Why does my car go "KRUNK" when I steer?

[Davin]

When I steer back and forth, my car goes "krunk, krunk, krunk, krunk, krunk". There are definitly no obstructions hitting the rod ends or LT headers/steering shaft but at low speeds there is stick-tion in the steering. If I steer back and forth at idle and the steering pump buzzes a bit and the car stalls.

Recently I changed the PS fluide (ATF) but it did not fix it. Is my pump going bad or what?

 

[KBCobra95]

Maybe your whole rack and pinion/ tie rods are bad?

 

[Davin]

I don't really undertand what that means though b/c when I changed the fluid, I actually removed the rack, sild the boots off and moved it through the cycles. The joints seemed fine and I don't see how the gearing would go bad...?

 

[Fopar]

cuz it's ghetto

 

[Davin]

That's funny...seriously though, I've done tons of searching on stangnet and corral and no one really seems to know much about this issue..strange.

 

[1TallMF]

Is the pump still acting-up after the fluid change? I'm not sure what exactly "stick-tion" means but I think I get the idea. Could be the pump going bad on you, but I'm not sure about the krunk noise. Does the sound change whether you're dry-steering at idle as opposed to moving around?

 

[Davin]

yeah, just as bad after the fluids.. by stick-tion I just mean that the steering is a bit sticky instead of smooth. The sound is pretty consistant but is much more pronounced when steering while sitting in one place, that is untill it stalls out the car. I'm thinking that there must be something going on with the pump, b/c why else would it cause the car to stall? If the pump was good but rack was bad, would that cause the car to stall?

 

[1TallMF]

That sounds is usually due to air getting into the system somehow. I haven't heard of a rack causing these types of issues.

 

[go-stang5.0]

have you checked the rack bushings. maybe one or both of them are bad. If so when you steer one way the rack will move the opposite way and possibly hit something. And vice a versa. Oh you know what, if you don't torque the bolts down properly that will happen also...thats what happend to me.

 

[Davin]

the rack bushings are aluminum and are torqued fine. I took the steering shaft out and it seems fine. I wonder if there is a way to find out if its the rack of pump. When I took the boots off the rack there were some plastic "c" clips just kindof floating on the rod. Were they some kind of stop? Are they supposted to float?

 

[The Green GT]

Mine does that sometimes too.

Ive always just attributed it to the fact that its a Mustang.

Also are you sure its was actually PS fluid and not crunk juice? lol



But really, I think mine does it because of bad tire rod ends.

 

[HISSIN50]

the rack bushings are aluminum and are torqued fine. I took the steering shaft out and it seems fine. I wonder if there is a way to find out if its the rack of pump. When I took the boots off the rack there were some plastic "c" clips just kindof floating on the rod. Were they some kind of stop? Are they supposted to float?

The C cliips are steering rack limiters. They're neato - they limit the travel so your wheels dont run the LCA's, etc. If you ever get a new rack, transfer yours to the new rack.

I believe a worn pinion gear can cause an issue like yours, though the pump being on the outs is more likely.
I only toss that out because I'd want to ask someone who knows this stuff better in case it saves parts swapping.

Good luck.

 

[Davin]

now that you mention it, maybe it was crunk juice!
So good...

Anyway, when I replaced the fluid I took the boots off and cleaned inside, I also visually inspected the gear as I moved the rods back n forth and everything looked solid. I can't imagine one of these gears wearing out. I did have an issue though where I noticed the cap was cracked an the pump was pulling in air. Maybe I just haven't flushed it all yet...but could that create such a load on my belt that the car stalls when steering while parked?

BTW Green GT, love the ride, so simple...I hate to see cars covered in plastic...

 

[HISSIN50]

We should ask: how much have you driven it since flushing the fluid?

If it was a pure flush and the system wasn't open for a parts replacement, no air should have entered (your crack notwithstanding). If you think there is air in there, how I bleed it is to jack the front of the car up (use jackstands and safety crap too), start it and turn the wheel back and forth slowly about 10 times. Dont hit the locks. This should purge any air, and it does so in a way that does not load the system up.

 

[The Green GT]

BTW Green GT, love the ride, so simple...I hate to see cars covered in plastic...

Thanks. I have a 3.5 in cowl on the way and Im thinking about getting an '03 Cobra bumper for it. Then after that thats about it for the exterior.

But hopefully you will still like it.

 

[Davin]

Hiss -
That's a good idea. I had tried turning the wheel but with the car on the ground. That's when I had the stalling probs. I actually bled the system from the PS cooler and also dropped the rack and disconnected the threaded line from the pump to replace the washer so I'm pretty sure there is air. Let ya know how it turns out.

 

[Davin]

well, I finally got to it..the air bleeding did help reduce the krunking, but it still goes krunk. Basically it only makes the noise about once per turn of the wheel now instead of 2-4 times, so improved but not all better.

 

[mustangsammym]

Maybe you have Lil John hanging from the bottom of your car!!! YEEEEEEEAH!!!!!