Steering Column/Anti Roll Bar/Ball Joint Rattles & Creaks

[mshaw1980]

Hello all

Need some advice as usual.

Over lots of small bumps/bad roads I can feel and hear what feels like the steering column rattle/creak. Would this be the steering rack mounts or could it be the anti roll bar bushes or ball joints? Have tightened all other shock bolts etc and that cured a previous rattle but has just highlighted another undervan rattle

Cheers

[adie89]

Hello all

Need some advice as usual.

Over lots of small bumps/bad roads I can feel and hear what feels like the steering column rattle/creak. Would this be the steering rack mounts or could it be the anti roll bar bushes or ball joints? Have tightened all other shock bolts etc and that cured a previous rattle but has just highlighted another undervan rattle

Cheers

Go round with a rubber mallet and it will help find some rattles.

[Aidan]

take it for a vehicle examination that should find any issues
our MOT would tell you what the faults are and pin-point them
I guess there will be some Manx garages who have UK trained MOT testers working there who could do it maybe for less than The Vehicle and Driving Test Centre
Even if my vehicle had classic status and didn't need an MOT I'd still have it done, I am competent to work on my own vehicle but I am not a trained mechanic so I appreciate a professional giving it the once over
And in the event of an accident having an MOT certificate will go someway to satisfying the insurance company that the vehicle was properly maintained

[mshaw1980]

The manx mot I had didn't pick up this issue. To be fair, only seems to happen over lots of bumps close together. It probably does need the bushes I mentioned but just wondered if anybody had similar issues and what caused it.
Begrudge paying a garage for anything as can do it myself but just cant simulate the knock on axle stands so will probably need all bushes replaced

[Aidan]

Great that you have a manx mot
So you can do a visual inspection of the rubber bits that you can see, ie the arb link bushes and the radius rod bushes and the steering rack bushes for cracks and splits and also the steering link rod bushes, the big square rubbers these very often are cracked
it could also be the steering relay which turns the steering column input into the steering link rod output which connects to the rack
If you have power steering then it may be wear in the UJ which the PS rack has at the end of the link instead of the second rubber block damper
Sometimes the radius rod bushes inner sleeves are worn where they pass through the chassis and the chassis holes them selves can become badly worn
It's not easy to diagnose remotely without knowing when these sorts of components have been previously replaced, if they haven't been then it's a bit of a needle in haystack pursuit

[dave friday]

Upper control arm bushes? My van had a front nearside clonk/rattle ( only on dry river beds!) the bushes had both collapsed !
I replaced them today(what a bugger to remove the old ones!!)
Good luck.

[mshaw1980]

Great that you have a manx mot
So you can do a visual inspection of the rubber bits that you can see, ie the arb link bushes and the radius rod bushes and the steering rack bushes for cracks and splits and also the steering link rod bushes, the big square rubbers these very often are cracked
it could also be the steering relay which turns the steering column input into the steering link rod output which connects to the rack
If you have power steering then it may be wear in the UJ which the PS rack has at the end of the link instead of the second rubber block damper
Sometimes the radius rod bushes inner sleeves are worn where they pass through the chassis and the chassis holes them selves can become badly worn
It's not easy to diagnose remotely without knowing when these sorts of components have been previously replaced, if they haven't been then it's a bit of a needle in haystack pursuit

Manx mot is a one time only. When you bring a vehicle over here from the mainland if it passes the mot then that's it for life. No more required. To be fair I think the police have got rid of those people who drive the rustbuckets on wheels although I know you cant always tell what's going on underneath a vehicle in terms of its safety.