wyo

I recently picked up a 2003 996 Turbo with 33K miles - the PPI picked up a few problems one has been sorted with just a battery replacement the other one might be harder to fix - I would really like some insight from anyone that has had this issue or might have an idea of the cause.

There is about 1/16 to 1/8 inch vertical play in the steering wheel/column
The steering wheel shakes and rattles over rough roads, wash boards are the worst, even an expansion joint can cause it to rattle a little

I have been searching the forum but have not found a thread that addresses this - I have had the suspension inspected by a good shop and everything looked in good order and factory correct but i have read that the upper strut mount is a common problem and cant be detected visually - it seems like I get a lot of energy transmitting up the steering column but overall the car handles really well.
If I put upward pressure on the steering wheel while driving over rough roads it stops the rattle from happening.
Thanks for the help

napoleon1981

I recently went through this with mine (I bought a 2003 with 50k miles). My steering wheel didn't quite rattle, but it did shake and the car as a whole felt imprecise. I have it fixed now and the car feels like a new car. Here are some pointers:

- The tires were worn, so I replaced them and had them road force balanced. Just to make sure I had straight wheels and properly round tires. It improved quite a bit, but it still had issues.

- I took the whole suspension apart and started measuring. I had a hub that had slightly too much run out. So I replaced hub and wheel bearings.

- I checked the tierods. Although I could not feel any axial play in them, once apart an inner tie rod was clearly shot. I could only feel and see it with the boot off.

- There were some nicks on my control arms because of (what I think) a tow truck driver putting chains around the control arms. I decided to replace them. While all my rubber bushings still looked really good. I could tell that the bushings that the tuning fork arm mounts to was substantially tighter on the new one.

- I did pull on my strut and did not feel any weirdness in the top mount. It is the only piece I did not end up replacing.

The car feels completely transformed after this work. If you are handy yourself, it is not too bad of a job actually.







If you live in the Kansas city area I can help.

napoleon1981

btw what do you mean with upward pressure on the steering wheel? Pulling on it? If that is the case, remove the front undertray so you can see the steering joint. Have a helper rock the steering wheel while you are under the car, and watch the joints and steering rack play.

wyo

Yes If I pull upward with my hands on the Wheel it eliminates the rattle
I should add that I put new tires all the way around had the road forced balanced and got a 4 wheel alignment

I think I am going to have a local indy do the work but i am hoping I can diagnose
the issue
Thanks for the offer to help - I am out in Seattle

wyo

Can any provide a steering column Schematic for a 2003 911 turbo or a link ?

napoleon1981

http://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/au...ng-column-scat

http://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/au...-assembly-scat

To me it sounds pre-steering rack. Or maybe the input shaft in the rack, but not further. The tie rods and everything else after are decoupled from the effect you get when you pull the wheel towards you.

fpb111

Check the steering wheel retaining nut. Here is a video showing how to get to it.
You can stop at ~45 seconds.

wyo

Update

Turns out that the steering column had been removed from the car by previous owner or shop and not reinstalled properly - one of the mounting points was not seated correctly( it was either #14 or #15 on the diagram) -the bolts were tight but the column still had a very slight vertical play in it causing it to shake/rattle over bumps.
It was a simple fix but required about 5 hours of shop labor.
so after 4 new tires, road force balancing, 4 wheel alignment and steering column fix the car rides and handles incredibly well
No rattles or squeaks at all