it sounds like something metal spinning and gently catching on something. The sound is travelling up the steering column and is fairly loud inside the car although you can't hear it under the bonnet.

if the car is stopped at about 4k revs in neutral and you dont touch the steering wheel it isn't there, but as soon as you apply pressure in either direction in to the steering wheel it starts to scrape again. even if it is about 1/2 lock in either direction and you dont apply pressure, its not there. The noise only appears if you apply pressure in any direction, which made me think it was the steering pump, but replacing that made no difference..

it is easiest to hear when you are in the car with the windows shut. if you open the bonnet to hear it you can't.. maybe because the engine noise is masking it.. anyone any ideas?

I am lost and don't know what it might be!!!

cheers!!

 

wot about the front wheel bearing
the way you turn could determine which one one it is

 

Power steering rack or the exhaust is touching the down pipe

 

I have got a very similar problem.

I think its the heat shield near the up pipe rattling....worth looking to see if its loose

 

Thanks for your responses, I really appreciate it!!

muttly, i dont think it is the wheel bearing as it happens when the car is stopped, but do please tell me if i'm wrong i'm more than happy to be proved wrong!! oh yeah, the noise happens when you turn in both directions..

404, i too think it is the rack, but why would it make a spinning / scraping noise, and in what way could it be broken?.. exhaust touching the downpipe, how to you mean, one leads to the other doesn't it?

deano, the heat sheid, i have heard about this one, but it happens when the car is stationary, and its definitly not a rattling noise, it is like a scraping. like imagine something metal spinning and faintly catching on something else. quite metallic and scrapy but not rattly.

it is related to heat though - when the car is cold it takes a few minutes before the noise starts... when the car is warm it starts pretty much straight away.

any more suggestions, or telling me if i have the wrong end of the stick would be appreciated!!!

thanks all

 

I'm going to replace the belt, as it could possibly be slipping when the pump is under load, but i'm not sure if to go ahead and replace the steering rack.. anyone else any ideas?

 

Have you replaced the cigarette lighter.

 

yes, but i used a mitsumi one, do you think i need a proper subaru one?

 

right i have done some investigation with a stethoscope, and the noise is at its loudest at the rack end of the steering pipes. it does sound like something spinning and catching, but it might just be the noise of the fluid passing through.. As it is so lound inside the car, could it be the spool valve?

 

Top up your power steering fluid,see if that helps....

 

yeah that was the first thing i did :|.. i overfilled it so that it was almost spilling out. does anyone else have any explanation as to why the rack mght make this noise? I dont mind replacing it if i konw that it will fix it!!

 

does anyone have any ideas? could contaminated fluid cause a noise like this? It is clearly only happening when fluid is being pumped into the rack, and the noise is coming from the rack.... I would really appreciate any help anyone could provide!

 

rubbish. i guess i'll jsut have to replace the rack.......