1st gen, steering column? noise/feeling

[brainii]

1st gen auris, about 90k on it. on bumpy roads, or on small potholes i sometimes get a metal to metal noise and feeling coming from within the steering column,( i think). doesn't matter if car is turning or going straight. the sound never comes on on speed bumps. 

 

1) car did a successful mot 2 months ago. 0 issues. 

2) i raised the car front up with a jack, one side at a time, checked front suspension , links, wheels for anything loose / play. also inside engine bay. couldn't find anything.

3) the car drives straight as an arrow and steering feeling is tight. 

 

what could it be and what to do next?

 

thanks

 

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, brainii said:

1st gen auris, about 90k on it. on bumpy roads, or on small potholes i sometimes get a metal to metal noise and feeling coming from within the steering column,( i think). doesn't matter if car is turning or going straight. the sound never comes on on speed bumps. 

 

1) car did a successful mot 2 months ago. 0 issues. 

2) i raised the car front up with a jack, one side at a time, checked front suspension , links, wheels for anything loose / play. also inside engine bay. couldn't find anything.

3) the car drives straight as an arrow and steering feeling is tight. 

 

what could it be and what to do next?

 

thanks

 

Hi, 

The noise it’s typical for many Toyota models. It comes from the steering wheel column and can be located down to few things: steering wheel bearings, drive shafts or gears. Can also be the splines for rake adjustment that has lube dried out and cause these unpleasant rattling while going over cracks and small bumps , any sharp objects or potholes. 
You can investigate further, there are ,any posts here and you tube video. 
Myncar has the same issues since day one I bought it 8 years ago , 200000 miles later the things it’s still there but haven’t worsened and I don’t care about it. I had few Prius cars from new and some of these developed the same issues at 14k miles and the other at 30k miles. Never bothered to repair. 

[brainii]

I don't mind the noise (much), I'm just worried for something serious, like not being able to steer the car later on. Meanwhile I also removed plastic covers under the steering wheel and checked out the shaft.  Looks ok, no movement/play, no rust etc. I sprayed some grease on the shaft  don't think it will make a difference, but since i was there..

 

 

[Fostel]

Steering rack or inner rods.

jack the car up and grab the wheel to check for the horizontal movement.

[AisinW]

The intermediate steering shaft in some Toyota has such weird clunk. You can open and add grease there and reduce the noise.  It is annoying but not a safety concern. 

  

 

[brainii]

just back from my mechanic. all suspension related parts/rods/links checked for play/wear. nothing found. re-tightened all suspension and under carriage / body screws (all tight already) also steering coupling looks ok. drove around, he said sound is prob from some bushing somewhere that got less flexible/tight with age/use and not from the steering rack itself. he said not to worry and nothing to do right now. 

 

any ideas? 

[brainii]

On 5/24/2023 at 7:59 PM, Fostel said:

Steering rack or inner rods.

Jack the car up and grab the wheel to check for the horizontal movement.

no movement at all

[TonyHSD]

It is steering column dried lubricant and best to leave it alone and enjoy your car. If it is rattling sometimes over sharp potholes just try not to pay attention much and that’s it. It’s not a safety issue and it is expensive to replace or tricky to fix as diy. If you have a lots of time and patience to remove steering wheel and some plastic around then you can try lube the telescopic splines with lithium grease and see if helps , but again it may come from the shafts or gears or bearings. This is how looks the steering column inside and it’s parts, can be anything. 

[AisinW]

Some toyota models have notorious loose or dried steering column. It has clunk feel or clack noise. It is annoying but not a safety concern. 

[Derek.w]

I just leave it alone unless the vibration from the steering is geting on your nerves then check out shaft coupling splines and steering box for side play.

Some steering boxes are ajustable for side play but that was a old LandRover but adjustment may not apply to modern steering racks.

[brainii]

Since you all agree (and my mechanics) it is not a safety risk I guess I'll just leave it be and will have to get used to it.

 

and thanks everyone!

[brainii]

I hate to revisit this old post, but the noise still gets on my nerves so I had another attempt at it over the weekend after watching several youtube videos. I tried to tighten the upper bolt (drivers side looking up, under steering wheel) and the lower bolt (driver's footwell). Upper bolt managed to turn an 8th of a turn with great force, lower one nothing at all. Everything feels tight and no play anywhere.

I also sprayed some white lithium grease on the lower side, couldn't spray on the upper side (can won't spray pointing up and very awkward position anyway).

 

The above did not improve anything, at all. I'm inclined to take it to the stealership, at least for a quote.

 

[jcps001]

Mine also has that problem. I live with it, I know what it is... Annoying, yes, but you get used to it. Get a quote, but almost sure you won't like it...

[TonyHSD]

£1000+ for thx steering column alone , add the labour and you definitely not gonna like it.
I have this entire life of my car, now the car has developed also slight knocking noise from front suspension, been tested and checked and nothing seems to be broken, although something definitely it’s worn out I am keeping driving it until the worn out parts become obvious and cause real trouble, then replace with new part. These are old cars and unless safety issues are presented, small crackling, clicking, knocking etc are just the usual stuff from an old Toyota. 

[brainii]

2 hours ago, jcps001 said:

Mine also has that problem. I live with it, I know what it is... Annoying, yes, but you get used to it. Get a quote, but almost sure you won't like it...

I think my problem (besides the noise/feeling) is that I don't know exactly what it is, I just speculate different things.

[brainii]

8 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

£1000+ for thx steering column alone , add the labour and you definitely not gonna like it.
I have this entire life of my car, now the car has developed also slight knocking noise from front suspension, been tested and checked and nothing seems to be broken, although something definitely it’s worn out I am keeping driving it until the worn out parts become obvious and cause real trouble, then replace with new part. These are old cars and unless safety issues are presented, small crackling, clicking, knocking etc are just the usual stuff from an old Toyota. 

To my eyes, It's not that old, mine is a 2007 so 16 years old, and under 100k km's (thats nothing).

I've had hondas and nissans in the past 25+ years old and 250k km's, no such noises or knocks. Frankly, I'm pretty dissapointed. Hopefully my other/new Toyota will age better.

[TonyHSD]

3 minutes ago, brainii said:

To my eyes, It's not that old, mine is a 2007 so 16 years old, and under 100k km's (thats nothing).

I've had hondas and nissans in the past 25+ years old and 250k km's, no such noises or knocks. Frankly, I'm pretty dissapointed. Hopefully my other/new Toyota will age better.

The problem with Toyota cars steering column clicks it’s not the age , it is a design flow imo. I witnessed it did happened on brand new cars after only 14000 miles and few months old, so not really an age related but with the time and mileage any cars gets some worn out parts. In this case most likely it’s dried lube in the telescope splines, perhaps a diy project will suit the best and be cheapest., no need parts replacement, just carefully dismantle all parts, clean, inspect , lube with grease and put all back together. 

[jcps001]

3 hours ago, brainii said:

To my eyes, It's not that old, mine is a 2007 so 16 years old, and under 100k km's (thats nothing).

I've had hondas and nissans in the past 25+ years old and 250k km's, no such noises or knocks. Frankly, I'm pretty dissapointed. Hopefully my other/new Toyota will age better.

Toyotas are not perfect cars... They are built to a cost. They do have some things that make clear, but they don't affect the operation of the car. Just annoying things, especially in Toyotas of that generation (2004/2005-2009). Many people don't remember, but during those years, there was a tendency in the auto industry to cut expenses during the car's manufacturing process. Toyota took part in that "fad", however not to the extremes other brands did (Renault, Fiat and even in some cases, VW - the peeling interior of the Golf Mk5, its central locking mechanism that fails, etc.). Toyotas of those generations are very reliable cars still today, just with some annoying things.

This forum has some threads where people point out that the older Corolla E12 is much better built than the Auris, for example. I agree. My Auris has some annoying rattles and squeaks, but still carries me from A to B whenever I need or want, and to a certain extent, it's nice to drive.

But yes, newer Toyotas seem to be a lot better built and more pleasant to drive.

[Fostel]

On 6/29/2023 at 9:54 AM, brainii said:

no movement at all

Great. Mine has a horizontal play on the wheels.

On 9/25/2023 at 2:21 PM, jcps001 said:

My Auris has some annoying rattles and squeaks, but still carries me from A to B whenever I need or want, and to a certain extent, it's nice to drive.

Mine is 2013 (just under 100k miles) and I hear you about some annoying rattles and squeaks.

[Fostel]

On 9/25/2023 at 8:12 AM, jcps001 said:

Mine also has that problem. I live with it, I know what it is... Annoying, yes, but you get used to it. Get a quote, but almost sure you won't like it...

What is it? I tried the steering column fixes that I found online. Adding a washer to the bearings, lubricating, and tightening shaft bolts (they were tight already).

But mine has side play on the wheels. I have been trying to diagnose it for years and at least 30-40k miles.

One garage said inner tie rods. Toyota does not sell them. They come only with the whole steering rack kit but there are a few aftermarket parts.

Another garage said the steering rack needs replacing as the movement is not coming from the inner rods but from the rack itself. They offered £450 for a refurbished one.

I have seen a video on YT when some Russian lad refurbished a Toyota steering rack. There are some parts that are plastic and just worn down. I wish I had a mechanic like him, here in London. I never met a professional one over here.

I had bolts overtightened regularly, and services were not done (break fluid replacement). Some managed to bend underbody as they placed the lift in the wrong position.

That was the reason I started to fix the car myself. I service it regularly but without a garage and a full set of tools, some stuff I cannot do.

 

 

[brainii]

On 9/30/2023 at 11:56 AM, Fostel said:

What is it? I tried the steering column fixes that I found online. Adding a washer to the bearings, lubricating, and tightening shaft bolts (they were tight already).

But mine has side play on the wheels. I have been trying to diagnose it for years and at least 30-40k miles.

One garage said inner tie rods. Toyota does not sell them. They come only with the whole steering rack kit but there are a few aftermarket parts.

Another garage said the steering rack needs replacing as the movement is not coming from the inner rods but from the rack itself. They offered £450 for a refurbished one.

I have seen a video on YT when some Russian lad refurbished a Toyota steering rack. There are some parts that are plastic and just worn down. I wish I had a mechanic like him, here in London. I never met a professional one over here.

I had bolts overtightened regularly, and services were not done (break fluid replacement). Some managed to bend underbody as they placed the lift in the wrong position.

That was the reason I started to fix the car myself. I service it regularly but without a garage and a full set of tools, some stuff I cannot do.

 

 

Exactly right. For things like these: local mechanics don't know what's the exact cause / say leave it alone. Stealership wants to replace the whole thing. Owners are left wondering.