very stiff steering wheel and clunking noise!

[Cesarlcase]

Just want to thank everyone in advance for their input. None the less, One day i noticed a pretty loud knocking sound under my hood while i was driving home,once i got there i realized the long bolt that holds the alternator in place came out just enough to sit on the alt belt as it was spinning. Once i put that back in,the sound was gone...but as i started driving,the steering wheel became extremely stiff especially on left turns where i would also hear a very loud not to mention embarrassing clunking and grinding sound. At the light as i start to go on the gas,i would hear the clunk a bit and then it will disappear. I checked the power steering fluid,it was topped off. I don't know much about handling issues,so please help me out here guys. Thanks again.

 

[90gen1tsi]

I would check your cv's

 

[Cesarlcase]

Just the cv joint? Nothing else I should check

Ok so I read about the symptoms of a bad cv and it's definitely the problem... Is this a dyi kinda job? Can you guys tell me how to get on with this process. Thanks

 

[NeMiZiS]

Sounds like your power steering belt/pump may be out.
The clunking sounds like it could be ball joints, very common issue with 2G's.
There is even an OEM recall on them.
Check them out because if they go out, you might loose the wheel.
Also inspect the CV shafts, make sure the boots aren't all dried out and cracking etc.

 

[90gen1tsi]

The CV's are the first thing I normally check when talking about a clicking noise and stiff turning... But NeMiZiS is right on other things to consider. I would jack up the front end and move stuff around, you may be able to see the problem.

 

[Cesarlcase]

Sounds like your power steering belt/pump may be out.
The clunking sounds like it could be ball joints, very common issue with 2G's.
There is even an OEM recall on them.
Check them out because if they go out, you might loose the wheel.
Also inspect the CV shafts, make sure the boots aren't all dried out and cracking etc.

Yeah the ball joints were replaced under the recall. I'm not home for a while, but have a good feeling it's the cv joint.. I get the bumpy ride from a dead stop... So how difficult is it to replace?

 

[90gen1tsi]

Easiest and probably just as cheap to replace the whole axle... Not a hard job though. Just pull off the stuff in the way (tire, spindle nut, tie rod, take off the strut mount) and you should be able to move the Knuckle assembly far enough to pull the axle out of it then pop the axle out with a pry bar put the new one back in. It is a little more difficult to get the axle out on the long side on a 1g but I don't know about the 2g... With the 1g you have to pop the long side axle out with a mallet. (you also have to undo another bracket in the middle of the axle on the 1g long side.) Same concept with any trans axle though.