Noisy steering?

[thump3rvr4]

Hey all, i think this is in the right thread but anywho, im having a small problem with the steering on the whale. when i turn the wheel it sounds like theres no fluid in the steering but its all fine and no leaks that i can see. Also when i turn at low revs the steering gets quite heavy like it doesnt have power steering at all.

Any help would be awesome. Cheers

[psbarham]

check the belt tension

[Ryan]

As above, I changed the P/S belt and it made a world of difference. Would often get a "tshwee tshwee tshwee" noise.

[Subaru ETA]

yup belt is prob loose. if thats fine you pump is stuffed

[Nick Mann]

Check your straight bottom arms - the balljoint failing can cause a jerky/grindy/clonky noise and the extra friction causes the steering to feel heavy. If they do fail, your wheel will end up travelling through the wing.

This may not be your issue, but on the description you have posted, it is worth checking.

[thump3rvr4]

Check your straight bottom arms - the balljoint failing can cause a jerky/grindy/clonky noise and the extra friction causes the steering to feel heavy. If they do fail, your wheel will end up travelling through the wing.

This may not be your issue, but on the description you have posted, it is worth checking.

on the open road its fine, just noisey and heavy when its at idle so thats why i gathered it could be the belt or the pump. theres no vibration in the steering or anything. an sorry having a dumb moment but which arm is the one your talking about??

[WizardKing]

I'd second Nick Mann's cautionary words.
Your answer contains what I fear to be strikingly similar sounding symptoms to when my balljoint was about to fail.

Have you seen and heard the clip in this link ?
http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17146

[thump3rvr4]

I'd second Nick Mann's cautionary words.
Your answer contains what I fear to be strikingly similar sounding symptoms to when my balljoint was about to fail.

Have you seen and heard the clip in this link ?
http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17146

Lhh that one soonds nastj. but sts not that bad at all. i have found that one of the rubber peices has come out of the lower arm thingy. could that be it??

[Nick Mann]

i have found that one of the rubber peices has come out of the lower arm thingy. could that be it??

Yes!

Which rubber piece from where on the lower arm thingy?!?!

I'd guess even if it isn't dangerous from an imminent failure point of view, it is dangerous from not holding your wheel in the right place point of view.

[WizardKing]

I have read that originally Mitsubishi Japan stated to check the lower arms ball-joint rubbers for signs of wear and water ingress as this leads to premature wear of the joint.

Does your car make a similar sound to the one in the video ?
If so, it may become more audible as time and wear progress. If the rubber around the ball is even slightly worn or perished, I believe it is an urgent job to do. Make sure you check for the recall status, it may be eligible for a free repair.

[WizardKing]

I almost forgot to say, heavy steering and creaking are very often the stated precursors to an eventual failure of the lower-arms joints.

Before creaking started on mine, I had to replace the power-steering pump that had died suddenly.

[thump3rvr4]

is this the part that could be the problem?? theres some on trade me brand new and are not badly priced so i could just replace them if needs be

[WizardKing]

That's the bugger !

[thump3rvr4]

That's the bugger !

Finaly, something cheap to fix on the dam car for once lol

[Davezj]

make sure you only buy mitsi original parts to replace the suspension arms.

after market one have been known to fail and it is not work taking the chance with you life!

so no it is not a cheap fix. mitsi parts are not cheap

[thump3rvr4]

make sure you only buy mitsi original parts to replace the suspension arms.

after market one have been known to fail and it is not work taking the chance with you life!

so no it is not a cheap fix. mitsi parts are not cheap

But its the mitsi ones that are failing?????? so wouldnt it be better to get a decent aftermarket set instead

[elnevio]

But its the mitsi ones that are failing?????? so wouldnt it be better to get a decent aftermarket set instead
The aftermarket ones are failing quickly.

[thump3rvr4]

so in other words im damned either way?? damned if i change to aftermarket, damned if i go for originals. AAAAHHHHHHHHHH stupid cars!!!!!/duh

[elnevio]

Well, mine were replaced in Japan under the original recall. They've had two years of abuse from me since the car got here /rally plus whatever they had in Japan between the recall and being exported, and they're still going strong (touch wood). The problem is that when even the Mitsi ones start wearing, they are likely to end up failing quite quickly, rather than gradually getting worse but at least still being driveable until you sort them out.

[wintertidenz]

I put aftermarket ones on over 6 months ago for my last WOF and haven't had issues with them yet - they are still solid as. Will let you know when they start to fail! The old ones were really stuffed, there was a LOT of movement in there and it was surprising that they hadn't completely failed yet. They were Mitsi OEM ones too.
My car still has the lower joints recall outstanding on it, but Mitsi NZ refuse to do the recall work on it as they say it's now closed.

[WizardKing]

That's a downer , especially when Mitsubishi are footing the bill. (Had mine done in December.)

[CANDEE]

That's a downer , especially when Mitsubishi are footing the bill. (Had mine done in December.)
Its not uncommon here in NZ...

My old Leggie had a couple of recalls owing on it and Mitsi refused to do the work...