I've noticed over the past week or so a new potential issue with my car. I'm having it seen by a mechanic tomorrow, so I wouldn't mind comparing notes to see if whatever he comes up with makes sense.

When turning the wheel at low speeds or when stopped, there is an light but noticeable clunking noise and feeling in the wheel. It starts after there is some tension on the wheel, about 1/2 a turn from center in either direction. It occurs at regular intervals, about every 1/8th of a rotation, as the wheel is turned the rest of the way to full-lock. Turning the wheel faster increases the frequency. I'd say the sound and sensation would be best described as if there were a chunk of gravel rolling around in the column. The sound also seems to be mainly inside the car around the column area, as opposed to something heard outside the car coming from the front suspension.

Some quick searching gave me a good suspect in needing to lubricate the intermediate steering shaft. Does this seem like the probable culprit?



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I was able to get an expert opinion a bit sooner than I expected. It turns out that self-diagnosing from in the car was misleading. What I was making out as a "gravelly" sensation in the steering while in the driver's seat, was actually a pretty noticeable popping from my right-front strut mount. Seems that one is on its way out.



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