Hi folks. I have a 97 TJ (auto) and recently (this week), when I turn my steering wheel, it start to squeak. The steering wheel and the wheel turn fine, it is just the sound (no matter I turn left or right). I was going spray 10-40 on the steering wheel but I want to ask the group before I damage anything. Thanks.
10-40? If your talking WD-40, don't do it, it's not a lube it's a Water Displacer and only works to attract and hold dust. Besides there isn't much you can get to from the outside.
Where is the squeek? In the wheel or from the engine bay. You might have a slipping belt.
If you are sure its the steering column, then use some GREASE, not WD-40, where the steering wheel exits/enters the fire wall (both sides). This is a common problem, especially if you have a body lift. If its the steering wheel itself, it sounds like something is loose. Dont use WD-40 on it, use a lubricant, like white lithium grease. It comes in a convient spray type.
"weekweekweek"? I don't know about your `97 but I can tell you about my `79 -- perhaps they didn't change the columns much. In mine there's a greese-packed bearing at the top of the housing, just under the signal switch mechanism. It stays clean and dry and shouldn't be part of the problem, and squirting WD-40 into the space under the wheel probably won't do much other than stain your carpets, since you won't be able to reach the bearing (or now a bushing, I suspect) with the spray.
Under the hood, at the bottom of the steering column tube (again, on my Jeep, yours may be different) there's a plastic collar, a wire clip to hold it in and another bearing. Since this one is exposed to road splash it can dry out and squeek. Eventually it wears out, the keeper splits and the balls fall out. If yours is built that way I'd try squirting it with WD-40. If it stops squeeking you know you've found the problem, but it won't fix it, since WD is mostly solvent and boils off in a few days.
In my case the fix involved pulling the steering wheel and breaking the steering shaft apart at the u-joint to replace the lower bearing.
Thanks for all the information and suggestion. I will take a closer look but so far the noise is definitely is at the steering wheel (putting my ear close to the ignition key area) area. It does went away for a bit when I drive a bit (more than 35 minutes) and makes a lot of turn. Oh, sorry about the
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