Clicking sound when turning steering wheel left or right with car still (or slightly moving) with engine running.

steering rack or gear . 2X2 - 4X4 engine . Depends on steering system .
When you turn the steering wheel, the steering gear rotates the pitman arm which forces the relay rod to one side. The tie rods connect to the relay rod with the ball studs. The tie rods transfer the steering force to the wheels. Use the tie rods in toe adjustments. The tie rods are adjustable. The pitman arm support the relay rod. The idler arm pivots on a support attached to the frame rail and the ball stud attaches to the relay rod.
The 2 tie rod are threaded into the tube and secured with jam nuts. Right and left hand threads are used in order to permit the adjustment of toe.

Binding linkage , steering gear worn etc....

Power Steering System Description and Operation (w/o Electro-Hydraulic Steering)
The hydraulic power steering pump is a constant displacement vane-type pump that provides hydraulic pressure and flow for the power steering gear. The hydraulic power steering pumps are either belt-driven or direct-drive, cam-driven.
The power steering fluid reservoir holds the power steering fluid and may be integral with the power steering pump or remotely located. The following locations are typical locations for the remote reservoir:
• Mounted to the front of the dash panel
• Mounted to the inner fender
• Mounted to a bracket on the engine
The 2 basic types of power steering gears are listed below:
• A recirculating ball system
• A rack and pinion system
In the recirculating ball system, a worm gear converts steering wheel movement to movement of a sector shaft. A pitman arm attached to the bottom of the sector shaft actually moves one tie rod and an intermediate rod move the other tie rod.
In the rack and pinion system, the rack and the pinion are the 2 components that convert steering wheel rotation to lateral movement. The steering shaft is attached to the pinion in the steering gear. The pinion rotates with the steering wheel. Gear teeth on the pinion mesh with the gear teeth on the rack. The rotating pinion moves the rack from side to side. The lateral action of the rack pushes and pulls the tie rods in order to change the direction of the vehicle's front wheels.
The power steering pressure hose connects the power steering pump union fitting to the power steering gear and allows pressurized power steering fluid to flow from the pump to the gear.
The power steering return hose returns fluid from the power steering gear back to the power steering fluid reservoir. The power steering return line may contain an integral fin-type or line-type power steering fluid cooler.
In a typical power steering system, a pump generates hydraulic pressure, causing fluid to flow, via the pressure hose, to the steering gear valve assembly. The steering gear valve assembly regulates the incoming fluid to the right and left chambers in order to assist in right and left turns.
Turning the steering wheel activates the valve assembly, which applies greater fluid pressure and flow to 1 side of the steering gear piston, and lower pressure and flow to the other side of the piston. The pressure assists the movement of the gear piston. Tie rods transfer this force to the front wheels, which turn the vehicle right or left.


Your best bet , take it to a qualified repair shop.

have the front end checked
indicates a problem in the tie rod ball joints or steering box

The noise will be either the universal joint on the steering column or a component in the steering rack or outer tie rod ends, get someone to sit in the car and move the wheel slightly left and right and have a look and you will be able to see and hear where the noise is coming from

It sounds like you have at least one bad tie rod end....this is the most likely problem, but I have listed other things to check out.

To figure out which tie rod end(s) are bad, you need to jack the front end up and put it on jackstands, or if you have a buddy that works at a shop that can put it on a lift, that is even better.

With the front end jacked up and the steering unlocked, have somebody turn the wheel left and right and watch as the tie rods (the rods that actually "steer" the wheels) move - there should be no "play" or looseness in either the inner or outer tie rod ends.... the large turnbuckle looking ends on the rods. Most often, it is the outer tie rod ends that go bad, and if it is pulling right on you the one on the right side is most suspect. Also try and hold one wheel at a time still while your buddy steers and see if there is any slop.... there should be ZERO play or slop between the steering wheel and the front wheels.

Bad ball joints can also cause steering problems. With the front still jacked up, grab a wheel and try and shake it up and down, in and out. If you feel it move, replace both the upper and lower balljoints on that wheel (only one set may be bad, but if so, the other is certainly worn!).

Bad wheel bearings can also cause steering problems, and allot of shaking and vibration when you are driving. If you can shake your jacked up wheel any which way and it is loose, or if you spin the wheel and hear allot of crunching noises, you have bad wheel bearings.

All of these problems are serious, and if you have a sudden complete failure of the bad part while you are driving, you can lose control of your truck. You need to determine which of the above is causing your problem and take care of it immediately. The best answer is to go to a qualified mechanic, but if you are up to doing it yourself, be careful and don't try and do it all alone.

This could be a few things, I would first start by having the front tires inspected and balanced. Unbalanced tires or a tire with a broken belt can cause both a sway and a vibration.
If the tires check out then the only components left are the Rack and the tie rods. If you already have a leak in the Rack you are not long from having to replace it.
You can test the rack and pinion yourself with the help of another person.
Have a friend sit in the driver seat to operate the wheel. (Do Not start the car)
Leave the car on the ground so that the wheels have friction against the ground. You can sit next to the passenger side, have you helper turn the wheel all the way to the left. You will now be able to see the tie rod end and Rack arm. Now have the helper turn the wheel slowly to the right. You will be looking for how much movement is in the arm and the tie rod end before the wheel tire starts to move. You might also see the tie rod end move up or down or hear a slight popping sound. Any of these is an indication that you need Tie Rod ends.
Repeat this process on the drivers side noting any movement of parts prior to the tire moving.
If all the parts are good as soon as your helper turns the wheel you should see the tire move immediately.
If you notice that you see a delayed movement from the time you turn the wheel and the time the Rack Starts moving then you will need to replace the Rack.
Thanks, and I hope this help. Dorrian

Hi, to me the problem sounds like the track rod ends need replacing these are what connects the steering to the hub now when you turn the wheel the track rod ends push the hubs in the way you want to turn but what happens ball joint on the track rod end get play in it is it allows the wheels to turn slightly on their own left and right now once these have been replaced you will have no problems.
if the ball joints where to break you would lose control of the car as the steering wheel would not turn the wheels as instructed and they would be free to turn any way they liked, this would cause damage to the front wings and the hub costing a fortune to put right, but as it stands the track rod ends cost very little to buy and dont cost much to get replaced.

how ever this isnt the kind of job you can do yourself as you would need to get the tracking set up to ensure the wheels are driving in a strait line as their is adjusters that need to be set up after the track rod ends are fitted.

once you have the track rod ends ( tie rods also known as) fitted you will have no further problems and you will then be in full control of your vehicle it will feel a lot more responsive to your control so this needs doing sooner rather than later.

tie rod ends,replace them

play in the steering wheel for that truck is more than likely caused by worn tie rod ends, and sometimes ball joints. The steering box is least likely to give you problems, unless it had bolts come loose. Check out the tie rod ends first; with the vehicle off, have someone else turn the steering wheel from left to right within that free zone, and look at the joints in the steering linkage. If you see one half of the joint moving more than the other half, you know it need replaced. If you have more questions, or if you need more help, feel free to post a comment, and I'll check up on it so you aren't left hanging.

Genreally speaking the outter tie rod is only worn. The inner connection to the rack is more of a coupling than a rod end. You will need a 22 mm openend wrench and probally a 16mm and a 18mm opened wrench. A set of pliers to remove the old and bend the new cotterpin. Remove wheel cover and loosen the wheel nuts. Jack up the car and place jack stand or wood blocking, (or as a minimum place the wheel you removed) under the car to prevent the car from falling on you while it's in the air. Do not rely on the jack to keep the car up. Cars are heavy. remove wheel Loosen jam nut that locks the tie rod end to the connecting rod of the steering rack, spray adjustment treads with penetetrating oil to help it spin free. You may have to lock the adjustable shaft by the placing wrench on the hex portion of the shaft just inwards of the tread. Remove the cotter pin from the tie rod end. Remove nut. Take hammer and drive the tie rod from the steering knuckle. To help with the alignment of the front wheel try not to move the the steering knucle brake assembly. Unscrew the tie rod , lubricate the tread and in stall the new one. adjust the treads so that the tie rod slides back into the steering knuckle without turning the knuckle. Install the tie rod nut, tighten and secure with new cotterpin. Do not tightnen the jam nut that locks the tie rod nut to the inner adjustment rod for the steering rack, instead place the wheel back on the car, lower car and finish tightnen. with the car lowered, position the car steering wheel straight. Look at right side wheel. You should be able to line the the edges of the front wheel with your eye's with the outside edge of the rear wheel. if this doesn't line up check steering wheel postion. Now after seeing what the wheel alaignment looks like on the right side, go to the left side. If you look along the outside of the left ire and you see the tread of the rear tire , you have to muckh toe out. Lenghten the adjustmne t rod by turning it clockwise. If when you look along the edge of the tire and you don't see the rear tire, turn the rod counter clockwise. Adjust slowly and always check that the steering wheel is in the straight position. Once you have it fairly close to straight, lock the jam nut on the tie rod and take to a wheel alignment company for finishing adjustment. Good luck.

Inner tie rods could make the same noise your describing. Do this......with your car in park and at idle, slightly turn you wheel from left to right, just a slight ****. 1/16 of a turn. Increase the pace from left to right, then slow down the pace. You should feel a bump in the steering wheel almost like something is tapping it. If so, have your inner and outer tie rods checked. Actually, have the steering gear checked also for leaks and wear.

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