My '05 LX 470 has been plagued by a scraping / scratching noise coming from behind steering wheel. It was mostly when turning left (CCW direction) and most prevalent at cold temps before cabin heated up.
Fix attempt #1: Use syringe to inject silicone grease (Sil-Glyde) at all accessible rotating surfaces between steering wheel, spiral cable and steering column.
=> Result: No improvement in noise.
Fix attempt #2: Replace spiral cable (clock spring) with aftermarket version. Noticed that original OEM part seemed smooth, replaced anyway.
=> Result: No improvement in noise. In fact, the connectors on the aftermarket part were defective and my airbag light came on. Reinstalled the OEM spiral cable.
Fix attempt #3: OK, time for methodical analysis. No rubbing of column cover, no noise from spiral cable, no noise from column bushings/bearing. I spun the retaining holding the steering angle sensing ring and, lo and behold, a scraping sound when turning left.
=> Analysis: A 1mm gap between the retainer and the ring had developed, likely due to lack of grease and wear. The ring was now "floating" in the gap and when spun quickly (like during parking maneuvers) would chatter against the steering angle sensor.
=> The Fix: I removed the turn/wiper switch bracket, along with steering angle sensor & ring, from the steering column. On the workbench I used wooden toothpicks to carefully wedge the bracket switch tabs inward and separated ring retainer. Using a butane hot air torch I softened the retainer flanges and gently bent them downward to eliminate the gap to the ring. **WARNING: Using open flame on this part will scorch the resin and weaken/damage the flange.** I also squeezed together the slot on the retainer which mates with the sensing ring tab; this reduced the amount of rotational gap/slop between the two parts. Photos below show the key points... sorry for not taking during the procedure but this was an experimental process. Also sorry for all the grease present!
=> Result: Scraping noise GONE! I'm sure the grease had a lot to do with it, but the adjustments to the retainer eliminated nearly all free play in the ring yet it still rotated smoothly.
Fix attempt #1: Use syringe to inject silicone grease (Sil-Glyde) at all accessible rotating surfaces between steering wheel, spiral cable and steering column.
=> Result: No improvement in noise.
Fix attempt #2: Replace spiral cable (clock spring) with aftermarket version. Noticed that original OEM part seemed smooth, replaced anyway.
=> Result: No improvement in noise. In fact, the connectors on the aftermarket part were defective and my airbag light came on. Reinstalled the OEM spiral cable.
Fix attempt #3: OK, time for methodical analysis. No rubbing of column cover, no noise from spiral cable, no noise from column bushings/bearing. I spun the retaining holding the steering angle sensing ring and, lo and behold, a scraping sound when turning left.
=> Analysis: A 1mm gap between the retainer and the ring had developed, likely due to lack of grease and wear. The ring was now "floating" in the gap and when spun quickly (like during parking maneuvers) would chatter against the steering angle sensor.
=> The Fix: I removed the turn/wiper switch bracket, along with steering angle sensor & ring, from the steering column. On the workbench I used wooden toothpicks to carefully wedge the bracket switch tabs inward and separated ring retainer. Using a butane hot air torch I softened the retainer flanges and gently bent them downward to eliminate the gap to the ring. **WARNING: Using open flame on this part will scorch the resin and weaken/damage the flange.** I also squeezed together the slot on the retainer which mates with the sensing ring tab; this reduced the amount of rotational gap/slop between the two parts. Photos below show the key points... sorry for not taking during the procedure but this was an experimental process. Also sorry for all the grease present!
=> Result: Scraping noise GONE! I'm sure the grease had a lot to do with it, but the adjustments to the retainer eliminated nearly all free play in the ring yet it still rotated smoothly.