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clunk in steering column

10K views 80 replies 36 participants last post by  harold97 
#1 ·
Anyone else have this? It seems if I pull a little on the steering wheel or push on it a little during everyday driving it clunks a little.

Weird.
 
#28 ·
Well I started this thread so i geuss i'll chime.

I did the ******* fix.
mine clunked only when the wheel was turned in a certian direction.

I got pissed one day when it did it and I yanked really freaking hard on the steering wheel. Yeah I know pretty childish.

but geuss what? that was at 10k and it hasnt done it since and I 15k on it now.
My wheel was making the noise somewhere either in the sector shaft or at the column where it meets the wheel.

Either way, no more noise or rubbing sound, and feel.
 
#29 ·
Are you sure this problem is only with 03's? I seem to hear this clunk noise after turning the wheel at certain times, or after shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear. I pulled in the wheel and jerked a little left and right and was able to reproduce the sound.
 
#31 ·
funks said:
mine's an '04 and have the clunk at times problem.
Mine started at 15k miles, how about you?
 
#32 ·
I have the clunk too, I haven't been able to take it to the dealership, dont really want to at this current time(car is still to new).

My temperary fix to the problem is simple, I just lowered the steering column untill it stopped clunking. Been working fine for the past 10,000

Untill I raised 4 days ago, clunk came back, so I lowered it again, gone again, he he.
 
#33 ·
Gotallofthem said:
I have the clunk too, I haven't been able to take it to the dealership, dont really want to at this current time(car is still to new).

My temperary fix to the problem is simple, I just lowered the steering column untill it stopped clunking. Been working fine for the past 10,000

Untill I raised 4 days ago, clunk came back, so I lowered it again, gone again, he he.
I didnt even think to try that.... Good idea for a temp fix to the annoyance.
 
#34 ·
I have the same clunk on my '04. I took it to the dealership and they said they couldn't reproduce the noise. That was after they had it for 3 hours. So FINE! I scheduled another appt with the Service Manager and he couldn't replicate the noise. So I said, let me drive & sure enough NOISE, NOISE NOISE. So now he tells me that he needs to have a "real" Dodge tech look at it. I swear, these service departments have no idea what the SRT-4 is.
 
#35 ·
Gotallofthem said:
I have the clunk too, I haven't been able to take it to the dealership, dont really want to at this current time(car is still to new).

My temperary fix to the problem is simple, I just lowered the steering column untill it stopped clunking. Been working fine for the past 10,000

Untill I raised 4 days ago, clunk came back, so I lowered it again, gone again, he he.
I lowered mine then raised it a few times and the clunking went away for a while... not sure what I'm suspecting... my dad's Durango had a wiring harness that was hitting the column joints when they spun. Not good!
 
#36 · (Edited)
NUMBER: 19-002-04
GROUP: Steering
DATE: April 6, 2004
SUBJECT:
Steering Column Click Sound
OVERVIEW:
This bulletin involves **aligning the steering column or removing the steering column and
installing a new steering column shaft, revised wedge and seating the lower bearing.**
MODELS:
**2000 - 2004** (PL) Neon
NOTE: This bulletin applies to vehicles built prior to November 16, 2003 (MDH 1116XX).
SYMPTOM/CONDITION:
A click sound is heard when the steering wheel is turned.


maybe this tsb will help out..
 
#38 ·
Bungles said:
I have the same clunk on my '04. I took it to the dealership and they said they couldn't reproduce the noise. That was after they had it for 3 hours. So FINE! I scheduled another appt with the Service Manager and he couldn't replicate the noise. So I said, let me drive & sure enough NOISE, NOISE NOISE. So now he tells me that he needs to have a "real" Dodge tech look at it. I swear, these service departments have no idea what the SRT-4 is.
This is the reason I did not want to take mine into the dealershipp..... But I found a easy way to reproduce the issue... Slightly push the wheel in a back and forth motion while turning it slightly at the same time... You can hear the clunk just by doing this. If you have them do this they should be able to easily produce the sound.
 
#40 ·
My wifes 2003 Neon SXT does it and my Neon SRT-4 does it about once every other drive.

Going to the dealer is very stressful and will be the last option and the clunk right now is very seldom. My neon srt4 has 12500 miles on it.
 
#41 · (Edited)
I did not want to bring back a really old thread, but I have not found a really useful answer after a week of reading. I'm also not sure that I have the same problem as the others in this thread, but it may be similar.

I have a 2005 with tilt steering. There is an intermittent clunk when I drive over rough surfaces, such as patches and crack seal. It can be felt through the steering wheel, but is not really audible. I also feel it at startup (I have mm and transmission inserts).

I am able to shake the steering wheel up and down a little over 1/8" with the tilt adjustment locked. There is almost no side to side play, and it happens even when the wheel is turned. There is some relief from this when the wheel is all the way down.

I took all the covers off of the column and steering wheel, but was not able to find any loose bolts. Is there some sort of bearing that can be adjusted or replaced? I was not able to see what is going on where the wheel joins the column.

I would prefer not to take this to a dealer, and am hoping that someone here can guide me through a fix.
 
#42 ·
When I went from an 03 to an 05 I noticed the same thing. No idea how to fix it.
 
#44 ·
There's a few different things that could cause it

first read the FSM if you've had the column out at all, there is a centering procedure that has to be done before you tighten anything or it will bind under certain conditions.

second if you bought the column used, or it's been in accident, or someone didn't know how to take the steering wheel off and pulled on it or took a hammer to the center bolt then they damaged the column and it has to be replaced.

All modern cars have collapsible steering columns for safety reasons in accidents, if you impact them at all you can start to collapse them and they have to be replaced, no way around it. I had to replace mine when I first got the car because the previous owner had hit the center bolt with a hammer to take the wheel off.
 
#53 · (Edited)
I just read your thread from a year and a half ago...did you fix yours?


I've taken up slack in the u-joint per instructions from "Dr. Who".. Didn't fix the problem.

The clunk seems like it's coming from this spring that has a little washer around it, on the column. I've moved up the washer to put more tension on the spring (fixing the clunk), but it always ends up working it's way down the column and clunking again.

It's hard to explain but if you've been in there and observed you'll know what spring and washer I'm talking about.
Is it behind the clockspring? Does that washer support the steering shaft in the metal tube?

I have seen the Dr Who posts, but it does not look like it applies to this. mine is verticle movement that is near/at where the steering wheel is attached. I'm not sure how this would suddenly wear enough for verticle movement only. I can move the steering wheel up and down without the column moving, and there is no perceptible movement in the u-joint at the other end.

Does anyone have a picture behind the clockspring? I have been searching, but not found it yet.
 
#45 ·
Sitting in the seat, if I grab at the 9'oclock and 3'oclock positions, and pull towards the wheel towards myself, I get a "clunk".

It happens when driving, but it's slim usually. Mostly when getting out of the car, I use the wheel to get out. I'm a smaller guy though (160lbs), so I don't think it's much attributed to weight.

It was like that when I bought it with 24k miles.
 
#47 ·
Thank you for the replies!

It is not a rotating noise, and there is not much play when pushing and pulling the wheel. It bounces up and down when I go over certain kinds of bumps and rattles. Sometimes it is loud enough to hear, but but mostly, it feels loose.

My steering wheel seems to be on tight (no wheel-to-shaft movement) and as far as I know, the column is original and has not been in a crash. I bought it in 2008 with 7900 miles and it now has just over 50k miles. This rattle is a recent development.

The shaft is in a tube, so I am not able to see it move, and I can't see the upper bearing (??) because I did not remove the wheel and all the other stuff that is behind where it attaches to shaft.

Does anyone have pics of the area where the shaft come out of the tube? I would prefer to fix it myself, but want to know exactly what it is in case I have someone else do it!

Btw, ToyoTech8811...I think you work right down the street from me. I can't believe we haven't seen each other driving around!
 
#49 ·
Haha...yes, maybe! I have done a ton of searching for this, and have found lot about the clicking, but nothing useful info for what I have.

Does anyone have a picture of the upper support for the steering shaft? Is there some sort of bearing in there that can be adjusted, shimmed, or replaced?
 
#52 ·
I've taken up slack in the u-joint per instructions from "Dr. Who".. Didn't fix the problem.

The clunk seems like it's coming from this spring that has a little washer around it, on the column. I've moved up the washer to put more tension on the spring (fixing the clunk), but it always ends up working it's way down the column and clunking again.

It's hard to explain but if you've been in there and observed you'll know what spring and washer I'm talking about.
 
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