No grease on the steering joints from the factory..... that was the problem!

I took my '04 FX4 in for the third time to have them solve the annoying little clicking sound coming from the column.

The sound was most noticable when making a slight left-hand turn... the sound could not be duplicated sitting still.

The first time they just "lubed" the column....... noise came back in a few days.

The second time they replaced the clock spring which had gone bad since the first attempt... the clock spring sound was more of a grinding noise and could be reproduced while sitting still. The clicking noise was still there.

The third trip I had the head mechanic drive the truck and we reproduced the noise alot. He admitted that that was not normal and would be quite annoying. They removed the entire steering column which is made up of three sections with two joints.... the first time they lubed the joints, they used WD-40 which didn't last. The head mechanic said that was an improper lubricant. He lubed the joints with white lithium grease........... which had NOT been put on at the factory.

Simple fix, once you know the problem!!!!!!!!!!

 

Good to hear they fixed it.

 

Good to know. I have the same issue. It almost feels squeaky or scratchy when I turn the steering wheel barely to the left or right of center. I can hear it with the radio off.