Steering column noise when turning

2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU

165,000 MILES • 2.1L • 6 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC

CHICHA

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When I turn the steering wheel, I am getting a noise. It is sort of like two dried out pieces of rubber being rubbed together under pressure, a chafing sound. I am in El Salvador, so I do not have access to highly-equipped repair shops. There is a highly regarded chain of vehicle repair shops here called Diparval. They replaced my transmission fluid a few months ago, which requires certain equipment which not all shops have access to. I went to them yesterday regarding this noise. The sound is coming from between the steering wheel and the dashboard, underneath the cylindrical "collar". The mechanic removed the top half of the collar and applied grease to minimize the sound. What he said in Spanish, I believe, was that to eliminate the sound would require replacing the steering column (or something to that effect)! I said the noise concerned me and he replied that it was not a safety issue.

I do not think the solution is as radical as was stated. Are there rubber gaskets, I am thinking of the thick rubber discs associated with a vehicle's suspension. is there anything like that under the collar that could be "chafing" together which could cause a noise when the steering wheel is turned?

Although the solution may not be as radical as stated, I am concerned that there does not exist sufficient expertise, nor the required equipment, to complete such a repair here.

Nov 7, 2017 at 7:24 AM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

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Honestly, there are no rubber disks that touch. However, there are bearings that can get dry and make noise.

Nov 7, 2017 at 6:48 PM

CHICHA

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41 POSTS

If the bearings are the cause of the noise, would not the application of grease have stopped the noise? Could it be a special type of grease is needed? Some years ago, I had an issue with creaking brake calipers. We tried one type of lubricant, but it did not eliminate the creaking. When we tried Kluber brake caliper lubricant, the sound went away. Could this issue with the steering have to do with using the wrong type of grease or having applied it in the wrong spot?

Nov 8, 2017 at 4:46 AM

CARADIODOC

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Excuse me for butting in, but we had this problem on a lot of Dodge Neon's back in the 1990's. It occurred mostly in cold weather. Chrysler issued a detailed service bulletin so every mechanic didn't have to go through the long diagnosis. After their solution was boiled down to the basics, the repair was pretty simple. The hardest part was there was a plastic cover that had to be removed and it was held on with two of those miserable push-clips.

Those clips were pulled off with a small ninety degree pick, then the cover could be slid up the steering shaft, out of the way. Rather than follow the instructions to disassemble all kinds of stuff, the rubber seal could be hooked with the pick, and pulled open just enough to spray in some grease. Pop the cover back on and you were done. The entire repair took less than five minutes. This seal is right on the firewall where the steering shaft goes through it.

The grease we used was Chrysler's "Spray White Lube". It is a lithium-based grease that is very juicy. The liquid runs into tight places and takes the grease with it. The liquid evaporates, and leaves the grease behind. It works really well for binding door hinges too.

You can find the same type of grease at other dealers' parts departments and at auto parts stores and hardware stores.

Nov 8, 2017 at 5:33 PM

CHICHA

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41 POSTS

Thanks Caradiodoc,

Let me try that as a solution, an aerosol lithium-based grease, but making sure it gets to where it needs to be. I know another repair shop with twelve mechanics. The owner speaks English. He was the one that referred me to this other shop for a separate issue. The shop does not have a lot of top-of-the-line equipment, but this will not be a high-tech repair.

The first shop that applied grease, after the service was done and as the service manager's assistant was presenting the vehicle to me, he decided to spray some grease remover on the steering column as it was a little dirty. Fortunately, he did that, because as he did so, the lever to tilt the steering wheel broke off! I had to remain at the shop for another hour as they applied some sort of adhesive or "glue for metal" and it had to dry. God only knows if it will stay in one piece. I will be using the lever less often than I had been.

Nov 8, 2017 at 7:06 PM

CHICHA

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41 POSTS

I bought the White Lithium Grease spray this morning. A mechanic made three separate applications of the spray over a period of a few hours. I'm not finding it to be effective for the problem that I have. Could an issue with the power steering pump create a noise when the steering wheel is turned - the location of the noise being between the steering wheel and the dashboard?

Nov 10, 2017 at 5:52 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

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110,175 POSTS

The pump won't cause that kind of noise.

Nov 11, 2017 at 7:06 PM

CHICHA

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Can you help me narrow down the likely cause? Is there just one possibility, or more than one?

Nov 11, 2017 at 7:20 PM

CARADIODOC

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Turn the steering wheel left and right about 1/8th turn each way with the engine off. If the noise is still there, it can't be the power steering system because it won't be running.

If the noise is only there with the engine running, your mechanic should have identified any noise under the hood. Elusive causes we've run into include a power steering pressure hose rubbing on the body, and power steering pump noise being transmitted into the car by the design of the pressure hose. On the mid '90s Stratus and Cirrus, for example, there was a service bulletin for replacing the pressure hose to correct a buzzing noise heard inside the car.

Nov 12, 2017 at 7:34 PM

CHICHA

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This morning I drove the vehicle. First thing in the morning, I don't hear any noise. I drove for about 35 minutes, parked, the noise was audible while turning the steering wheel. I shut the engine off and immediately turned the wheel, both directions. It was hard to turn. I thought that I heard something, but it was only for a fraction of a second. I then drove twenty minutes and repeated the process. I couldn't hear anything. Then drove another twenty minutes. Testing again, I couldn't hear any sound. Does that implicate the power steering system? About four years ago, I had installed a rebuilt Rack and Pinion mechanism. Could a problem with that mechanism cause a noise when turning the steering wheel?

Nov 16, 2017 at 2:04 PM

CARADIODOC

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The normal buzz of the power steering pump being transmitted into the passenger compartment by the high pressure hose would occur any time the engine is running and you're turning the steering wheel. That cause is usually not gone intermittently. Squawking of the rubber seal on the steering shaft by the firewall will typically be worse when it's cold, but it is also possible for a warmer seal to flex more easily when trying to stick to the steering shaft. That can cause it to make a rubbing noise at different times.

My suspicion is the grease you had applied didn't make it down to the seal. There's more involved than just spraying it in the area. There's usually some covers that must be removed to gain access to the seal, then the lip has to be lifted with a hooked tool so the grease can get under it to where it is needed.

There's no way to say what the cause is when the noise doesn't occur. Next time it does occur, stop the engine, then see if the rubbing noise is still there when you turn the steering wheel.

Nov 16, 2017 at 4:40 PM

CHICHA

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41 POSTS

I answered your last sentence in my previous comment/post. Three times I shut off the engine to listen for the noise while turning the steering wheel (while the engine was shut off). I didn't hear any noise. My takeaway from your previous comment is "the rubber seal on the steering shaft by the firewall" may not have received the lubrication that had been applied. The grease wasn't applied anywhere near the firewall. Picture your hands on a steering wheel. The grease was sprayed just right behind your hands - underneath the "collar", which is situated right behind the steering wheel itself. I would imagine the firewall is behind and below the dashboard. So maybe spraying the white grease underneath the "collar" was the wrong place to apply it. And I don't think it would be possible for it to "dribble down" to a "rubber seal near the firewall".

Nov 16, 2017 at 6:42 PM

CHICHA

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41 POSTS

Can someone post a schematic of the steering wheel column for a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu? I can't rely on a local mechanic in the country that I'm in to resolve this issue unless I tell them where and how to do the repair. I've already sprayed white grease underneath the collar, situated beneath the steering wheel. Does the dashboard need to be removed now? Or can I access the point that needs lubrication by way of the engine compartment? How about if the vehicle is put on a lift, would there be more accessibility to the lubrication points of the steering column that way?

Nov 17, 2017 at 4:08 PM

CARADIODOC

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You're correct. The seal is on the firewall where it keeps rain water from splashing inside the car. To do these on the Dodge Neons, I had to lay on the floor under the dash to pop off two push clips. They held on a hard rubber cover that could be slid up out of the way. Next, the carpet had to pulled back to expose another cover that was held to the firewall with three self-tapping screws. The service bulletin said to remove those screws and lift the plate that held the seal so the old hardened grease could be washed off. To save time and money for customers whose cars were out of warranty, I skipped that last step and just reached in with a hooked pick to pull the seal back enough so the grease could be sprayed in. I never had a car come back a second time for that problem when I used the Spray White Lube. I suspect wheel bearing grease would work just as well, but grease from a spray can goes on faster.

Nov 17, 2017 at 4:08 PM