Is It Normal for a Mercedes-Benz to Have Steering Gear Noise When the Engine Is Hot?
3 Answers
It is not normal for a Mercedes-Benz to have steering gear noise when the engine is hot, and it requires timely inspection and repair; otherwise, it may affect the normal operation of the vehicle. The steering gear is also known as the vehicle steering mechanism. Rack and Pinion Steering Gear: This is one of the most common types of steering gears. Its basic structure consists of a pair of meshing pinion and rack. When the steering shaft drives the pinion to rotate, the rack moves linearly. Sometimes, the rack directly drives the tie rod, enabling the steering wheels to turn. Therefore, this is the simplest type of steering gear. Its advantages include simple structure, low cost, sensitive steering, compact size, and the ability to directly drive the tie rod. It is widely used in automobiles. Worm and Sector Steering Gear: This type of steering gear uses a worm as the driving component and a sector (or peg) as the driven component. The worm has trapezoidal threads, and a finger-like tapered peg is supported by bearings on the sector, which is integrated with the pitman arm shaft. During steering, the rotation of the steering wheel turns the worm, causing the tapered peg embedded in the worm's spiral groove to rotate on its own while moving in an arc around the pitman arm shaft. This drives the sector and pitman arm to swing, thereby turning the steering wheels through the steering linkage. This type of steering gear is typically used in heavy-duty trucks that require greater steering force.
A squeaky steering wheel after the car warms up is definitely not normal, and I have to talk about this issue. My Mercedes also had a similar problem—it would start creaking once it got warm. Actually, there are quite a few reasons for such noises. It could be due to gear wear inside the steering gear creating gaps, or aging and dry friction in the tie rod ball joints. This is especially noticeable in electric power steering models, where the issue becomes more pronounced after the motor heats up during operation. For hydraulic power steering, checking the power steering pump's performance as the oil temperature rises is also crucial. Even if the noise is minor, it shouldn’t be ignored, as steering failure is no small matter. Later, I took my car to the dealership for a full inspection and found that the noise was caused by dust entering through a torn dust boot. Spending a little over 800 yuan to replace the boot kit fixed the problem. I recommend you get it checked as soon as possible—don’t wait until the steering becomes a bigger issue to address it.
A squeaky Mercedes steering wheel after warming up should absolutely raise alarms. I've handled numerous similar cases where owners often report creaking noises starting after about half an hour of driving. Common issues include insufficient lubrication in the steering column universal joint causing friction noises, or loose steering gear mounting bolts. One key detail is that the noise tends to be more noticeable in summer than winter, caused by thermal expansion of rubber bushings. The noise may also occur when the electric power steering system activates its overheating protection. Last week, I encountered a case where the owner initially reported only slight clicking sounds, but within two weeks the steering became extremely heavy. Disassembly revealed severe rack wear. Such problems become cheaper to fix the earlier they're addressed - waiting until the entire steering gear needs replacement could cost five figures. Getting timely inspections is the wise choice.
