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Clicking noise from steering wheel

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by miso03, Oct 18, 2014.

  1. miso03

    miso03 Junior Member

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    Hello guys,

    I've recently bought used Prius ii 01/2006 with 105 000 miles on it. Car drives perfectly fine, the only thing that bothers me is the clicking noise from steering wheel. Everytime I turn the steering wheel slightly to right it just clicks. I've also read other threads and I'm afraid that it is intermediate shaft, but I've looked at it and it seems to be problem of the steering wheel itself [the way I discover that was to hold the intermediate shaft strongly with one hand and turning slightly to right with another hand and it was doing the same click]. I've also uploaded it to YouTube for the others to hear. Could you please advise? How can I disassembly the steering wheel to discover if something is not loosen in it? It is very annoying [mainly in slow speeds as it is not so noticable in speeds over 50mph].



    Thank you for your answers.
    Greetings from Slovakia :)
     
  2. wa-chiss

    wa-chiss Member

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    Steering intermediate shaft. Check the two bolts under the dash for the joint. Just above the carpet where the steering shaft goes through, there's a plastic cover with two plastic "nuts". Spin the nuts off and remove the cover, there you'll see the two bolts I'm speaking of. Make sure these are tight and then replace the plastic cover. There's a third bolt on the shaft at the steering gear (aka: rack and pinion) that's a little harder to get to without a lift or clear access to under the vehicle. The shaft is under a rubber cover on the gear. There were recalls performed to this shaft for your year model prius and the bolts could have come a little loose. Also, if the shaft has an indention/countersink around the bolt at the steering gear, then the shaft should have been replaced under this recall. I usually see this type of "failure" on the intermediate shafts that weren't replaced for this model prius. so, if you look at the shaft around the bolt, and the shaft has no indention/countersink, then the shaft wasn't replaced (deemed not to be affected by manufacturing by this feature present) and thus this is your problem. Common problem I'm afraid.

    It will always sound like it's in the steering wheel. The sound and feel travels up to the wheel. I'm 99% sure it's the intermediate shaft. But, if you want to check and remove the steering wheel....

    *DISCLAMER: Not responsible for accidental airbag deployment.*
    Disconnect 12V positive terminal and wait 90 seconds before disconnecting any airbag connector

    There's two torx bolts, one on each side of the steering wheel. I think t-25 but I can't be certain (I just grab the one I always grab and don't bother looking at the number, sorry). You'll have to pop off the covers around the Cruise control switch and the one on the left side of the wheel to get access to the bolts. Once the bolts are loose, they're captured bolts so the will loosen but not come all the way out. The airbag/horn will now come off. If it feels stuck, check the bolts again using a magnet to get them out as far as they will go and the airbag should pull off with ease (don't force it). There's two connectors for the airbag, one black and one orange. There's a yellow lock on each connector that must be popped up before the connectors can be removed. Then, unplug the horn connector from the spiral cable (single terminal white connector) The airbag can then be set aside. There's a 19mm nut that holds the steering wheel on. Disconnect the cruise control connector from the spiral cable first then remove this nut. Try pulling the wheel off, if it's stuck, use your hands to "beat" the wheel left-right-top-bottom repeatedly. Don't be soft with it either, take out any frustration here. The wheel should come off with ease now. Be careful not to turn the spiral cable with the wheel off. Just one full turn off will break it when you reinstall and turn the wheel the first time. It's a 5 turn cable so you can find center again if you do inadvertently move it and not sure how far. Just turn it with little force until it resists movement (be real easy with it) and then go back 2.5 turns until the cables are at 12:00.

    Reassembly is reverse of removal.
     

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    #2 wa-chiss, Oct 19, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 7, 2015
    miso03 and JC91006 like this.
  3. miso03

    miso03 Junior Member

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    Thank you for your helpful answer (great forum!!).
    I've tried to tighten the bolts on the shaft but they were perfectly tight [well, two of them as I didn't have access to third]. I took a photo of it, could you please take a look and advise if it should be replaced or not? If not, I will proceed with removing and checking the steering wheel itself. Thanks again!
     

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  4. wa-chiss

    wa-chiss Member

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    Sadly, there's nothing to tell with pictures for this concern. The tell-all is the 3rd bolt. The problem is where the intermediate shaft slips over the steering gear. Over repeated lock-to-lock operation at slow speeds (such as parking) the teeth on the joint become deformed, allowing slight movement during turning. If the bolt is tight, replace the shaft. If it's loose, tighten and retry to duplicate noise/feeling.
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    take it to the dealer for the free recall.
     
  6. miso03

    miso03 Junior Member

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    I called my dealer and they told me that my Prius has all of the recalls done. Could they lie me or were the recalls for US market only?
    Also, could you please be more concrete where and how to find the last (third) bolt to check?

    Thanks!
     
    #6 miso03, Oct 20, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2014
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not sure about non u.s. recalls, try the toyota website.
     
  8. miso03

    miso03 Junior Member

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    I got info from another dealer that this recall was done on my Prius. However, it was 1,5yr ago and they only checked the shaft.. I will try to discuss it with them, but I want to check first if it is not only loosen (third) bolt before replacing 700EUR part..
    I got
     
  9. wa-chiss

    wa-chiss Member

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    If it was just an inspection, then only the lower bolt was replaced at the steering gear. I'll try to post pictures today on where the bolt is and how to check. The dealers were given a special service tool for inspection and replacement. I say "special" when its really just a prybar with a fork at the end to lift and hold the boot.

    Here you go,

    The "SST". The fork at the end is what holds the boot upfor inspection
    IMG_0948.JPG

    Here's the bolt.
    IMG_0951.JPG

    I think the pictures are upside down or sideways. I tried to fix it but couldn't.
     
    #9 wa-chiss, Oct 20, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 7, 2015
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  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I need a fork like that
     
  11. wa-chiss

    wa-chiss Member

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    Lol. Yeah, when I opened up the SST shipment box and pulled this out, I didn't know what to think.
     
  12. miso03

    miso03 Junior Member

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    Coming back to this thread because the sound still annoys me. It has been half year, I have replaced the steering wheel with leather one and the clicking is still here. The three bolts were checked and they are tightened properly. I was inspecting it today and it doesn't seem like the faulty intermediate shaft. The click is coming from under the steering wheel. Seems metallic and occurs in one particular position only - when the steering wheel is centered and turned to either left or right very slightly. It is not repeatable in any other position. I have visited our local Toyota dealer in order to have it checked and they returned my car with explanation that everything is correct and every Prius does that "It is due to recognition for you car to know to which side you turn - left or right".. They charged nothing so the inspection was probably under 1 minute. Should I visit another dealer or do you have any recommendations what to check? It is really annoying and the steering feels like it is loose like 1-1.5mm and I am not really happy about it. My girlfriend who also drives my Prius doesn't notice anything so maybe its not that bad, but I am perfectionist when it comes to cars :) Thank you for all your posts once again!
     
  13. miso03

    miso03 Junior Member

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    Hello, again me refreshing this thread. Sadly, I haven't figured out what the problem is. :-(
    I'm almost sure that this is not the intermediate shaft as this click appears before the power from steering wheel is transmitted to steering rod. I've made another two videos to show you what I mean. Note: The click is in reality not as loud as it appears on the videos. I'm starting to believe what the mechanic from my dealership told me that it has something to do with information to which side you turn .. but another Prii that I tried didn't have any click or anything .. so probably the car doesn't know to which side is the driver turning to.. just kidding as it sounds stupid to me. So question for you guys. Do you think that there is anything else that moves with steering wheel that could possibly make this cound? I'm trying to avoid unmounting the steering wheel again, but I will do anything that will stop this annoying click. Thank you



     
    #13 miso03, Jun 6, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2015
  14. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    I think your dealer is full of $#!+. that clunk isn't normal. I think you need to get your head under the dash with a strong flashlight and see if you can find something loose. might need to remove the lower dash panels to see the column.
     
  15. Kenny3

    Kenny3 Junior Member

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    I use a piece of hose, 5/8" dia. about 2' long as a stethoscope. Move the hose around to different areas. It takes patience, but when the source of a noise is found, it will be really loud.

    The clicking on our 2011 Prius was the coupling, above the carpet. If I grabbed the coupling and , turned the steering wheel quickly in both directions, the noise went away. The bolt on the coupling seemed tight, but the dealership tightened it more, and the noise has not returned. I think there is probably a problem with the shaft, coupling fit, and tightening the bolt, probably beyond specs. squeezed the parts together.
    Ken