Regal V6-3.8L VIN K (1997)
Steering Gear: All Technical Service Bulletins
A Clunk/Rattle/Pop Heard While Driving or Low Speed Maneuvers
A CLUNK/RATTLE/POP HEARD DURING LOW SPEED MANEUVERS OR WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD (1998 OLDSMOBILE
INTRIGUE)
This noise in it's various forms is likely to be caused by either under-torqued bolts in the front strut mounts or by an older intermediate shaft. The
following is how to distinguish between the two possible causes:
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Begin diagnosis by verifying the torque of the front strut mounting bolts which may have been under-torqued during assembly.
TIGHTEN
Tighten the front strut mounting bolts to 33 Nm (24 lb ft).
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If the clunk"rattle remains once the mounting bolts are correctly torqued, the cause may be a second condition with the intermediate shaft. Before
it can be heard, this condition can be felt as a sharp knocking or tapping feel in the steering wheel. Eventually it will become an audible rattle or
tapping. This noise is most obvious at low speed. The rattle or tapping is heard when driving over a series of small bumps, but may change to a
clunk or pop with light brake application or acceleration.
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This condition may be caused by an insufficient distribution of lubricant between the mating splines of the slider shaft.
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The correction is to replace the intermediate shaft with one built since the middle of October, 1998. Check the shaft's date code to assure it is a
good shaft. The code can be recognized by the fact that it is laser-etched, rather than stamped on the end of the shaft. The shaft must have been
built on or later than the 280th day of 1995 (example: "282A8"). In this example, the "282" represents the 282nd day and the final "8" represents
1998.
Important: Do not remove the intermediate shaft to examine or perform any operation that will "stroke" the shaft. This movement of the slider joint,
past normal in-car positioning, will redistribute the grease on the shaft and temporarily eliminate the condition. The only way to permanently repair the
vehicle is to replace the shaft if it is identified as one of the early shafts prone to this condition.
