Home › Forums › Stay Dirty Lounge › Service and Repair Questions Answered Here › 2003 Saturn Vue intermediate shaft
- This topic has 8 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 9 months ago by EricTheCarGuy.
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January 9, 2012 at 11:00 am #438929
Hey guys.
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January 10, 2012 at 11:00 am #438930
I haven’t replaced a CV shaft on one of those vehicles personally but i would be on the assumption they should be similar to all the other GM makes.
Does your school have access to a commercial Alldata? Lots of good info there. I would even charge this person an extra $15 and sign up for Alldata DIY and use that $15 for his vehicles subscription.
I would also do a pictorial how to as well for our forum members!
I keep forgetting to do that when i do repairs at my home.
January 10, 2012 at 11:00 am #438931Quoted From dreamer2355:
I haven’t replaced a CV shaft on one of those vehicles personally but i would be on the assumption they should be similar to all the other GM makes.
Does your school have access to a commercial Alldata? Lots of good info there. I would even charge this person an extra $15 and sign up for Alldata DIY and use that $15 for his vehicles subscription.
I would also do a pictorial how to as well for our forum members!
I keep forgetting to do that when i do repairs at my home.
I guess my post is a little confusing. By intermediate shaft, I meant the steering intermediate shaft between the steering column and the rack. My school has most of the big service info sites, but I’m done with the automotive portion unfortunately. Now I’m taking english and history and crap like that online, so I don’t have access to their computers anymore on a regular basis.
January 10, 2012 at 11:00 am #438932Yes a little more clarification please. If you suspect a faulty CV joint all you need do is drive the vehicle in a circle first turning in one direction and then the other. If you hear a clicking noise while turning left it’s the right axle, if you hear the noise turning right it’s the left axle, both directions both axles but you need to be moving during the test, if you get a noise just while turning the wheel while you’re stationary that’s a different problem altogether. As for the intermediate shaft that has nothing to do with it as it’s the outer joints that ‘click’, if there were a problem with the intermediate shaft or it’s bearing the symptom would be more of a vibration at speed not a noise.
January 10, 2012 at 11:00 am #438933I can hear the clicking noise coming from right at the steering wheel inside the car, and right at the firewall towards where the steering shaft comes out. I’m confident that’s where the noise is. I guess I made a short story long, and the main question is, how hard is this job? Do I have to drop the rack? Or can I wiggle it out by pulling the driver side tire etc. Is it notched or keyed in anyway at both ends so I can’t really mess up the alignment? This may be a moot point as I’m having problems finding the part anyway. Go figure, having trouble finding parts for an out of business car company’s vehicle.
January 12, 2012 at 11:00 am #438934Do you have a mechanics stethoscope?
I would be under the assumption if the steering wheel intermediate shaft had an issue, you may here it turning left and right?
Is that vehicle’s steering electronically controlled or do you have a power steering pump?
I would also look for some TSB’s also.
January 12, 2012 at 11:00 am #438935Perhaps I should have been more clear, is the noise present ONLY when the car is moving or just when you sitting still?
January 12, 2012 at 11:00 am #438936My bad guys. The noise is present both moving and not. The car doesn’t have to be running. You only have to move the steering wheel a couple inches back and forth, and it only seems to click when then wheel is turning to the right. The car has electric steering. No, I don’t have a stethoscope, and I’m not sure why I haven’t bought one yet. Yeh, I was wondering that if a joint had gone bad in the steering shaft, I would think it would make noise both ways. Now I’m starting to wonder about things like the clock spring buried under the airbag..
Per Eric: ” As for the intermediate shaft that has nothing to do with it as it’s the outer joints that ‘click’, if there were a problem with the intermediate shaft or it’s bearing the symptom would be more of a vibration at speed not a noise. ”
That’s an excellent point. I need to get some time with this car when it’s not dark. I got it up to 40 mph on a short test drive. I didn’t notice any vibrations.
January 15, 2012 at 11:00 am #438937You can also just put your hand on the suspected part as it makes the noise and you can often “feel” if it’s coming from that part. ex. if you put your hand on the upper strut mount while someone turns the wheel you will be able to determine if it’s the upper strut mount that’s the problem.
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