Steering Clunk/rattle

Kazadog · May 2, 2009

I have searched, looked and read the info about the steering clunk.

When driving on rough, gravel roads, the truck has a loud clunk/rattle under the dash. It only happens when the truck hits a pothole or other rough, uneven section of the road. It does not make any noise/rattle on the highway or streets, There is very little play in the steering wheel.

I am wondering if there is something else to look at, or is it the streering clunk that others talk about.

And if it is, does GM cover it under their Optimum warranty (used car warranty) or there some TBS that covers it.

The closest GM dealer is over an hour away and calling them does not help as they want to bring the truck in to "look" at it.

Thanks

KD

97SierraGMC · May 2, 2009

i too would like to know what this clunk is because i think i have it but i have never seen another truck with it or reallly know what it is

cerbomark · May 2, 2009

intermediate steering shaft.

theplayer · June 29, 2009

I had the same problem with my truck on rough roads. I had the new shaft installed and the clunking went away on turns, but this was a different kind of rattle. There is a white bushing at the bottom of the steering column tube that the shaft goes through. Get a 2" muffler clamp and put it around the tube and up against the white bushing. Tighten this up and the rattle will go away. I had my dash apart trying to figure out where the rattle was coming from and I got on here and found out about the muffler clamp. I put it on and now the rattle is gone and I am happy.

bmx_02 · June 29, 2009

9.8 times out of 10 its the intermediate steering shaft, give it a shot first seeing as it will only cost you a whole $20 mainly for the little packing tool or cork but once you have that all you have to do is buy a tube of white grease and you can pack it a million times after without costing a thing. I generally pack mine once a year, its just cheaper that way for me haha. Plus its only like a 10 min job

bossier62guy · June 30, 2009

I have searched, looked and read the info about the steering clunk.

When driving on rough, gravel roads, the truck has a loud clunk/rattle under the dash. It only happens when the truck hits a pothole or other rough, uneven section of the road. It does not make any noise/rattle on the highway or streets, There is very little play in the steering wheel.

I am wondering if there is something else to look at, or is it the streering clunk that others talk about.

And if it is, does GM cover it under their Optimum warranty (used car warranty) or there some TBS that covers it.

The closest GM dealer is over an hour away and calling them does not help as they want to bring the truck in to "look" at it.

Thanks

KD

Sounds like the lower steering column bearing to me.

wtk1562 · June 30, 2009

I have searched, looked and read the info about the steering clunk.

When driving on rough, gravel roads, the truck has a loud clunk/rattle under the dash. It only happens when the truck hits a pothole or other rough, uneven section of the road. It does not make any noise/rattle on the highway or streets, There is very little play in the steering wheel.

I am wondering if there is something else to look at, or is it the streering clunk that others talk about.

And if it is, does GM cover it under their Optimum warranty (used car warranty) or there some TBS that covers it.

The closest GM dealer is over an hour away and calling them does not help as they want to bring the truck in to "look" at it.

Thanks

KD

I too had the problem but not just on bumpy roads. Based on what I could find, just replace the upper intermediate steerring shaft $70 plus they now have new lower steering column bearing (the white thing other posters said put a clamp above). This part is $35 and new one is green not white and I would reccomend replacing it as well as you just pop it off once you remove the upper intermediate. So far, it has worked for me.

tkubiny · July 22, 2009

I had my intermediate shaft replaced with the "improved" design 3 years ago, and the clunking has returned. Dealer will no longer warranty the part, even though it had a design flaw. Very unhappy about it. The sound is getting worse so I will try the lubing recommended on a previous post.

Z71Silverado · July 23, 2009

taking it apart and greasing it is only a temporary fix. the intermediate steering shaft needs to be replaced. cost about 90$. mine has not been a problem since.

cujo8 · July 23, 2009

I had my intermediate shaft replaced with the "improved" design 3 years ago, and the clunking has returned. Dealer will no longer warranty the part, even though it had a design flaw. Very unhappy about it. The sound is getting worse so I will try the lubing recommended on a previous post.

I called my local GM dealer 2 weeks ago and inquired about the new intermediate steering shaft they have to fix this problem and the guy told me they are on their 4th "new version" version that is supposed to fix this issue, so the one you got was probably not their latest version. The cost was ~ $90 + tax & installation for the GM part. I ended up ordering the Dorman Aftermarket shaft for ~ $45 + Shipping from Rockauto and my clunk is gone now, but it has only been a couple of weeks since I installed the new shaft. Installs easily in less than an hour with basic hand tools.

Bowtie2Sierra · July 23, 2009

Based on the OP's description, this does not sound like the Intermediate Steering Shaft . This sounds like a different issue to me. I had the ISS issue on my '02 and it would knock on both smooth and rough pavement. The fact that the OP doesn't have the issue on the highway leads me to believe this is something else. What that something else could be, I have no clue.

Starrman · July 23, 2009

just a thought, but check the brake pedal. I had a similar issue and realized if I put my left foot under the brake pedal and slightly pushing up while going over bumps the noise would stop. I bled all the brakes which stiffened the pedal up a tad to keep it from doing this.

theplayer · August 18, 2009

Here’s my story on the steering shaft issue. My truck had the classic clunking in the wheel while making slight turns at average speeds. I had the dealer change out the intermediate steering shaft on my 2003 when it had 39000 miles on it in 2007. They did it for free since I was close to 36000 miles. They replaced the old shaft with the new design shaft #19153614. The new shaft is not supposed to require any grease since it is a different design than the older shafts that require re-greasing or exercising. The clunk went away after they put the new shaft in. I don’t really know how long it took but I started noticing a clunking/rattle in the wheel on rough roads after the shaft was replaced. The noise got worse as time went on and developed into an annoying rattle on just about any road surface besides a perfectly smooth road. I literally could hear the rattle respond to just the slightest bump in the road. I never got the classic clunk when turning so I didn’t think it had anything to do with the steering shaft. I though I had a rattle in my dash somewhere but could never find it. So in summer 2009 I got on the forums and found out about the white bushing at the bottom of the steering column that people were putting a 2” pipe clamp around to stop from rattling. I put the 2” pipe clamp around the white bushing and the rattle went away, but now I could hear a clunk instead of the rattle. Again I never got the clunk when turning like I had with the original shaft just on bumps or rough roads. It would also clunk when taking off after a stop. Anytime the shaft had any pressure on it from trying to flex it would clunk. I called the dealer about having the steering shaft replaced again. Now that I have 65000 miles on the truck they will split the cost with me for replacement of the shaft which would cost me about $90. I was told that in 2008 they came out with a new shaft that had Teflon bushings and that they haven’t had any problems with it. I thought my shaft #19153614 was the newest design but they said it couldn’t be since I had it replaced in 2007. I didn’t really trust having them put in a “new design” shaft again since I thought that is what I had already installed so I decided to go with the Dorman #425176 shaft. It only cost me around $50 shipped from rockauto.com. The Dorman shaft was really easy to push in and out and it had a blue grease on the shaft. I haven’t heard of anybody having to re-grease these shafts though. I pulled out my old #19153614 shaft and it was very hard to push and pull apart. Now I could see how I was hearing a clunk. There was no grease on the shaft and as I pushed and pulled it together no grease appeared. That told me I had to have the so called new shaft design installed. After putting the Dorman shaft in I drove the truck and all clunking was gone. I did leave the 2” clamp on the bushing so I don’t know if I would get the rattle back if I took it off so I left it on. Bottom line is it seems like the Dorman shaft fixed the problem so I’ll have to wait and see if it stays that way. If you do change out the shaft make sure to lock the steering wheel in place or it will cause damage. I hope this helps somebody out.