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Surprising facelift steering knock.

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50
For a while there has been knocking from the front end, but I put this down to various worn joints.

Yesterday my friend and I replaced the anti-roll bar drop links, wishbone bushes, bottom ball joints, track rod ends, and front and rear engine mounts at my mate's garage. All the looseness is gone and the car feels beautifully tight once more, however a knock is still there, and it's coming from the steering rack, plain as day to the ear.

I'm pretty stunned, because it's a facelift car, standard ride height!

There is no creak or grinding noise, only a knock when moving the steering wheel side-to-side, I guess that's the play in the slider being taken up?

I was under the impression that facelift cars shouldn't get this problem.

I'm wondering if there are have been any other instances of facelift steering problems? The car is an '05 with approximately 50k on it (can't remember exact figure).

I have tightened the top mounts (they were tight anyway). The car will drive itself in a straight line (although if you for example, move the steering wheel say 1-degree left or right from centre at a cruising speed of 60, it will continue in that direction slowly. If you yank the wheel from a straight line, it will self-centre), it doesn't want to crash itself, and you could probably drive the car for months and not hear it, not because it isn't there, but because normal driving doesn't put the steering wheel through the same turns required to make the noise happen.

If I sit in the car in the driveway stationary and wiggle the steering left-and-right in quick succession, the knock will be there, matching the steering movement's every move. If I drive on the road and do my normal kind of driving, sweeping corners, roundabouts, you wouldn't know it was there.

I am prepared to do the DIY slider fix, but I was just putting this out there incase anyone else knows about a facelift issue?

:(
 
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i have this and although i haven't yet sorted it i did try replacing the rack and that didn't cure it
 
Try jacking both front wheels of the ground and see if it still does it. If so take one of the track rod ends off and try again. I'm thinking it could be something on your front suspension on maybe one side, try track rod ends and lower ball joints :(
 
From what I gather you can take the rack out, strip it, take the original slider out, fit a new one from Honda (£20 part), re-grease, reboot, and then it's fixed. It does sound like play in the rack internals, and the slider is a good place to start at I'd say. The noise almost certainly sounds like it's coming from precisely where the slider is located.

I find it bizarre that it doesn't veer off in random directions, I doubled checked this morning on a lovely smooth, flat and straight surface.
 
I have so much hate for the EP3 electric steering. I can't think of anything else in life that has been such a let down.

Good job we only owned one for a month back in 2004 before upgrading to a DC5.
 
So to change the slider bush the rack has to be fully removed from the car??

I've bought another rack to pull apart in the mean time, so the EP3 isn't out of action.

Top Strut Mounts?

I checked their tightness, and they were tight. They are undoubtedly worn though, after 7 years on the road.

I get exactly the same. TBH I have just learnt to live with it.

I'll see if anything changes with this alternative rack I now have.

I have so much hate for the EP3 electric steering. I can't think of anything else in life that has been such a let down.

Good job we only owned one for a month back in 2004 before upgrading to a DC5.

Yeah, it doesn't feel of... anything, LOL! Always a pleasant surprise when I get into my other machines and the steering appears to talk to me.
 
That's my way of thinking too.. The racks don't seen to be too complex.. I'm picking one up at weekend.. Would be good to know how you get on :)
 
To jump in an old thread. I've been hunting the forum and google for a solution, I think, think, this is the problem.

I never noticed the creaking but I get a knock when I move the wheel from lock to lock, it doesn't do it when jacked up, guess it needs load to knock.

Its now apparent when listening carefully at low speed the rack does creak, but you wouldn't notice woth the radio on, and, the wheel does self centre no problem there.

Any opinion on what else it could be?

I tried tightening top mounts, was zero play there its tight already, arb links where replaced a year ago, to the eye all the bushes look ok, although thats not the greatest diagnostic on bushes.
 
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