Car is a 2001 fake DTS with a steering clunk. There is a GM TSB for the steering shaft to be relubed using a repair kit from GM. The lube did work for about 2500 miles but the clunk came back.

The issue was a very noticable clunk in turns. Low speed. A clunk about every 180 degree turn of the steering wheel. You could hear and feel the clunk.

Turns out the real root cause of the problem is factory handling damage on the slip shaft. Basically nicks on the shaft.

http://images.andale.com/f2/115/106/3768672/1063689766831_clunk_006.jpg

The nicks act as high spots. The high spots wipe out the grease. Then cause a slip/stick bind during low speed turning. Hence the clunk.

The repair is fast and simple. Dress the shaft with a file and 80 grit sand paper. Dont take off too much material...just the nicks. Relube and reinstall.

http://images.andale.com/f2/115/106/3768672/1064288946292_clunk_003.jpg

Kind of sad to see this issue on a 2 year old $44k car. But the problem is now fixed. There has to be a zillion of GM cars running around with this same clunk.

We had to do the job twice. Hopefully this post will help someone only have to do it once.

Logan

hrmmm, My 96 STS has the same problem, it sounds alot like a steering shaft knuckle thats popping and clunking every once in a while. Its normally when i am pulling out of a parking spot, or turnin over small bumps at low speeds. I am sooooo tired of working on cars, i bought this one so i would not have to be jacking with it all the time, and it seems as though I have ben fixing little things since i got it :annoyed:

Brett