Steering sounds

[bigytwotone]

Ok so i have a 2003 Chevy trailblazer LTZ 4.2l I6 and i have just got home from Vancouver island for Christmas and it dose not matter how much i turn the wheel but it squeaks ( sounds like steel and rubber rubbing very badly. I have no idea and any help would be muchly appreciate it. i will have a video up soon so that will help.

 

[The_Roadie]

PS fluid topped off? Ever changed it? Assume the noise in in the steering rack area and not in the cabin?

 

[bigytwotone]

The PS fluid has bee topped of and the fluid has never been changed and yes its in the steering rack not the cabin.

 

[bigytwotone]

Here's a video of the strange sound i am hearing.

[video=youtube;UEPLNf6K7GM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEPLNf6K7GM[/video]

 

[gmcman]

That's a new one for me, worst case it's your rack, very well could be a collapsed hose.

If that were mine, I would pull the air filter and the bottom part the air filter rests in, and that will give you access to the return hose to the P/S reservoir.

Pull the return hose and what I did was install an elbow fitting and then a drain hose to a gallon jug when I flush my system, makes it a tad neater. Just remember to add fluid as the reservoir drains.

Have someone turn the wheel slowly and observe the fluid going into the jug, ensure there are no metal shavings but could be bits of rubber...who knows but this is at least the cheapest way to start.

If you have a bad hose, then if you change the rack you should change the hoses also so it's a start. Doesn't sound like a pump but again this is a new sound to me.

 

[wink]

Do you have any noise when going straight over bumps? I had that same noise last week. I just re-greased my after market ball joints and it fixed it right up.

 

[jbones]

Me too, have the noise!

I've Flushed my fluid and still have that squeaky hydraulic sounding noise when I turn the wheel left of right.

 

[bigytwotone]

i don't have that noise when going straight when i go over a bump my shocks squeak i don't think its the same noise im going to grease my ball joints and any other joint and see how that goes. and i will get back to you

 

['03EXT]

i just listened to your video and i will bet you $5 its your upper and lower contol arm bushings.......i had the same squeak when turning the wheel and going over bumps.....changed the lower bracket and the upper contol arm squeak is gone

 

[Simon01]

Has to be some bushing or joint that moves when you turn the wheel. Try to get a buddy to turn the wheel while you check all of the pivoting parts. I don't think it's a pump or gear noise.

 

[bigytwotone]

Ok so got some questions. #1 with the noise being when i turn how dose that effect the control arms?? #2 what should i do the bushings or the whole control arms?? #3 can i do the swap in my driveway??? #4 what is in evolved to do a bushing swap??. some background on me. i am very mechanically able and have access to a crap load of tools. Any help would be awesome.

Thanks: Calvin

 

[bore_pig]

In my experience, that noise has always been a tie rod end problem. Get a needle for your grease gun and start with the tie rod end. If that doesn't do the trick, try greasing the ball joints.

 

[wink]

that noise has always been a tie rod end problem.... If that doesn't do the trick, try greasing the ball joints.

That's what I was thinking, but decided to try the ball joints first.

 

[bigytwotone]

i have just greased my ball joints and no change. what do i do with the needle for the grease gun???

 

['03EXT]

Ok so got some questions. #1 with the noise being when i turn how dose that effect the control arms?? #2 what should i do the bushings or the whole control arms?? #3 can i do the swap in my driveway??? #4 what is in evolved to do a bushing swap??. some background on me. i am very mechanically able and have access to a crap load of tools. Any help would be awesome.

Thanks: Calvin

to diagnose a bad lower control arm bushing just have the wife or a friend start the car and turn the wheel back and forth(IN PARK) while you are under there hold onto the a arm of the lca and you should be able to feel the vibation creating the squeak as well as see the play in the bad front bushing......along with the dried out or rotted bushing hench the creaking, sound when steering.....the uppers to diagnose just raise and support the front wheel, remove the tire, disconnect the bolt for the upper ball joint, tap out the control arm from the ball joint and just lift and lower the upper arm, a bad bushing will give you that dry, creaking noise and you may even be able to feel play in the bracket if the bushing is worn bad enough
I think the bushings now are available without the complete arms, but you need a press to remove and install , probably easier just to do like i did .....I changed out the lower brackets ant the upper control arms, I think it cost in the neighborhood of $160 shipped, the job is relatively easy, but you must get an alignment afterwards

Uppers there are only 2 bolts plus the ball joint bolt, lowers have 3 bolts holding the bracket to the frame(get out your breaker bar) and 2 bolts holding the bracket to the LCA, i also disconnected the end links to give me more play moving the LCA out of the way to remove the brackets .........good luck

 

[bigytwotone]

thank you all for the info i have made a appointment for my truck to go in to the shop and they whill tell what is wrong with it and then i will go from there i am hoping it is just my ball joints or tie rod ends but i will find out tomorrow and let you know.

 

[bigytwotone]

[QUOTE='03EXT;18893]i just listened to your video and i will bet you $5 its your upper and lower contol arm bushings.......i had the same squeak when turning the wheel and going over bumps.....changed the lower bracket and the upper contol arm squeak is gone[/QUOTE]

OK so someone owes me 5 Bucks:wootwoot: it is not control arms it is my lower ball joints they need to get greased i thoungt i had greased them but no so the shop (big O tire) showed me how to replace the grease nipples and bam greased and no noise. but the joints are old so i have ordered new upper and lower ball joints $125.13 for the new ball joints. so when they get here i am going to record it in photos and hopefully videos thanks for all of the help you guys and girls are the best cant wait to meat you one day.

 

[bore_pig]

the shop (big O tire) showed me how to replace the grease nipples and bam greased and no noise.

So your ball joints had been changed before? No zerks on the factory parts.

 

[bigytwotone]

yeah the ball joints are only 1 year old there where replaced the day before i bought the truck. I know i said there old but that was before i went through my paper work ad found out there only a year old but wow they must have been supper cheap because they look like shit and so i am going to replace them for piece of mind and safty for the new lift i am going to get.

 

[Fire06]

That is tough over the ball joints. I would think even cheap ones should last more than a year specially if they had a grease fitting

 

[bigytwotone]

now good question what kills ball joints??? i love to extreme 4x4 its awesome. now im not the kind that beats the sh!$ out of my truck i love my truck and take care of it. but i have not gone 4x4ing for a while. my truck is a 2003 LTZ it has 120,269 Km's 4.2l.

thanks for the help

Calvin

 

[bore_pig]

The replacements were probably not greased adequately at installation. With your new ball joints, give each 1 pump of grease every other oil change. Should be no problems for a long time.

 

[bigytwotone]

awesome to know how do i know if there full??? i don't want to have another miss hap and again what wears ball joints out quickly?? like dose my goat trail 4x4ing hurt it?? and no i do not drive 100miles an hr more like a crawl threw the rough patches and maybe 10 on the really smooth spots

 

[fadyasha]

I'm interested in knowing how this turns out, I'm having a similar problem only when turn to the right but not always :s