The upper strut bushing/mounting braket.

Other then those, simply turning the wheel side to side wouldn't effect the rest of the suspension. ie swaybars, bushing etc.

I don't think it is the lower ball joint, it does move but it wouldn't be my first choice.

It could be the upper strut mount bushing/dowel as the strut turns with the wheel and the top dowel stays stationary it could be giving the creaking noise.

I haven't really searched when it does it, but I would say it comes from lower then the strut tower.

Just my thoughts.

If you really want to know what it is, have a friend crank the wheel back and forth while you crawl around the front of the car and listen. You'll know exactly where the noise is coming from within 5 minutes. :D