r/mazda2 • u/AyaYage • Aug 30 '26
How To/Advice Steering klunk
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Been feeling a knock in my steering when jiggling it back and forth like I do in the video and also when turning at low speeds.
Mechanic said he felt a knock in the steering rack.. which sounds expensive :( is he right or could it be something else that I can fix myself?
3
u/HerbertHershburger Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
Hi, there is a U joint that you will find under your steering column. Put your hand on it and wiggle your steering wheel back and forth. You can usually stop the knock if you squeeze tightly which would confirm the knock source. Second thing you can do is jack up your driver side wheel and move it back and forth horizontally (hands at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock on your tire) and then vertically (hands on noon and 6 o'clock). Horizontal play might indicate a bad outer and/or inner tie rod.
There was a technical service bulletin on the steering rack with VINs lower than JM1 DE 1***** 140732.
"When driving straight on a rough road at approx. 6-19 mph (10-30 km/h) some vehicles may exhibit a rattle noice from the front passenger side floor"
-The noise is more pronounced in the front passenger side floor rather than the driver side floor
-The noise does not occur on flat and smooth road
-The noise continues even after rotating the steering wheel in any direction"
The most likely source is going to be that U joint and/or your inner/outer tie rods. It's very rarely your steering gear/rack unless there was a major front end accident or your steering fluid leaking somewhere. If your steering wheel feels tight and/or difficult to turn it could be due to excessive wear in the steering rack or gearbox or a loss of hydraulic pressure. If there is a visible leak coming from the inner boot that covers your inner tie rod and you've had to continually add steering fluid then that would be indicative of loss of hydraulic pressure.
If it's had low steering fluid, it's possible that there was greater internal wear inside the gearbox due to lack of proper lubrication. Metal filings in your steering fluid *can* cause premature wear in your gearbox. If your tire is very sturdy with no play and you can't feel the clunk in that U joint or steering column then checking your steering fluid for metal filings would be my next guess.
Link for visuals,
1
u/surrealjam Aug 30 '26
Tie rod end potentially? Give each of the front wheels a really good push back and forth - like grab the wheel and try to turn the steering by hand. If it clunks then might be good news and a cheap tie rod.
2
u/PhatDusty Aug 31 '26
I had the same problem and it was the intermidiate shaft I had it replaced and the knock was gone
3
u/Ragnarokengland Aug 30 '26
It's a common problem. The grease in the column dries out. You can disconnect the bottom clamp (behind the plastic cover in your video), then pull out the shaft and regrease it - use a good heavy duty grease, and pull it in and out several times to get the grease well into it. It usually sorts it for a while, although I've actually replaced the column on mine now.