Noticed a groaning/creaking sound that started a few days ago. Tried to diagnose it today, but can’t figure out what it is. It only happens when the steering wheel is centered and turning the wheel in either direction between halfway to one full rotation of the steering wheel. Anymore than that and I don’t hear the sound.
Looked underneath and nothing appears to be loose. I used a paint pen a while back and marked all suspension bolts and none have moved.
I checked power steering fluid and it’s at the correct level. I greased my Total Chaos UCA and put some TriFlow on the uniballs as well. It seems to only happen at low speeds. The noise seems to get louder when there’s more weight in the front (for example: reversing and turning into a parking spot while while facing downhill or driving forward and turning into a parking space when facing downhill). I can slightly feel it through the steering wheel. Everything else drives fine as far as I can tell.
I also researched on this and several other forums specific to similar noises and some have suggested a lower ball joint. I looked at mine and it appears to be in OK condition. I included a video of the noise below.
July 18, 2021 - YouTube