E92 - Dead Center - Steering Clunk

Gogochomps1 · 03-18-2026, 07:54 PM

Can someone please help? I have a small amount of dead center in my steering wheel. When the car is on accessories and I turn the steering wheel, there are a few degrees of free movement to the left before I’m met with a very obvious clunk — almost as if I’ve hit the steering lock, except I haven’t. Turning it clockwise produces a slightly less noticeable clunk. If I shake the steering wheel left and right repeatedly, I get an obvious clunking noise that gets louder the faster I drive.

I lifted the front of the car and slowly moved the steering wheel left and right, gradually reducing the input until I could see that the intermediate shaft was rotating but the tie rod ends weren’t moving — leading us to think the issue was with the steering rack. However, once the car was back on the ground, the wheels would move slightly and the clunk returned.

I then tried moving the intermediate shaft (which has two universal joints attached to it) and noticed some play and a clunking noise. I traced this to the steering column’s metal shaft moving in and out and slightly side to side. So firstly, is there anything I can do to adjust or fix this? Secondly, is this likely the source of the clunk I’m hearing when turning the steering wheel, given that the noise seems to be coming from the engine side of the firewall?

Could this be a steering rack thrust bushing issue and/or worn inner or outer tie rod ends?

On a separate note, I also get a suspension squeak from the left front area when going over bumps or small dips in the road. I recently replaced both front springs (lowering springs), and the radius and lower control arms on both sides. When I changed the springs, I reset the control arm positions to match the new ride height
Here are all the videos of the noise, I tired them accordingly. Any help is very appreciated. Sorry for all the videos
I have electric steering as a side note.
E92 330d 2010 (my11)
this is the steering wheel noise from inside the car
This is the steering noise from the engine bay
This is the noise from turning the steering wheel from underneath the car
This is the steering coloum movement I get from grabbing and moving the upper intermediate shaft

03-18-2026, 07:54 PM	#1
Gogochomps1 Registered 1 Rep 2 Posts Drives: BMW E92 330d 2010 (MY11) Join Date: Mar 2026 Location: Berowra iTrader: (0)	E92 - Dead Center - Steering Clunk - bump/blunk noise over bumps Can someone please help? I have a small amount of dead center in my steering wheel. When the car is on accessories and I turn the steering wheel, there are a few degrees of free movement to the left before I’m met with a very obvious clunk — almost as if I’ve hit the steering lock, except I haven’t. Turning it clockwise produces a slightly less noticeable clunk. If I shake the steering wheel left and right repeatedly, I get an obvious clunking noise that gets louder the faster I drive. I lifted the front of the car and slowly moved the steering wheel left and right, gradually reducing the input until I could see that the intermediate shaft was rotating but the tie rod ends weren’t moving — leading us to think the issue was with the steering rack. However, once the car was back on the ground, the wheels would move slightly and the clunk returned. I then tried moving the intermediate shaft (which has two universal joints attached to it) and noticed some play and a clunking noise. I traced this to the steering column’s metal shaft moving in and out and slightly side to side. So firstly, is there anything I can do to adjust or fix this? Secondly, is this likely the source of the clunk I’m hearing when turning the steering wheel, given that the noise seems to be coming from the engine side of the firewall? Could this be a steering rack thrust bushing issue and/or worn inner or outer tie rod ends? On a separate note, I also get a suspension squeak from the left front area when going over bumps or small dips in the road. I recently replaced both front springs (lowering springs), and the radius and lower control arms on both sides. When I changed the springs, I reset the control arm positions to match the new ride height Here are all the videos of the noise, I tired them accordingly. Any help is very appreciated. Sorry for all the videos I have electric steering as a side note. E92 330d 2010 (my11) this is the steering wheel noise from inside the car This is the steering noise from the engine bay This is the noise from turning the steering wheel from underneath the car This is the steering coloum movement I get from grabbing and moving the upper intermediate shaft Last edited by Gogochomps1; 03-18-2026 at 08:18 PM..
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote