Lower intermitant steering column bearing

[cyclonecat5]

Hey, can anyone tell me if I have to pull out the upper steering column to take out the lower steering column???

[9C1pack]

Why do you need to replace the bearing?
If it is because of a noise, it may only be the lower rubber dust boot grabbing on the steering shaft and making a noise. (mine sounded like a seal/sea lion).
It has been covered on here before.
I was told to get a can of CRC electricians silicone spray and lubricate it. You dont need to remove any thing, just put the nozzle on and spray from underneath or in the engine bay.
Open the bonnet, look where the shaft from the rack and pinon goes in to the lower column, thats were the rubber is.

[slayer208]

Yeah, i've got the exact same problem, and because i've got the plastic shroud off i've noticed that the column bearings are easily accessible. I got some WD40 and i'll give her a razz tomorrow and see if it shuts it up. Reckon that'll do the trick or at-least temporarilly.

[cyclonecat5]

Its making a clicking noise, only slight but its annoying. I only recently bought it and the previous owners mechanic reckons the lower bearings gone. I'll give the WD40 a go. Cheers

[RazzaCaine]

Yeah, i've got the exact same problem, and because i've got the plastic shroud off i've noticed that the column bearings are easily accessible. I got some WD40 and i'll give her a razz tomorrow and see if it shuts it up. Reckon that'll do the trick or at-least temporarilly.

i did that to mine, the noise went away for about a week and now its slowly starting to do it again. does this mean the issue is more serious or should i give it a more thorough dose of the wd40 again??

[9C1pack]

Yeah I tried WD40 and then Teflon spray, it came back after a few weeks.
Someone on this site recommended the Silicone spray that I metioned previously ($15 a can @ Blackwoods) and its still silent years later.

[RazzaCaine]

ill give the silicone spray a shot then, thanks for the help

[slayer208]

I've sprayed mine with WD40. got in there really good with the extender for the nozzle. Got into the steering column, the bearings and also the universals in the engine bay. seemed to totally stop the noise. all's touch wood!. lol.

[RazzaCaine]

well i tried wd40 first time round, noise went away for a week, tried wd40 again, noise went away for a couple of days. this time tried lithium based spray on grease and the noise has stayed. the weird thing is that every time i lubricate the bearing the steering becomes a lot more responsive and lighter feeling, regardless of what i lubricate it with (wd40 or grease). if i dont lubricate the bearing the steering starts to become heavy and stiff again.

ive got a few ideas about the problem but wanted some opinions from you guys as im new to tinkering with cars. my ideas are that:

a) im not lubricating the bearing enough/properly
b) the bearing is stuffed and needs replacing or
c) its a coincidence the bearing needs lubricating but its actually the issue with the steering wheel contacts needing greasing (ive heard this can be another cause of the issue?)

im thinking its more than likely to be b or c as im fairly sure ive been lubricating the bearing properly. i jack the drivers side front wheel right up and get under the car and give the bearing a good soaking. maybe im soaking something else? just to confirm, the bearing in question is where the steering racks meets the front axle yes?

this issue is more of an annoyance than anything, having to keep lubricating the bearing every week is a pain to keep the steering light. i really want to get this fixed, especially if its something cheap, quick and easy (fingers crossed). this is one of only three things wrong with my vs, the other two being the electric antenna mast & motor need replacing and the indicator stalk needs replacing (self-cancel only works on cold days, the plastic is warped).

if anyone can help thats great. sorry for the long, somewhat rambling post...

[Brett_jjj]

Try spraying WD 40 into where the steering column shaft goes through the firewall into the engine bay,spray from the engine side.You have to spray upwards into the bush.I had a groaning type of sound coming from my VS, and after reading about it on here, I sprayed this bush with WD and no more steering noise.

[seraphic06]

Personally I wouldn't bother with any spray on tyoe of lubricant as it will quickly wear off. Try actually applying some real grease (from a tub) to something like a screwdriver and then dab that between the column and the grommet. That's how I did it two years ago and not a groan since.

[Brett_jjj]

I did mine well over a year ago with WD and theres still no noise from it.So it must last a fair while.

[RazzaCaine]

i must be getting the wrong part of the steering bush then. thanks for the help everyone =)

[Fu Manchu]

i must be getting the wrong part of the bush then. thanks for the help everyone =)

[RazzaCaine]

haha yeah dumb comment on my behalf there, i was half asleep when i put that. the weird thing is that after a few short drives the groan went away and now it only does it occassionally as opposed to every slow speed turn like before. so im still stumped as to why its being a pain...