hey all,

I have a 03 ba xr6 turbo 5 speed and I'm getting a knocking/ticking sounds whenever I hard lock the steering wheel either way and either reverse or going forward.

it really gets irritating and I dont know what it is and really want to get it fixed.

cheers guys

You should never hold your steering on a hard lock. All power steering systems will make noise if you do so and will lead to a failure of the steering rack and/or pump.

as a general rule, when turning to full lock, go till the wheel stops then back off 1/2 an inch or so.

Edited 26/10/09 10:19 AM26/10/09 10:19 AM by BensXR6T

depends on if the car was at all making that sound beforehand or it has just started in the last couple weeks???

if it has just started maybe the ball joints are worn

I dont full lock the car alot....very rarely actually but the knocking/ticking sounds are really loud and I want to get them fixed...

any ideas would be appreciated

is the knocking when the wheels are turning or when you are holding it on lock? I get a vibration/knocking sound when low speed maneuvering on smooth surfaces (ie carparks) and from what I can gather it's a pretty normal thing in a BA, out of the 5 or 6 that I have driven, they all did the same thing.

yeah man...the ticking noise is loud as in the carparks and maneuvering at low speed. Its really frustrating.

I'm going to take the car to the mechanic today...I'll let you guys know what I could be

It would be good to know if your mechanic knows of a fix...it's the steering rack that vibrates. I have tightened the bolts up which has helped a bit. Apparentley some low speed figure 8's can help reduce it as well.

my BF does it ( clicks that is) , only on full lock to the left and only in car parks. I just live with it and wind the windows up

I had the clicking, knocking then clunking problem for about 2years, progressively got worse from the click to knock everynow and then to clunking all the time. I think its the gear inside the rack where the steering meets that had worn so had the rack and pinion replaced with a new unit a few months ago now and all is good.

Got quoted $1000 from pedders but got a new unit fitted from Aus CV Joints and Power steering here in Brisbane for $375!

Did have to get a wheel aligment afterwards as it was toed a bit to much.