A good friend of mine has a Subaru Legacy L (1995,2.2,AWD). She’s had it for 4 or 5 years,but in the last several months her steering column has made noises.It started as a slight click,but since is a loud click/clunk noise.You can feel it in the wheel,but steers perfectly fine.I am very mechanically inclined,but have little experience in steering columns. What the hell is going on.I recently noticed her steering lock has a lot of play,about 3 or 4". Can this be fixed without a shop? It does have an airbag,so I don’t know.It was recently at a Muffler Man for an exhaust repair,she tells me they noticed the noise, (impossible not to) but showed no concern.It concerns me since it’s getting worse,please help-Karl
Have someone look at the universal joints in the steering column. There are usually at least one and sometimes more as the steering wheel motion is transfered to the pinion shaft of the rack and pinion. While the steering wheel is rocked side to side with the engine off but the ignition lock in the unlock position, look for lost motion and listen for the sound. This could be a safety issue so have it looked ASAP.
Possibly a torn CV boot or worn CV bearing up front. A small tear in the boot will allow the grease to slowly leak and the noise to gradually increase as the lubrication is reduced. A faulty CV bearing will also gradually get louder as it wears down, the clicking noises from both are most noticeable when turning the wheels and can be felt in the steering. Both will eventually produce a burnt smell.
Clicking noise when you turn the steering wheel is most likely a worn CV joint. A damaged boot letting the grease leak out and contamination in is the likely culprit. This type of thing is easy to determine once your shop has the car on the hoist.