There is a grinding noise when I turn my wheel

Asked by PQ Oct 01, 2012 at 05:32 PM about the 2004 Buick Rainier

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2004 Buick Rainier. 2 days ago when i was making a turn it felt like it was stuck and it was grinding as i turned and had to give more gas to complete the turn. It happens either direction I turn in. I went to the mechanic and he found one of my tie rods was bad (not broken). He explained that was not the problem but I still had him fix it. It is still doing it just not as bad. He said he was unsure of the problem. He said it was like i was locked in 4 wheel drive but it was nothing dangerous. It is very annoying and concerning. I also checked the power steering fluid and it was full. Any suggestions?

2 Answers

160

I have this same problem and luckily came across a mechanic that had fixed it before. In my case my ex had been driving with a low tire for a few days. It was explained to me that a low tire technically has a smaller circumference, since the bottom is compressed inward, to the cars sensors it doesn't say "oops, low tire." it says "woah that tire needs more rpm to keep up with the rest (large cylinder vs. small cylinder in comparison to the tire sizes and needed rpm to go a certain speed) It must be slipping! so it turns on your automatic 4 wheel drive. Now, you're on dry ground as this is happening which is BAD, this ruins the motor that kicks in the 4 wheel drive, the clutch mechanism within gets ruined when the plates warp and been, which makes the automatic 4 wheel drive turn on at all times. What you need to do is bring it to a mechanic and have them drain the fluid from the automatic 4 wheel drive motor, if it's black, the clutch is ruined. This can be fixed by taking the motor off and saying "goodbye" to your automatic 4 wheel drive, or by replacing the motor and clutch system. If you let it go on long enough it could ruin the transfer casing which is extra expensive on the 04 ranier because it's made from a solid block of aluminum as opposed to cast metal like a majority of other cars. Sorry for the long post, hope it helps!! ...had to make a stupid account to post this

16 people found this helpful.
30

I had this problem in my 2004 buick rainier. I had the cv joints replaced and it helped but it didnt fix it. Finally i did more research. The buick rainier has sensors around the front hub assembly, they are called ABS Speed sensors. to replace them is about $60 each sensor. so its about $120. it is very easy to put on. you can just youtube it. I hope this helps!

3 people found this helpful.

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