Click Noise When Turning Steering Wheel

[Spang550]

I have a 2022 Mach 1 with 31k miles on the odometer. I’ve had an ongoing issues that seems to have become more noticeable in the past month or so where there is a slight click sound in the steering wheel. I have to be moving to hear it and it sounds more in cabin than anything. I notice it most when making slight adjustments off center especially to the lest and also occasionally on full lock to lock. It’s usually a single click. I actually noticed it probably 10 or so thousand miles ago but I moved the wheel around and it seemed to go away. That fix now isn’t working. Any thoughts? I am stopping by my local performance shop tomorrow to have them test drive it just to give their thoughts.

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[Johnny Rockit]

In the old school cars if it happened I just pulled the wheel and lubed the ring so the brushes slid along smoothly. No idea if these wheels use the same tech as years ago. Mine feels gritty when I turn it but no clicking.

 

[Spang550]

In the old school cars if it happened I just pulled the wheel and lubed the ring so the brushes slid along smoothly. No idea if these wheels use the same tech as years ago. Mine feels gritty when I turn it but no clicking.

could be! I’d love for it to be that simple.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

could be! I’d love for it to be that simple.

If it is rings and brushes there are a lot of them.

 

[Rod Schneider]

No rings and brushes at all, everything is wired through a "clock spring" that moves with the steering wheel.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

Does it click in one spot going both ways with each rotation of the wheel?

 

[Spang550]

Does it click in one spot going both ways with each rotation of the wheel?

Generally but the sound is less intermittent when turning left

 

[geep81]

I would suspect the clock spring, had this issue about 20 years ago in a Lincoln LS. Clicked/ticked when turning, mostly one direction. It was the clock spring winding and unwinding causing it.

A while after the ticking started buttons on the steering wheel started to work intermittently.

 

[Spang550]

I would suspect the clock spring, had this issue about 20 years ago in a Lincoln LS. Clicked/ticked when turning, mostly one direction. It was the clock spring winding and unwinding causing it.

A while after the ticking started buttons on the steering wheel started to work intermittently.

based on this thread and a bit more research I am inclined to think that too. My Mustang performance shop also agreed with that assessment. They are out racing at Daytona and Laguna Seca the next two weekends but when they get back they are gonna get in their and confirm

 

[Skye]

As a reference, attached are photos showing the internals of the clock spring assembly.

In the example displayed, the wiring inside the mechanism is broken, which was driving a replacement.

Edit,

The orange connectors of the assembly are Ford's way of identifying plugs involved with an airbag.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Here is the bare steering column out of a 2015 Mustang and essentially the same as any 2016-current day Mustang.

I found the below images online for display/discussion purposes.

The first image as seen, is how the unit looks installed in the vehicle if looking at it from the engine bay, passenger side. The large black metal encasement is a bearing assembly and that section meets the firewall, with the open ended joint protruding through to the interior and gets secured to the bottom of the interior steering column shaft.

The other end with the small rubber "rag joint" as they call it, is what attaches to the EPAS shaft. That shaft is collapsible as seen because it has to be in the event of a major front impact.

Any binding or noises the driver is feeling or hearing could be attributed to these 2 parts of this column assembly. The joints at each end should be 100% tight and secure into their respective shafts (interior side and exterior side). Binding from suspension components would also create feedback in the column from EPAS.

As @Skye pointed out above this post, the S550 Mustang also has an SCCM -
Steering Column Control Module, which is this part (common "clock spring")::
https://www.oemford.parts/oem-parts/ford-column-housing-jr3z3f791ha
It really shouldn't be causing any noises, but it's another part of the steering assembly that can fail

---

Hope that gives some more visual to the steering shaft assembly and insight to how things are interconnected. If you need more EPAS/PSCM knowledge, I had created this technical reference thread for the EPAS unit a while back, which contains a lot of info for the EPAS/PSCM diagnosis, issues, and DIY stuff:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/s550-epas-pscm-tech-accumulation.160616/

 

[Spang550]

Btw my shop confirmed, clock spring is going bad. Pretty easy fix.

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