wintermute

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!

eggynatey

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.

wintermute

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.

eggynatey

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.