Dc5 steering groan when cold

Dc5 steering groan when cold

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designforlife

Original Poster:

3,734 posts

164 months

Thursday 14th September 2017
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My dc5 tends to groan from the steering when you turn the wheel the first few times from cold, ie. manouvering out of a parking space or off the drive.

it only does it the first 4 or 5 turns of the wheel, but its very noticeable.

Had the PS fluid changed and thats tamed it very slightly, but it's still there.

what else could it be? pump doesn't grind or make any other untoward noises. it's not your typical PS whine or graunching noise, more like a low groan.

belt perhaps?

designforlife

Original Poster:

3,734 posts

164 months

Friday 6th April 2018
quotequote all
thanks, worth a look.

bit of an update, it was far worse in the cold/wet weather, and now does it with no steering input too, but only at low speed when creeping from a parked position when first started up. Tried to record it on my phone but it's not really audible enough to merit sharing.

I picked up a spare PS pump and rack as a precaution, going to see how it goes now the car gets used a bit more in the better weather.

designforlife

Original Poster:

3,734 posts

164 months

Friday 6th April 2018
quotequote all
yeah this is a weird one, no grind or clunk, and it's had fresh droplinks and is fully serviced.

Just this low groan, best i could liken it to would be underwater whale type noise. Almost like applying the brakes and hearing a groan...but discs/pads/calipers are all A-OK.

It never lasts more than a turn or two of the wheel, or a few feet of driving...but it's always been there and is slowly driving me nuts that it's unresolved!


designforlife

Original Poster:

3,734 posts

164 months

Friday 6th April 2018
quotequote all
mine is far worse in cold/wet weather, and only if it's been parked for 24 hours or longer, and only ever from cold.

i was worried that the PS pump or rack were going to poo themselves...top mounts is a lot less hassle if it is those.

And this does of course open up the option of getting coilovers if the shock is slowly on its way out.

designforlife

Original Poster:

3,734 posts

164 months

Friday 6th April 2018
quotequote all
just found some old paperwork.

The old girl was diagnosed as having "minor play in both front shocks" according to a checkover when i first got her.

Probably not the source of the groan...i'd almost think wheel bearing but baffled as to why that would only be from cold and for such a short time.

designforlife

Original Poster:

3,734 posts

164 months

Sunday 8th April 2018
quotequote all
Reasonably well, that or whale song!