Originally Posted by
peakay
OK, since i got my car in August it has had the dreaded steering wheel creak, squeak, groan, whatever you want to call it NOISE problem. In other words, when I get in the car or shut it off, the steering wheel adjusts up and down and makes a terrible noise.
I did many searches on this problem and narrowed down recommended fixes as using Wurth HHS 2000 penetrating lube and possibly backing off a nut on the steering wheel tilt. This was basically right and after playing around under there for some time, I figured out the exact source of the problem and fix.
CONCLUSION:
All the noise is coming from the threaded stud shown on the attached photo (see bottom of post). I could not initially isolate the source of the noise, but once I loosened this nut it got quieter and cranking it down made it loud. Bingo.
Sorry I don't have more or better photos, but this will be obvious once you take of your lower panels. It is on the RH side of the column. Here is my recommended way to fix this:
Supplies:
- blankets/towels for overspray
- HHS 2000 or white lithium spray lubricants
- Loctite blue (or equivalent)
- Various common tools.
1) Put a blanket or towel down that will cover your entire floor area and also try to cover the side of your console. You will be generously spraying lube under your dash and need to protect the entire area.
2) Remove lower panel trim from the dash. this is mostly obvious -- several little screws will be found under the dash. The steering column cover has a single screw to remove. The only part I had a problem with is there is one last screw on the upper left side of the lower panel (visible when door is open) and it has a cover on it, hiding the screw. I wasn't sure if a screw was under there or not and the cover was very hard to remove while being very easy to create a blemish in a very noticeable area. i ultimately got it off and discovered there was indeed screw under there. Just take your time and be careful not to damage your panel.
3) Now that the panel is off, I can really save you some time. Go immediately to the nut on the right hand side of the column, closer to the firewall and remove the nut. no need to search around for what is causing the problem, this area is the culprit.
4) With the nut off, operate the steering column up, down, in and out. stop at different points along the way and shoot a lubricant into this area. HHS 2000 is recommended, but white lithium grease would probably work too. The rubbing seems to be the up and down motion where the inner column is "sandwiched" together. Again, i wish I had a clear photo of this, but it will be obvious once you see it.
5) While you are there, even though they are not the source, lube the other various joints that might squeek in the future.
6) Apply loctite blue to the nut that you removed and fasten it on (it's a factory lock nut and since you won't be fully tightening it, thread locker is recommended). Tighten it fully , then back it off 1/2-1 full turn. This is subjective, but basically you want it barely snug but not tight at all. The thread locker will ensure an under-torqued nut does not fall off. You can play around with different tensions and test what works for your car's column by moving it down and up to see if the noise is gone.
7) Optional: let the lube sit for a few hours or overnight, then test it again and re-lube. I did this since the HHS 2000 goes in as a penetrant that sets up over time, but this is not absolutely necessary. Other optional work at this point (since you have the car apart) would be to install a UUC clutch stop -- I did mine at the same time and it has made the car much more pleasant to drive.
8) As they say, assembly is the opposite of removal. Put the car back together and enjoy!
I hope this helps others...the recommendations I found were incomplete and I took a lot of time to make sure I isolated the exact area and cause of the creak. Enjoy your newly quiet, much higher-quality sounding E39!
Bookmarks