Knocking or Clunk noise from steering rack region. Only happen when parking or low speed. Can feel the vibration with noise from the cabin floor, not significantly from the steering wheel. Notice the noise right after a accident and after first repair. Wondering if it is the steering rack and how should I locate the noise source. Don't wanna do a 4 wheel alignment before the problem fixed. Any advice appreciated, thanks ahead.

Full story:
Cause:

• Slightly slide/bounce on highway bridge fence, on the driver side.
• One car accident, caused by not looking at road and the car was off alignment (was pulling to the left).

Result:

• Left front tie poked on the side wall, fully damaged the tire.
• During the accident, the tire jumped up due to the reverse force, bend the knuckle and left fender.
• The tire was on slightly turning left position before bouncing, so the left out tie rod was pulled and elongated.
• Totally off alignment, strongly pull to the right.

First repair:

• Accident happened on travel, so the first repair was only for main things so we can get home.
• Two tires are replaced/balanced. Wheel minor scratched.
• Left Knuckle, bearing and sway bar were replaced.
• Aligned by mechanical shop but slightly pull to the right as before the accident.
• Notified by the mechanics about the left tie rod end was elongated and need to be replaced.

Second repair(DIY):

• Outer tie rod end replaced on both sides,
  https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...cdelco-956805/
• Alignment by traditional wire method. No significantly pull to any side or any vibration on normal driving.
• But still can hear and feel the noise.

 

Not sure what exactly was replaced but its likely a worn or missing bushing. Could be in the control arm or steering rack. Have any pictures from underneath the car?

 

Leave your phone or camera under the car or have someone else listen/look for the sound/movement while you re-create the issue.

 

Sounds like a good idea. Thank you for reply. I will try once I got time.

 

stiffer steering rack
stiffer steering rack

stiffer steering rack
steering rack bushing
stiffer rear beam
stiffer rear beam

 

I took photos from bottom. The stiffer of steering rack has one end looks very rusted, but the bolts on the other end is barely rusted. Which makes me wondering if the paint was busted by the hitting and then cause the rusting to happen. Or it is simply because the position is lower? The stiffer for rear beam is also rusted. The steering rack bushing looks not bad. I tired to pull or push and not seeing any play. I actually send the car to a shop and they said it is inside the steering rack where noises comes. The replacement will cost $1254 including a 4 wheel alignment. I am not sure about the result since I don't feel any wire play on the steering wheel. But only to hear some clunk noise during low-speed and fast turning. So is it still possible the stiffer that is damaged? Please let me know your suggestions~

 

Hard to really tell but the bushings and mounting paints seem ok. While cruising can you move the wheel side to side a bit without the car really reacting? A loose feel to the steering would lead to inner/outer tie rods and or the steering rack altogether. I still say to mount a go pro or something under there and re create the issue a few times.

That $1200 quote is RIDICULOUS! A new rack is like $300, if you can install it yourself, do so. If not, go to another shop, the install and alignment should be half that. If their really good, they can measure/match the current settings while installing and wont need an alignment.

 

Thank your for reply. I tried on cruising and didn't notice any significant play(no reacting steering) on the steering wheel, maybe a little for a few degrees. Will see if I can find any shop to do the job for me. Can't do the job in appartment's parking lot.

 

I might know what your problem is. I had the same problem last year and now I'm having a problem again. There is a motor mount on the top of the motor just above the passenger side front wheel. It's right behind the cruise control box. Inside there the rubber had fallen apart and it allowed the motor to lift upon acceleration or or when stopping quickly which causes a clunking feeling when the motor comes back down when accelerating from a slow speed or stop. It's called the torque mount.

This may not be your problem, but how I figured out what it was is by lifting the hood up all the way, getting into the vehicle, then holding down the break is tightly as you can put it in drive and give it a little bit of throttle. If you look just above your dash and under the hood you can see the top of your motor. As you give it gas you should see your motor lift 1 to 3 inches. This is not a normal amount of lift. It'll lift a lot more on the passenger side then it will the driver side. That tells you that this part needs to be replaced. I found the part at O'Reilly's auto-parts store for $45. It is part number B8974. It has a lifetime warranty he which I found out today when I went to buy my second one. But unfortunately I threw my receipt away.

The replacement is pretty easy. Just make sure you have a floor jack with a 2 x 4 ready so that you can put it under the oil pan and give the motor a little bit of lift when you're replacing it. That way you're not fighting the motor trying to get it in place. Good luck and I hope this fixes it

 

Thank you for the input. I actually sure about the motor mounts. They are confirmed bad before the accident but only gives me shock movement when change between R and D gear. That is why I don't think about that at the beginning. Will try to do the replacement soon.

 

Did you ever figure out what the Knocking or Clunk noise was? I'm having the same issue with noise coming from the cabin floor at low speeds. Any info is appreciated.

 

I no longer own that car anymore, but I did replaced all the engine mounts by myself ( almost killed myself). And the situation got resolved mostly, but not full. Since my car didn't have a good subframe and suspension to begin with, it is hard to draw a solid conclusion. If your car never got the original engine mounts replaced, I will say it is a must have. Rubber parts always goes bad over time, no matter how good they were. The front engine mount is a special active one that will change stiffness with throttle. Don't get the cheap ones that are just a piece of rubber.

 

Thanks for the reply, I did recently have a engine mount replaced. The noise is still there. I will have to go under the car and take a look at the bushing etc.