Dodge Nitro. Manual — part 890

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13. Damaged engine
cradle/crossmember.

13. Inspect the cradle/crossmember for
cracks or other damage. Replace as
necessary.

POPPING NOISE

1. Loose steering gear mounting
fasteners.

1. Check fasteners for proper torque and
retighten as necessary.

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2. Loose outer tie rod mounting nut
or jam nut.

2. Check fastener torque. Replace nuts
as necessary and tighten to
specifications.

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3. Loose intermediate (steering)
shaft coupling at gear input shaft.

3. Make sure coupling is fully seated on
gear input shaft. Retighten or re-seat as
necessary.

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4. Worn tie rod (outer or inner).

4. For evaluation and correction, see
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING.

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5. Worn axle half-shaft.

5. For evaluation and correction, refer
to DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING .

CHIRP OR SQUEAL
(POWER STEERING
PUMP)

1. Loose power steering pump drive
belt.

1. Inspect belt. Replace belt if worn or
glazed. Tighten/adjust power steering
pump drive belt if equipped with a
manual tensioner.

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2. Pulley alignment incorrect.

2. Realign accessory drives.

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3. Malfunctioning belt auto-
tensioner

3. Verify belt tension. Replace belt
auto-tensioner.

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4. Power steering pump noisy (worn
bearing/bushing noise).

4. Using an electronic listening tool,
determine if noise is coming from
pump. Replace power steering pump as
required.

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5. Generator or water pump noisy.

5. Using an electronic listening tool,
determine if noise is coming from
Generator or water pump. Replace
faulty component.

WHINE, GROWL, MOAN
OR GROAN (POWER
STEERING PUMP)***

1. Low power steering fluid level.

1. Fill power steering fluid reservoir to
proper level and check for leaks (make
sure all air is bled from the system
fluid).

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2. Air in power steering fluid.

2. Inspect for excessive air bubbles in
fluid (fluid will appear foamy and
lighter in color). Inspect hoses for leaks
and replace as necessary. Bleed air from
fluid. See STANDARD
PROCEDURE.

3. Power steering hose touching
body or frame of vehicle.

3. For evaluation and correction, see
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING.

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4. Wear of power steering pump
internal components.

4. For evaluation and correction, see
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING.

COLD START WHINE
OR MOAN (POWER

1. Low power steering fluid level.

1. Fill power steering fluid reservoir to
proper level and check for leaks (make

2007 Dodge Nitro R/T

2007 STEERING Steering System - Nitro

STEERING PUMP)***

sure all air is bled from the system
fluid).

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2. Extremely low ambient
temperature (near 0°F (-18°C) or
below)

2. Some noise is expected as pump
attempts to pull cold, thick fluid. Noise
should go away as vehicle warms up.
Acceptable levels of excessive noise are
one second at 0°F (-18°C) and 15
seconds at -20°F (-29°C). If noise is
excessive, look for poor sealing on the
return hose or a possible fluid leak.

SQUEAKING OR
RUBBING SOUND

1. Steering column shroud or shaft
rubbing.

1. While turning the steering wheel,
listen down column to locate. Check
interference between moving
components. Move or realign shrouds
or shaft as necessary. Replace
components if this does not correct
problem.

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2. Clockspring inside steering
column noisy.

2. Remove clockspring and reinstall
steering wheel for testing. If noise is
gone, replace clockspring.

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3. Boot/dash seal lubrication
inadequate.

3. Remove boot seal and recheck for
noise. Lubricate seal as necessary.

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4. Steering gear outer tie rod noisy. 4. While a helper turns the steering

wheel, use an electronic listening tool to
determine if noise is coming from either
outer tie rod. Replace outer tie rods as
necessary.

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5. Steering gear internally noisy.

5. Remove dash seal boot, then exercise
the steering wheel. If noise is still
present at gear, replace steering gear.

SCRUBBING OR
KNOCKING SOUND.

1. Incorrect tire or wheel size.

1. Replace incorrect size tire or wheel
with original equipment size.

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2. Worn motor or transmission
mount.

2. Drive vehicle, moving accelerator
pedal rapidly up and down attempting
to locate noise. Try in both forward and
reverse. Replace mounts as necessary.

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3. Tires contacting wheel well.

3. Make sure wheel house is properly
positioned. If not, reposition as
necessary. If steering wheel is properly
centered, check steering gear travel left
to right by rotating the steering wheel to
each stop. Steering wheel should rotate
the same amount in both directions
from center. If not, replace steering
gear.

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4. Interference between moving

4. Check for bent or misaligned

2007 Dodge Nitro R/T

2007 STEERING Steering System - Nitro

PERFORMANCE ISSUES

steering components and other
components.

components. Correct or replace as
necessary.

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5. Accessory drive pulley rubbing
against another component.

5. Check pulleys for wear. Check for
worn engine or transmission mount.
Reposition components or replace
mounts as necessary.

NOTE:

* There is some noise in all power steering systems. One of the most common
is a hissing sound evident when turning the steering wheel when at a standstill
or when parking and the steering wheel is at the end of its travel. Hiss is a very
high frequency noise similar to that experienced while slowly closing a water
tap. The noise is present in every valve and results when high velocity fluid
passes valve orifice edges. There is no relationship between this noise and the
performance of the steering system.

NOTE:

** A light clunk may be felt or heard during steering wheel reversal while vehicle
is stationary. This results from internal steering gear rack movement at the
bushings and in no way affects the performance of the steering system. This
movement may be felt in the steering components during steering wheel
reversal.

NOTE:

*** Power steering pump growl/moan/groan results from the development of
high pressure fluid flow. Normally this noise level should not be high enough to
be objectionable.

CONDITION

POSSIBLE CAUSES

EVALUATION/CORRECTION

STEERING WHEEL OR
COLUMN HAS
FREEPLAY/LASH/LOOSENESS
(CLUNKING OR RATTLING)

1. Loose coupling pinch bolt
at gear input shaft.

1. Check pinch bolt torque. Replace
pinch bolt if equipped with thread
locker patch and tighten to
specifications.

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2. Power steering gear loose
on cradle/crossmember.

2. Inspect gear mounting bolts. Replace
if necessary and tighten to
specifications.

3. Excessive freeplay or noise
from steering column
bearings.

3. Replace steering column.

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4. Excessive intermediate
(steering) shaft coupling u-
joint free-play.

4. Rotate steering wheel back-and-forth
while watching coupling. Observe for
free-play. Replace intermediate shaft as
necessary.

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5. Loose or worn outer tie
rod.

5. For evaluation and correction, see
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING.

6. For evaluation, refer to

2007 Dodge Nitro R/T

2007 STEERING Steering System - Nitro

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6. Lack of lubrication in
lower ball joint or ball joint is
damaged.

DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING .
Lubricate ball joint if equipped with a
zerk fitting and check for function. If
not equipped with a zerk fitting, test
and replace ball joint as necessary.

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7. Excessive lash inside
steering gear.

7. Disconnect intermediate shaft and
turn steering gear input shaft. Observe
for any movement without a
corresponding tire movement. Replace
steering gear as necessary.

STEERING WHEEL HAS FORE
AND AFT LOOSENESS.

1. Steering wheel retaining
bolt loose.

1. Check steering wheel retaining bolt
torque and tighten to specifications as
necessary.

2. Loose steering column to
instrument panel fasteners.

2. Check steering column to instrument
panel fastener torque and tighten to
specifications as necessary.

3. Steering column lower
bearing spring retainer
slipped on steering column
shaft.

3. Pull steering wheel fore-and-aft
while observing movement. Replace
steering column as necessary.

STEERING WHEEL, DASH OR
VEHICLE VIBRATES DURING
STEERING MANEUVERS
(ESPECIALLY AT LOW SPEED
OR STANDSTILL).

1. Air in power steering fluid. 1. Inspect for excessive air bubbles in

fluid (fluid will appear foamy and
lighter in color). Inspect hoses for leaks
and replace as necessary. Bleed air
from fluid. See STANDARD
PROCEDURE.

2. Tire(s) not properly
inflated.

2. Check and inflate tires to the
specified pressure.

3. Excessive engine vibration. 3. Ensure that the engine is tuned

properly.

4. Loose tie rod end jam nut. 4. Check torque and tighten the inner to

outer tie rod jam nut to specifications.

5. Overcharged air
conditioning (A/C) system.

5. Turn A/C off and verify issue goes
away. Repair A/C as necessary.

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6. Grounded, damaged or
loose engine mount.

6. Visually inspect for damaged or
misaligned mounts. Check fastener
torque. Replace, realign or retighten as
necessary.

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7. Loose or worn outer tie
rod.

7. For evaluation and correction, see
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING.

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8. Steering gear noisy.

8. During a parking event at 0 mph,
verify there is vibration only with
steering. Steer in both directions and
verify that the noise follows the
steering input. Check TSB's for any
known issues. Replace steering gear as

2007 Dodge Nitro R/T

2007 STEERING Steering System - Nitro