My cousin's G35S (2007 6MT 50k miles) started making a weird thumping noise from the front left side of the car when the wheel is turned max to the left and when (at least slightly) accelerating - and only then. My cousin also described to me something like "something wrong with the steering" not much info but probably important.

I jacked the car up and I noticed two things (both when the wheels are turned to the max to either left or right - when reaching the limit):

1: the rear bushing of the lower wishbone moves (both sides) and the bushing is soft to the touch

2: the steering rack moves (upward) - I only checked that from the left side of the car.

none of these seem normal to me but at the same time the weirdness of the possible explanation (bad wishbone and steering rack bushings at 50k miles ...) made me ask other people

Any help/suggestions/ideas highly appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

maybe this|?
http://x.infinitihelp.com/forum/show...92.html?t=6992

 

Actually, the automatic response for that symptom would be the CV joint - not applicable just like the transfer case possibility - the car is RWD not AWD and the noise is from the front.

After thinking about it (overnight), the question becomes: is the steering rack suppose to move at all (in any car)?

Thanks for the answer though (my first reaction was: aaaah, the search button, noob mistake!)!

 

maybe the bearing problem, check it.

 

I had a problem where I could feel and hear a clunk when I turned my steering wheel all the way to the right. It ended up that the power steering rack was slightly leaking and the dealer replaced it under warranty.

Check the power steering fluid level and see if it is lower and make sure the power steering rack isn't leaking. Plus, you can take it to the dealership and your car is still under warranty (6yr/70k miles) for powertrain, which includes the problem you're describing.

 

My cousin is second owner - not sure if the warranty is transferable.
The power steering fluid WAS low (now I remember) two weeks ago when she passed by.
However, by some weird coincidence (I was selling something on Craigslist to someone and this guy came along with the buyer) I got to talk to a mechanic who (according to him, I can't see any reason he would lie) works a lot with Gs and he said it's not uncommon for BOTH the lower control arm AND steering rack bushings to go bad fairly quick (50k miles in this case).
Long story short is this:
She'll pass by sometime soon so I can help her change the brake pads (at which point I'll check the P/S fluid again). I'll also check for uneven tire wear. If everything looks somewhat normal, she'll drive it a bit more before fixing it. If the car is still under warranty, right before the warranty expires, if not, until more severe signs show up (a lot of P/S fluid loss, more noises, uneven tire wear etc.)

Thanks for all the help/ideas!

 

I was the second owner too. The warranty is transferrable. Just have the dealer replace the power steering rack. Now that you're saying the fluid is low, it must be a leaky steering rack.

When it happened to me my power steering fluid was low too. Bad lower control arms and steering rack bushings won't cause you to lose fluid.

 

Look into rack and pinion aswell

 

oooofffff that sounds troubling... I personally don't think it's the bearings because even with
bad bearings you should notice the smallest difference in the ride even going straight or traveling at high speeds (such as shaking etc.). Could it be a control arm, tie rod or even the front struts? Any leaks from the struts?

 

Sorry for the thread revive, but looks like similar situation for me. Fluid is at the min cold line, but not low yet. What ended up being the solution? I'm 4 months out of warranty, sadly.