What is this noise coming though my steering wheel? *video*

[Denis]

my blower motor started chirping last year and has since stopped.

I guess not enough people are reporting it to justify a TSB.

[Rock-It Man]

This sound is NOT your steering rack.

[Denis]

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

This sound is NOT your steering rack.

the noise and associated feel in the wheel feels like its something in the dash area.

[Rock-It Man]

Originally Posted by Denis

the noise and associated feel in the wheel feels like its something in the dash area.

Exactly. It's the position sensor in the steering column, and not a problem.

[Denis]

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

Exactly. It's the position sensor in the steering column, and not a problem.

well I wouldn't say that its really a problem, but its pretty annoying.

[rolnslo]

Originally Posted by Predator2U

That is the best video with clear sound of this problem. Many owners describes it as a "moan", "whale sounds" or a "whine".

My Dealer's Mechanic knew exactly what it was... he says that the Tahoe's have the same problem and has fixed many of them. It is the Steering Rack and mentioned something about a seal drying and causing the problem. It will get worse with time and you will start to feel a slight vibration with the noise. Mine did it for about 25K miles before I finally took it in (just before the 100K extra warranty expired). They replaced the steering rack under warranty and all is good again.


Multiple threads on this same issue with different OP titles.
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...=steering+rack

That sound is EXACTLY the same as what mine sounded like. The sound got worse over time. Same solution on my 2011, dealer replaced the steering rack @ 35k miles and haven't had a problem/sound since (@55k now).

[Predator2U]

Originally Posted by Denis

the noise and associated feel in the wheel feels like its something in the dash area.

I would have bet money that the noise was up in the column. It sounded and felt like a ribbon cable or something with ribs or bumps was rubbing against the steering wheel or shaft. After explaining to the Dealer mechanic and allowing him to sit in driver seat and hear/feel this noise, he said this to me… “Go out and place your ear down next to the driver wheel-well”. Then he slowly turned the steering wheel and sure enough, you can hear the problem. It was not in the steering column but I would have bet a lot of money on it. He explained that the column radiates the noise making it appear as if it was up inside under the dash.
All I can say is that exact noise as heard in the OP's video, disappeared when the dealer replaced the rack. - Believe it or not...

[2010CAMARO1]

Rolnslo,

Would you mind telling me the exact make and model / part number of the steering rack that the dealer installed in your camaro? There are ACDelco steering racks that are considerably less expensive but I wonder if the noise would come back after a while.

Since you haven't had problems with it for 20k miles it would be interesting for me to know what part you got so I can make the right choice.

Thanks!

[rolnslo]

I dug up the repair invoice for the steering rack on my Camaro. It listed the following info:

Steering gear has internal fault causing noise. Replaced steering gear assembly. Added fluid and bled system.

Part: 22930456 Gear Assembly
Part: 89021182 Fluid

I looked up the part number and AC Delco uses it as well but GMPartsDirect.com shows it as manufactured by GM. The dealership that did the work usually only uses GM factory parts for repairs done under warranty, so I'd assume this was the GM part.

However, I don't think it really matters much which "part" you end up with. I made it about 40k miles on the 2nd gear assembly before the noise returned. Exactly the same noise as last time. First gear assembly was replaced at 36702 miles. [incorrect mileage listed in my post above, that was probably the first time I brought it in to have it looked at.] Now that I'm at 80k+ miles, I'm likely to let the noise get worse before I replace it again since I'm completely out of any warranty coverage and will be paying out of pocket for the repair this time.

[ShadowYYZ]

Originally Posted by Predator2U

That is the best video with clear sound of this problem. Many owners describes it as a "moan", "whale sounds" or a "whine".

My Dealer's Mechanic knew exactly what it was... he says that the Tahoe's have the same problem and has fixed many of them. It is the Steering Rack and mentioned something about a seal drying and causing the problem. It will get worse with time and you will start to feel a slight vibration with the noise. Mine did it for about 25K miles before I finally took it in (just before the 100K extra warranty expired). They replaced the steering rack under warranty and all is good again.


Multiple threads on this same issue with different OP titles.
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...=steering+rack

Thank you for this info!