Gav P

Hi, I have an STi 2005 model (DCCD) almost done 2000 miles, but occasionally when driving hard over uneven surfaces on a twisty road there is a "rattle" or chinking noise that I am convinced is coming up through the steering column.
It can happen on a left or right bend, but mostly when power is on.
Took it to supplying dealer (normally very good) they checked and adjusted geometry and gave suspension and steering a thorough check but found nothing untoward.
Anyone else experienced this ?

ricardo

Sounds like what my Forester STi does. My old Impreza was doing it by 70k miles, this one does it from new...

There doesn't seem to be any actual play in the various parts of the steering, but I'll love to find out whether the noise can be eliminated. I think that the source of the rattle is down by the universal joints in the column, or maybe the rack, but it transmits up the column. On mine it is partly felt and partly heard...

STi_Bob

I thought I was the only one, same model of car as yours and it does it too! Don't know what it is and am going to Roger Clark's tomorrow to see if they can find out while I have my geomtry aligned!

Gav P

Its a strange one !
Can't remember ever hearing it on my '52 WRX wagon.
Thanks for your replies, let me know how you get on or if it gets worse.
Problem is once I've heard it I am constantly listening for it and this then makes me think it is worse than the last time I heard it AAARRGGG ! ! ! !
Waiting to try the supplying dealers demo for a comparison

GrollySTI

My 05 STI did this a little before fitting Prodrive springs - now it does it alot!!

Does it even at very low speed when turning(sharply) if the road surface is bad.

austen_wrx

My WRX does it under very hard cornering when applying the power out of the bend. It almost feels like the column is loose. I have eibachs fitted. I would love to know what it is!!

Andy-pay

yep, mine does this too.

been to dealers, but no cure as yet.

difficult to replicate when at delaers, as need to be a bit spirited usually, although it will also do it when tight cornering over bad/bumpy surfaces at low speed.

anyone found a fix yet??

ricardo

Where my gravel drive is joined to the tarmac road there is a slight gap where the gravel is lower than the concrete edging to the tarmac. About half an inch.

Driving slowly into my drive the car is not quite perpendicular to the edging, so one wheel and then the other drop slightly. This definitely causes the rattle, in this case more of a knock, as the dropping wheel pivots against the steering, then the other does so. At the point the wheel goes over the edge only one edge of the tyre is taking the weight, so there is a force that wants to turn the wheel against the steering.

This still happens if I go pretty slowly, so maybe one way to research it is to lay a thin strip of wood on the ground and drive over it at a slight angle, to see if anything moves... maybe a piece of laminate flooring or similar.

The common factor to most reports of this seems to be that one of the wheels is trying to move without the steering moving it. In a slow bumpy corner the wheel is subject to the bumps trying to steer it (kind of micro-tramlining), while the torque is trying to turn it against the steering. As that force varies due to the bumps the rattle occurs. On mine it seems to be caused by the unloaded wheel (inside of the turn) scrabbling slightly under load. Same turn but off the throttle doesn't do it.

The neighbours will think I'm mad if I drive to and fro over the edge of a piece of board...

Yorkie

I have this too and was going to take it to the dealers. I hear it when I travel diagonally over a drainage channel across the forecourt of the petrol station near home as well

Yorkie

Has anyone had this cured yet?

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

has anyone tried putting the steering wheel in the full up position and seen what happens?

I had an M3 that did exactly this and I couldn't find any noticeable play, I replaced the steering rack, UJ between steering rack and rod from steering wheel. then one day I put the tilt on the steering wheels right up and it stopped it. Only thing I could see was the plastic bearing/bushing where the shaft goes through the bulkhead gets worn or is loose. It needs to have movement in it for when you tilt the wheel but too much and you get this noise/feeling.

jgevers

Well known problem. Poly steering rack bushes cure most of it.

Whiteline do them as well as some other manufacturers.

Cheers

Job

911

Such a common problem.
My Audi A4 did it quite badly from new, my X Type Jaguare also but not so bad, my Sti V3 doesn't do it at all, but guess from the above by Job what mod it has!
The stock bushes are very soft, the yellow Whiteline are not.
Graham.

3barboost

Me thinks its the downpipe, have a look at the clearance and then either hammer it away a slight bit or take the downpipe off and apply lots of heat to just "dent" it away from the column.

The other option is to loosen the bottom two engine mounts and move the engine slightly away from the column side, the engine mounts are slotted to allow this