Binding noise from steering wheel (30 second video)

Hi all,

Just bought a 23 ORP. 30k miles. First truck and a huge contrast after driving a Civic for 15 years. Love it so far and trying to soak up as much info as possible.

Been noticing a binding sound behind the steering wheel when turning. Happens in drive and park, and seems to happen during slower speeds and more moderate/sharp turns like maneuvering around parking lots. Obviously I'm exaggerating the turning for this video to emphasize the sound, but it happens frequently with normal turning behavior. Power steering fluid level is good.

Here's a 30 second clip showing the noise, and the u-joints in the cabin, and in the engine bay.



Posted this on Reddit yesterday and someone was nice enough to recommend checking the steel u-joints in the cabin and in the engine bay. He warned the u-joints that go from the intermediate shaft to the rack & pinion assembly are prone to rust. Sure enough I'm seeing a fair bit of rust as shown in the video.

Forgive the silly question, but I just want to make sure before I possibly make the mistake of spraying the wrong area, should I just hit the rusted u-joint intermediate shaft area with some aerosol oil? Or a different type of spray? Any particular brand recommended?

Or is it another issue entirely causing the noise?

Appreciate any help!

 

You may need someone to help you pinpoint this issue. One turns the steering wheel while the other has his hand on the suspected parts to feel the clunk and listen. Move down the steering to the suspension and locate the issue.

I can’t see any abnormal movement in the steering joint or where it’s connected.

 

Welcome

 

Part of the 15k mile servicing is to grease the driveshaft. It also recommends it again at 30k miles and so on… But for severe use, grease it every 5k miles.

Toyota recommends a Lithium Base Chassis Grease. I’m sure Amazon or your local parts store will carry it.

 

Just to clarify…Are you actually feeling binding at that specific position of the steering when you turn through it? Or just hearing a noise when you change directions on the steering wheel. Or just hearing that noise when you rock the steering wheel back and forth. Noises captured on a phone can sometimes be deceiving since often they magnify a noise, so the sound by itself doesn’t indicate much to my ear without more the specifics of when and how it happens.

Regarding the steering shaft U-joints…I’ve heard the same as you have. Personally I sprayed a little woolwax on it, but I’m not really sure how much that would help. Or if it might mess with the seals. Maybe it’s better to take efforts to keep it clean, maybe hose it off to rinse salt off. Never done it myself, but if I would rinse lightly with low pressure to not penetrate the seals at the joint…and I would try to do it from the top down to avoid getting the starter wet.
Rinse light, and try to do it from the top down

 

Thanks for all the replies so far. Appreciate everyone's help.

Definitely going to pick up some grease for the driveshaft service. My guess is that the previous owner never greased it.

@McSpazatron, hearing the noise during turns driving around, and turning the wheel in park. I can't say that I'm actually feeling the binding or any resistance in the wheel. However, I just noticed a new detail: when my foot is on the brake, my foot actually feels some sort of "feedback" that exactly corresponds with the binding noise when turning the wheel. Not really a vibration, but a mild pressure or feedback on the brake pedal transferring to my foot whenever the binding noise occurs. Any idea what that means?