1998 windstar steering sticking

terkaa · 10-30-2009, 11:33 AM

I have 1998 windstar. It has some problem in steering. Steering is sticking near center position to both sides. sometimes when turning wheel from center there is also a clunk sound. I have replaced front strut upper bearings and also installed shim plate as TSB from Ford suggested. I am afraid it is in rack and pinion unit and it is quite expensive and hard to replace. We have tried to listen where sound comes but it is very hard to hear where sound comes from. While driving and turning also a small vibration can be felt under left foot on car floor panel. Sound does not come when engine is not running. And also if I jack up car from body so that load is reduced from either wheel even a bit sound does not come and sticking is gone.Anyone had similar problems?

mark v · 10-30-2009, 12:42 PM

Yeah my guess would be the rack-in-pinion too.

GraybeardAv · 10-30-2009, 04:54 PM

I remember one car where the Rack and Pinion rack was a little loose in its clamps, and would slide left and right a small amount. That might give the symptoms you describe.

drzoidberg · 11-09-2009, 07:45 PM

I have that exact problem (and have for a couple years) on my 98 windstar. Never been able to figure it out either, but so far I've just been living with it. At least on my car, it hasn't seemed to have gotten worse in several thousand miles. Seems to vary a little in severity with temperature (seemingly random, i.e. no monotonic improvement/degradation with increasing or decreasing temp) I always assumed maybe it was a ball joint or strut bearing getting a little sticky or something like that.

Graybeard, if it is just the clamps on the rack and pinion, any good way to check or tighten in-car?

GraybeardAv · 11-09-2009, 08:34 PM

Sure, just put proper chocks under a wheel and jackstands under the car and crawl under and try tightening the two bolts.

12Ounce · 11-10-2009, 05:44 AM

It sounds like a failing rack assembly to me. This can be very dangerous ... I would recommend tending straight away. I have posted my experience somewhere ... maybe not this forum. When I was doing an engine rebuild and tranny swapout on my '99, and the rack was very accessible, I replaced with a Ford reman ... this was just "good maintenance" I thought ... was not really having bad symptoms up to that point.

This Ford unit failed just after the 12 mon warranty expired. Symptoms similar to yours ... sticking, thumping ... scary. So then I replaced the rack with the subframe in place ... yes, its a bit of close work ... but not that bad. The worse part was re-hooking up to the steering column. This time I went with life-time replacement from AutoZone.

BTW, this rack (at least on my model) is not mounted in rubber bushings ... it is hard-mounted to the subframe ... and then the subframe is rubber-isolated from the vehicle frame. Big, Big Tip! .... the bolts that hold the rack to the sub-frame are "splined" ... and you will not be able to turn them. They must be knocked out/upward thru the sub-frame and rack!!! ... once the nuts are removed below.

Another big, big tip!!!...before starting any removal or disconnection, be sure to point wheels straight ahead and tie steering wheel down to drivers seat lower frame ... you do not want the steering wheel free to revolve during this whole process or the "clock-spring" electrical connector will be damaged in the steering column!!!

terkaa · 11-10-2009, 12:40 PM

I have solved my problem. Actually there were three:

1. Upper strut mounts. These looked good when just looking at them. But twisting these with pry bar showed that rubber was very soft and bushing had detached from rubber.

2. Anti sway bar end link on drivers side.This also looked good and had no play. But when moving joint with pliers showed that upper joint was binding badly.

3. Also strut bearing plate had rubbed against strut tower and needed shim plate.