Yesterday my steering developed a creaking noise when I turn left or right. I inspected, and the noise is coming from the u-joint/knuckle joint under the dash. Is there any way of greasing this so it quits making this noise, or does it have to be replaced??

Thanks,
David

 

I had that same problem in both of my MINIs and had the dealership replace them under warranty. My current car they have replaced the upper AND lower steering column and all seems well. Unfortunately for you it looks like your warranty has expired unless you bought the extended plan...

 

I have a clicking noise that i hear every once and a while sounds like from the Drivers side when I turn full crank to the left and then back. Still have some warranty left so perhaps I should go and get it checked out.

 

My MCS is 2006 and I am starting to hear the clicking too when turning left or right.

 

My 04 had it, replaced under warranty. Depending on when you bought that 04 you may still have a little time left to get it fixed. My warranty runs out 7/08...

 

Yeah, I passed on the extended warranty, so I will have to replace it myself. I will probably try to take it out and grease it first before shelling out the cash for a new u-joint. Thanks for the help!

 

I had a similar creaking noise. turned out to be my strut tops... 2 weeks after I bought it haha just my luck

 

I had the clicking with full turn and then turning back to center...both the upper and lower racks were replaced under warranty.

 

here's what some other guy said in response to a "creak" in his steering "Easy fix... Remove the bottom cover from the steering column under the steering wheel and spray some silicon lube on the upper and lower ring bearings. Both are accessible from this location. Mine made an terrible noise for a long time and I finally stopped it by lubing these."

 

Yes, Workpath is right. The easiest way is to grease it while it is still on. Remember though, it could be something else as well. On my '03 Cooper, it was the strut plates that caused the creaking and popping in the steering just like AutoXR53. Sometimes when they crack, they allow just enough movement in the steering to cause the shaft to rotate off balance. There were also numerous cars that suffered from defective bearings in the u-joint and were replaced under warranty. Try greasing the u-joint first.

 

Sounds good. I will try that out this weekend when I replace my O2 sensors and try to fix the static in my left rear speaker. I appreciate the help!

 

I have lubed the steering column bearings a couple of times in my '04. When they get dry, at first I start to feel a little "crunchiness" in the steering at parking speeds, and if I let it go longer it may start squeaking. Spray lube fixes it for 6 months or more. I use spray lithium grease. The lower bearing is easy to see, the upper one requires getting your head and some light down in the footwell and looking back up towards the steering wheel.

 

The strut tower bearings can make this noise, but mine was fixed with lubing of the steering column bearings. Make sure to use silicone lube, wd40 will not last. I did mine about 1 year ago and it's still perfect. No crunch, no noise at all. Took all of 5 minutes to lube it so it's certainly worth a shot.

Wombat

 

Thanks. It's definitely my bearings, I can look at them and turn the wheel when I am looking up into the dash and hear where it is coming from. I plan on using something other than WD40. I appreciate the input!

David