Originally Posted by
foama
After looking at the video:
Nothing to worry about!
The noise is created by the die-cast block of metal that pushes on the rack. The rack is the long shaft with teeth on it, inside the steering gearbox, mounted on the front axle body. This block is in a round opening, pushed onto the rack by the crown nut for adjusting it. The nut itself is secured by an almost square ring bolted on it. It is barely accessable unless the steering gear is removed from the car. The block moving horizontally in its hole while turning the steering wheel is causing that noise. The "hole" is slightly larger in diameter than the die cast block. It moves horizontally and thus makes that noise.
The purpose of adjusting the crown nut which pushes the block onto the rack is as follows. The block creates friction to the turning rack, acting as a steering damper for preventing a resonance-like oscillation of the steering. That oscillation can be forced or realized when the crown nut is very much too loose, and the steering turned as in a tight curve, and pressing hard on the gas and letting your hands off the steering wheel, and all that at the same time. Then the steering might oscillate between left and right, and the car body swing heavily from side to side as the car is accelerating. The average driver would be totally surprised or terrified and might lose control. To get the car under control again, the knowledgeable driver would firmly grasp and hold the steering, then oscillation would stop after about two seconds or so.
Since that is terrifying for an average driver, the said block comes very tightly adjusted from the factory to prevent it in all thinkable cases during the entire life of the car. The high friction on the rack is is also the root cause for the "sticky" and poorly self-centering steering!
If you fully understand what is said above, you could loosen the crown nut by about 3/4 of a turn to make the steering less sticky and self-center a lot better. The sound as in the video could become louder, and the pinion gear could rattle on the teeth of the rack, if it were too loose. Then it would be needed to be retightened a little. It is a lot of trial and error to get it right, but about 2/3 to 3/4 loosening would be optimal to find the sweet spot. Btw, a good greasing of the rack on both ends helps a little bit.
Do not do this with the crown nut if you do not absolutely and fully understand what you are doing! All at your very own risk!
That said, on my car the steering is not "sticky" any more since it was adjusted, and it drives/steers so an average person has no problems.