My car (2003 6MT) is making a strange whirring noise when the steering wheel is turned all the way, and moving forward (haven't tried backward yet). The noise goes away as the wheel turns back to a normal straight position. Does anybody know what this might be?

 

bearing.....

 

steering bump stops.....

 

ok.. edit.. i tested it tonight, and it does do it while backing up as well.. 2 more questions:
1. there is one bearing for each of the front wheels right?
2. can there be any long term effects if i dont change them?

 

i dont understand what you're trying to say...

 

Yes, bearing on each side.

Yes, you'll want to change them, i've had bearings fuse to my axle after they seized and it is a serious PITA to deal with that. it could cause a serious jerk when you're driving and cause an accident.

I don't know if it's your bearings though, do you feel the hum in your steering wheel or on the floor more? If you are feeling it more in the steering wheel it might be your steering pump or something like whatever n3985 said.

 

i'm not really FEELING it... i'm moreso just hearing it when i make a sharp turn and/or u-turn.. i'll check tomorrow if i feel it for sure though.. although sometimes i do feel a slight vibration in the clutch pedal when it's depressed.. i don't know if the 2 issues are connected or not

 

If worse comes to worse, take it to midas/meineke and have them do their brake and maintenance inspection for you. Just tell them you hear the sound and let them diagnose it for you. They will probly try to get you to replace the brakes even though they are good... lol. They do them for free(at least they used to).

 

lol...

 

its def not bearings. where is the noise coming from? it could be your CV joint.

 

try this...cut the wheel all the way to locking on each side and go underneath and see if anything is rubbing. also if you want to check for bearing play, jack front end of car up and put your hands at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock and check for play. hope that helps.

 

it's hard to tell... it sounds like it's coming from the steering wheel? i dont know if that's even possible, but it's hard to tell where the noise is coming from.. definitely the front of the car.. lol

maybe i'll swap out the power steering fluid and see if that helps

 

Is it a loud noise?

Do you hear it ONLY when the wheel is cranked all the way to the side? Do you feel/hear anything strange when you are making sharp turns at speed? (30+ mph)

What about when trying to accelerate hard?

Does it make the same noise if turning in both directions, left and right?

Do you hear it more when going over bumps?

 

naa it's not that load.. you can hear it when the radio is off, but not when it's on

it gets louder as the wheel is turned farther... and no, it doesnt have the be turned all the way.. for example, if i'm waiting to make a left turn onto a perpindicular street, i can hear it when it's turned... maybe 75% of the way.. and no, i only hear it at low speeds.. i think it's just taking off from a stop and turning

yea, you can hear it then.. i don't think it's any louder, but it's still there

yup.. and when i'm in reverse turning left and right

i havent noticed, but i dont think so

 

I've got the same sound - i call it a groan - whenever i'm making a turn from a dead stop. i think it's the steering rack, but no one here can verify that. i've tried flushing the power steering fluid out and replacing it with synthetic but that didn't help. maybe with more people identifying the problem, we can find the cause.

 

It is probably the wheel bearing. I bought a 2001 Maxima SE from a dealer. and had to replace the left wheel bearing. costs u anywhere between 150 to 200 bucks..
By the way, I bought my car for 10,650 from a dealer. It was 78350K, metallic dark grey color, has Sunroof, 8way pwr driver, 4way pwr passenger heated leather seats, 17 inch wheels, relatively new tires, traction control, bose stereo, automatic climate control, auto dimming rear view mirror, carpeted trunk lid.

I may not have had the best deal. But is it a good deal??

 

hm... then it's not what I expected... lol (not steering bumpstops)

According to what you are describing I tend to think it's the axle, but I don't think I can say it for sure.

Is it more of a clicking/ticking sound, or "metal on metal" sound?

 

no.. just like the one guy said above me, it's like a groaning/moaning sound

 

Very Weird, I'm experiencing this problem myself. It's more of a grind and I have a feeling it's either the pump or the rack. I'm not feeling anything through the steering wheel and the car turns with no issues, but it's a horrible grinding sound. First noticed it when I was going [B]Straight[B]. Don't think it has anything to do with the bearings or C/V joints or axles. Definitely in the steering area.

 

My car makes a similar noise as well. Only seems to do it sometimes though and when it's wet, it seems to do it the most.

 

I have the same noise that you guys are talking about but have noticed that the car doesnt make any noise when i first start driving in the morning then after driving for a while it starts make the noise. I already had both front wheel bearings replaced with no help, the dealer also replaced the passenger side axle didnt help either. One thought was that it could be the LSD, does anyone else with the noise also have LSD?

 

with Nissan's quality!

My steering column "screeches" while turning, no matter if I'm stopped or moving. I don't hear anything on the highway, but city driving is just annoying! And when I say steering column, I mean steering column...like right behind the steering wheel...

Anyone have a good fix for this?

 

It sounds more like CV joints, if the sound is only when the steering is turned more than 75% and the "weight" of the car is on the turning wheel, the CV joint may be affected.
If you lift the car and make it spin the wheels and there is not sound (humming) the bearing is ok. ( at least that is my experience )

 

yes, mine does it and i have HLSD

 

Mine does it all the time...whether I'm backing straight from my drive-way or turning slightly.

 

I noticed a strange noise in my front right wheel whenever I turned right in the rain, I don't notice it when its not raining, and I don't notice it when I turn left, any idea what this could be? or if its related?

 

how does your cv joint look? any tears? like mine

 

oh that's what the CV joint looks like! holy crap.. i see that thing every time i change my oil, but never knew what it was.. lol.. i don't know if mine is torn.. i'll check it out

 

it's most likely from what you describe a vane pump (power steering pump) They get noisy by design when they wear out.
Try flushing your fluid first and adding LUCAS Power steering fluid/sealer - 2 bottles. It might quiet it down especially if you live in worm climate. This could also be a fix for guys that have pumps make noise after driving for a while.
Pull old fluid with siringe then pour the new one, then start it and do the same with the second bottle

 

i've got a 94 max, everytime i turn left or right in an intersection i hear a clicking noise, any ideas

 

ideas?

instead of bumping a thread in the 5th gen forum...post in the 4th gen forum

 

yeah, sorry about that

 

So these stearing bump stops, the little plastic nubs on each wheel knuckle, where can i get the nubs lol, ones missing and it makes a awful noise when turning hard and hitting a bump. also i get a creaky squeeky noise lol when i turn right.



The part i need is 40038C