Steering/Front End Vibration (Clunking)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by dailyphotofix, Sep 24, 2012.

  1. dailyphotofix

    dailyphotofix Junior Member

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    Hello All,
    Back online now (I replaced my transaxle a few years ago) for some advice.
    The problem started a few months back and has been getting progressively worse. Unfortunately for my Prius I have been in the middle of remodeling my house so I have been neglecting the problem and now it is time to face it before something bad happens.

    So, It is a 2005 Prius with 189k+ miles on it. I started getting a vibration/clunking noise in the front end while driving with the steering wheel centered. It also turns on the traction control alert and sometimes slows the car down when turning and the only way to get it to stop is to turn the wheel the other way. It started only happening at higher speeds of 65mph+ but progressively got worse until it now happens as low as 35mph.

    Any ideas?

    I thought that it was the drive axle as it seemed to be characteristic of that with the vibration (When the problem first started it seemed to only happen when accelerating, but now happens all the time), so I replaced the LH drive axle as well as the sway bar tie rod (The joints were very worn and loose), but the problem still exists.

    I made an appointment with the local dealer this weekend to see if they can help me out at all. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

    -Peter
     
    #1 dailyphotofix, Sep 24, 2012
  2. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    The only way I know for the traction control to come on, and the related cutting back of torque, is for one of the wheels to spin at a significantly different speed than the others. Somewhere there is slippage.

    I hope this isn't related to the differential..... because if it is I think you might be changing out that transaxle again :(
     
    #2 nh7o, Sep 25, 2012
  3. dailyphotofix

    dailyphotofix Junior Member

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    The wheel is definitely not slipping...and I can feel that it is in the steering, because when you turn the wheel the opposite direction to get it to stop beeping you can feel it overcome something right before it stops...I'm wondering if it has something to do with the steering box recall, which mine had done in 2006, but could be related now.

    Another minor note, came out this morning to find a bunch of ATF under the car...make sure you check the axle seal before installing a new one. Looks like I will be pulling the axle again this afternoon for a $6 seal. :(

    I need to get a newer Prius. :p
     
    #3 dailyphotofix, Sep 25, 2012
  4. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    If the problem is steering related, then this might be of interest, from the manual:
    So maybe there is something in the steering linkage that is triggering one of the above conditions.
     
    #4 nh7o, Sep 26, 2012
  5. dailyphotofix

    dailyphotofix Junior Member

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    That would seem logical with the symptoms I am getting, except I am not getting the vsc light I am getting the traction control light. I have an appointment at the dealer Saturday to see if they can figure it out, then I can fix it. :p
     
    #5 dailyphotofix, Sep 26, 2012
  6. Bassphil

    Bassphil Junior Member

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    Hi! I am now just having this exact problem with my 2006 Prius with 136K miles. I've been feeling something strange in the front end, and then just today the stability light (orange sliding car icon with beeping) came on when I was on the highway making a long right turn at about 50mph.

    I've been feeling that exact bump in the wheel as well. After a left turn, it almost feels like there return steering isn't going to work to get the wheel back to center.

    I already had the recall on the steering done a few months ago, which seemed to fix most of the weirdness with the return steering. However, as of late I feel a bunch of clunking going on, almost like there is a loose strut or something. Someone hit the left side of the car a few years back which resulted in that side of the axil being replaced. Maybe that's the issue?

    Anyway, Dailyphotofix- what was the verdict from the dealer? I just want to give my guys a heads up to the potential issue when I take it in.

    Thanks!

    -Phil
     
    #6 Bassphil, May 27, 2013
  7. dailyphotofix

    dailyphotofix Junior Member

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    Hi Phil.
    It ended up being the whole steering rack. And it sounds like yours is the same exact thing. After putting some thought into it I remembered hitting something on the highway on the left side where the problem began. The dealership wanted an arm and leg to replace it so I bought a salvaged one off eBay for $150 or something like that. Took me a few hours to put in. Was not a big deal since I already knew the car fairly well. I would definitely get it done if I were you though, because it will only get worse until you can't even drive at 35 mph.
    If you do end up doing it yourself make sure to keep the steering wheel locked in place and DO NOT move it when disconnected from the rack. Make sure everything gets lined up correctly and tightened down before letting it loose. The element inside the steering wheel is very sensitive and if the alignment between the wheels and the steering wheel get off and the steering wheel turns too far one way it can brake the connections to all your steering wheel remote controls and airbag. If you can't guess, that happened to me. :p that was an ugly $500 mistake.

     
    #7 dailyphotofix, May 28, 2013
  8. Bassphil

    Bassphil Junior Member

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    Thanks for the fast reply and extra information! Good tip about the steering wheel- doh! Hopefully it's just a dead squirrel or something caught in the linkage, but I'll have them double check the rack. I used to crawl under cars routinely, but I don't have the space anymore :-(

    Thanks again! I'll post with my results.
     
    #8 Bassphil, May 28, 2013
  9. Bassphil

    Bassphil Junior Member

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    Okay, so everything is back in order. No dead rodents, but equally lucky- the left strut was practically falling out of the car. An easy $140 fix. He checked the rack while he was under there and said that it's a little worn, but fine for a long while.

    Thanks again for getting back to me on this! I'm hoping that I can keep this car running for another 200K ;-)
     
    #9 Bassphil, Jun 2, 2013
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    So what was the fix - was the mounting hardware tightened, or was the strut actually replaced? For only $140 the former seems more likely than the latter.
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, Jun 2, 2013
  11. Bassphil

    Bassphil Junior Member

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    Replying for posterity!

    They replaced strut, not just tightening what was there. We have a good garage in the neighborhood...

    That felt great for a while, but two months later I ended up putting a new rack in it anyway. The strut fixed the short term shakiness, but a few months later things seemed to rapidly deteriorate.
     
    #11 Bassphil, Sep 24, 2013
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