Squeak coming from Steering Wheel
 

Hey Guys!

Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction on this annoyance that's happening.

Disclaimer: New to the forums so I hope this is the right section/subforum.

Symptoms:

When I turn my wheel I can hear and feel a quiet "squeak". I call it a squeak, but you can feel it through the wheel, almost like a fast vibration. It sounds like two dry pieces of rubber rubbing together. I know what the Mazda3 power steering sounds like, and I don't think this is power steering related. It sounds like it is directly behind the steering wheel in the column.

It's so quiet that I don't notice it at all at highway speeds, but at parking lot speeds it's pretty noticeable.

Specs:
2007 Mazda3 i sport, 110,000 miles, regularly maintained.

Are there rubber seals in there that could be dry and squeaking? I am NOT a mechanic or DIY'er I just drive it. I'm getting ready to hopefully sell it, and I'm going to take it to a shop for an oil change and inspection, but I hope I can get an idea of what this is before I go.


Thanks!

There is a rubber grommet that surrounds the steering column as it passes though the firewall. Hit it with some grease and let us know if that helped. :)

Bingo! That got it eggynatey, thanks!

I had never taken off that plastic cover to see the steering column.. but it's got quite a bit of surface rust. Should I be concerned? All surrounding metal was clean, just the column and that joint were rusty.

Stoked you found the gremlin! Unless it's really rusted and looks like it's rotting away, I don't think you've got too big of a worry. A little surface rust is normal for a 5 year old car, especially if you live near the ocean or drive the car in the snow.