Hey guys,
Working with an 87 Notch 5.0 with no suspension mods.
While driving at low speeds (anywhere from 5 - 30 mph) I hear a pop kind of sound when I turn left coming from the front end. Sometimes I'll here it when I turn right, but it mostly happens on left turns. And it especially happens after braking, letting off the brakes, then turning left. It's not always, but most of the time. Also, it clicks almost immediately when I start the turn...about a quarter turn of the steering wheel (as a side note: if this makes a difference I have the Power Rack and Pinion w/ the shorter turning radius)
When I had the oil changed at Goodyear, I asked them to take a look at it. They told me they thought it was the wheel bearings. So I changed the bearings and seals and the sound did not get any better (I didn't change the races, they were fine when I inspected them...and the bearings didn't look too bad when I looked at them).
Then I lifted the front end so I can turn the wheels left and right to take a closer look at where the noise is coming from and it wasn't making any noise. I then figured that there must be a load present while turning the wheel. So I put the wheels back on the ground and had someone turn the steering wheel left and right a few times. Sure enough I get a clicking / popping sound. I can't exactly tell where it's coming from, though. It sounds like it's right in the middle of the Power Rack and Pinion...but I'm not positive. It didn't take much turning to produce the noise (although the noise isn't as loud like when I'm driving it).
There's no play in the steering, and I think it could be one or more of the three:
-Tie rod ends
-Ball joints
-Power Rack and Pinion (what part? I'm not sure. I don't know that much about that part of the steering)
-Possibly the struts (I only say this because they're so old and need replacing...which I will be doing soon)
The tie rods and ball joints were replaced within the last 30K miles or so (maybe less)...but I don't want to rule them out completely. Can anybody help me pinpoint where this is coming from?
Thanks,
Joseph
Working with an 87 Notch 5.0 with no suspension mods.
While driving at low speeds (anywhere from 5 - 30 mph) I hear a pop kind of sound when I turn left coming from the front end. Sometimes I'll here it when I turn right, but it mostly happens on left turns. And it especially happens after braking, letting off the brakes, then turning left. It's not always, but most of the time. Also, it clicks almost immediately when I start the turn...about a quarter turn of the steering wheel (as a side note: if this makes a difference I have the Power Rack and Pinion w/ the shorter turning radius)
When I had the oil changed at Goodyear, I asked them to take a look at it. They told me they thought it was the wheel bearings. So I changed the bearings and seals and the sound did not get any better (I didn't change the races, they were fine when I inspected them...and the bearings didn't look too bad when I looked at them).
Then I lifted the front end so I can turn the wheels left and right to take a closer look at where the noise is coming from and it wasn't making any noise. I then figured that there must be a load present while turning the wheel. So I put the wheels back on the ground and had someone turn the steering wheel left and right a few times. Sure enough I get a clicking / popping sound. I can't exactly tell where it's coming from, though. It sounds like it's right in the middle of the Power Rack and Pinion...but I'm not positive. It didn't take much turning to produce the noise (although the noise isn't as loud like when I'm driving it).
There's no play in the steering, and I think it could be one or more of the three:
-Tie rod ends
-Ball joints
-Power Rack and Pinion (what part? I'm not sure. I don't know that much about that part of the steering)
-Possibly the struts (I only say this because they're so old and need replacing...which I will be doing soon)
The tie rods and ball joints were replaced within the last 30K miles or so (maybe less)...but I don't want to rule them out completely. Can anybody help me pinpoint where this is coming from?
Thanks,
Joseph