Intermediate Steering Shaft!
Administrator
Joined: 10-13-2011
Posts: 40,083
From: Welland,Ont Canada
New intermediate steering shaft, LCA bushings, steering rack, upper engine mount, all contributed to the shake while brake.
All improve the situation for awhile, and you think you got it, but naw you don’t.
Is it a combination of parts , no just that underlying urge to drive clunk free!
I even replaced both axles, mind you at 250,000 miles
All improve the situation for awhile, and you think you got it, but naw you don’t.
Is it a combination of parts , no just that underlying urge to drive clunk free!
I even replaced both axles, mind you at 250,000 miles
Member
Joined: 12-09-2017
Posts: 50
From: Fort Wayne
Thunk only rears it’s ugly head when the temp drops below 22*. Don’t ask me the significance, but it is what it is. Drove 400 miles and not a noise for weeks, temps dropped back down while I was behind the wheel and bam! Even my wife noticed it and she didn’t notice she was dragging a bush under her Suburban for a week while I was over the road! Drove the car again this morning, 36*, not a peep and the steering feels tight as a frogs ass.
Member
Joined: 12-09-2017
Posts: 50
From: Fort Wayne
Complete Monroe’s. New control arms and all. I think the collar is loose on the shaft, I’ll put it on the lift and take a closer look. Been trying to buy a new house, pack, and do all those fun new house buying things the last two months. Guess I need to take a few hours and knock that out, thankfully it’s jumping up in temp and the thunk shouldn’t be a problem if it sticks to its temp problem.
New Member
Joined: 11-27-2016
Posts: 24
From: Pataskala, OH
2010 HHR SS Aqua Metallic Blue w/AA5 option, w/89680 miles. Have been fighting steering wobble/clunking especially during braking for some time. Swapped out front rotors 2-3 times and was better for short period, then back again. Each time rotors were checked by me and had negligible run-out/thickness variations.(never could figure why changing rotors temporarily fixed problem!). Bought new GM OEM intermediate shaft. Old shaft came out much easier than expected. Put new shaft, and then old shaft in vise and twisted back/forth inspecting for wear. Both new and old shaft had only tiniest of movement. Oh well, lets put new shaft in anyways. Damn 
can not get upper universal to go onto power steering motor splined shaft. Back on with the old shaft and tightened both end's clamping bolts really tight! Been two days driving now and all rattling/wobbling/clunking in steering has disappeared. Sent new shaft back to GM Parts. My theory is that the bottom joint (to steering rack) is not splined, but a square male/female clamped fit, and that either the clamping bolt had slightly loosened, and/or the square joint got worn and needed to be re-tightened.(splined connetion good - square connection not as good 
)
Sorry for being long winded!!
can not get upper universal to go onto power steering motor splined shaft. Back on with the old shaft and tightened both end's clamping bolts really tight! Been two days driving now and all rattling/wobbling/clunking in steering has disappeared. Sent new shaft back to GM Parts. My theory is that the bottom joint (to steering rack) is not splined, but a square male/female clamped fit, and that either the clamping bolt had slightly loosened, and/or the square joint got worn and needed to be re-tightened.(splined connetion good - square connection not as good )Sorry for being long winded!!
Funny that you bring up that the top splined universal joint on the new shaft would not go on with the new shaft. I just got a new steering shaft for my SS part number 25834100 and I could not get it to go on. I could not find any alternate part numbers on this board and it seems that some SS guys have used that part number. After some digging I found what appears to be an SS "specific" steering shaft part number 25943354. I am going to return the part I got and try this number. Wish me luck.