Just wondered if anyone could shed some light on this.
I have a Grande Punto (2006) and recently, whenever at a standstill, or just pulling away, if I am steering towards the left, a grinding noise can be heard and felt on the steering wheel. It stops as soon as the speed picks up.
It doesnt happen if the car is moving, or turning right.

Dont know if its connected, but a couple of weeks ago, as I ws pulling away from being parked for a short while, the power steering failed and the emergency light illuminated. I restarted the engine, an all was ok again.

I am having it checked on Friday, but any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Good practice is not to turn the steering wheel unless the car is moving. It puts extreme loads through the steering rack, TREs, ball joints and top mounts.

I'd suspect a top mount bearing.

Top Mount and bearing, it was.
Replacement part was £30 +vat.
Phew!

Hi all,

This sounds like the problem my car has developed. Grinding/groaning noise only when turning the steering wheel to the left. More pronounced when moving forwards at slow speeds than at higher speeds but this could be due to the noise being masked by wind and tyre noise. It's only when the steering wheel is turning; if the car is moving and steering is already to the left but the wheel is not being turned then it doesn't make any noise.

To me it sounds like a bearing, but I don't understand why it would only be in one direction. Can anyone explain?

Thanks

The above answers your question imho.Each front suspension leg has its own 'top mount and bearing'..

Hi nikrox,

Maybe to you but it's not clear to me. Each suspension leg has a strut top bearing, but they both move regardless of which way the steering wheel is turning. So if they turn and make noise when turning left why don't they make noise when turning right?

I'm not trying to say that "top mount and bearing" is the wrong answer, I'm trying to understand why it's the right one.

Thanks

Try putting one front side of the car in the air..say on an axle stand..and turn the wheel..Im thinking that the load/weight of the car will put the pressure on the top mount and replicate the noise.
Then do the same for the other side..
If it makes the noise then is a good indicator that its the top mount bearing.

They are mechanical parts at the end of the day..

WHY do they breakdown?..usual I guess.Wear and tear.Dry bearings.Water ingress. Poor quality bearings.Age etc the list goes on.

Im not saying it is a top mount bearing but its where id start as its simple enough to check.imho that is.

Good advice thanks, I'll try that.
I decided to activate City mode and see if that affected the noise, and surprisingly the noise is not present when city mode is active (it lightens the steering).
Still, I'll check the top mounts first.
Cheers

Maybe check the power steering pump and fluid level

There's a pump and fluid?! I thought the GP was electric PAS and when I looked in the engine bay the only fluid containers I could see were coolant, brake and washer. Mine is a 2005 1.4 8v.

it is electric..I recently changed one...

Ah there you go

Hi all,
Just to say that I replaced my PAS unit for other reasons (sensor fault) and this graunching sound has gone as well! Great news.
Cheers

Pleased you sorted it. Surprised that you didnt get any dash warning lights with a failing electronic steering unit tbh.
But well done.

Hi nikrox,

Thanks, I'm glad too


Yes I'm surprised there were no warning lights as well. After I replaced the columns there were some new codes but they were no longer present, so possibly they appeared after I cleaned the contacts on the old unit (U0001, U1700 and U1701 IIRC) but I thought I had checked again with AlfaOBD and the only fault was still the steering angle sensor one.

The steering is now noticeably heavier; I've not tried city mode yet. Anyway, graunching sound has definitely gone


Cheers

The steerings heavier than it was when it was working ok before?...When my daughters unit broke it was like driving a car without power steering..right old heavy bus..

Heavier yes but not by a lot - it's definitely still power assisted. In City mode I can feel the difference. So I presume it will just take a little time to loosen up... like all cars eventually get loose!

maybe...daft ask but are the tyre pressures ok?..

not daft at all !!

Tyres pressures are fine, but anyway I've been using the car daily, it's still been fine to use, which is how I easily noticed the difference from before to after the replacement of the PAS unit.

AFAIK this is perfectly normal degradation. Most bearings are actually stiffer when they're new*. As the grease gets older it starts to break down and lose its structure which makes the bearing looser. When the grease has broken down so much that it no longer protects the bearing surfaces (and can escape from the bearing) this is when noises start to become apparent. Eventually, when there is not even enough grease to lubricate the bearing it will become much noisier and stiffer and quickly fail.


I think my PAS unit had got to the third stage (noise but still sufficient lubrication).

*Some greases actually get stickier and thicker as they degrade.

Cheers