I've had my Evo for 8 years and never had any problems during the winter, but it was really icy this morning and I slid into a curb with the passenger side. It starts, runs goes into all gears, no body damage, but something with the steering broke because the steering wheel free spins and I am unable to steer. I was going approximately 5 mph and there doesn't appear to be any other damage. Has this happened to anyone before? I filled a claim and am just wondering what the best course of action should be since I will be bringing it to a shop tomorrow.

 

i may have been under 5mph when i slid into a curb at like a 35* angle or less. the front passenger side wheel was parallel to the curb when impact occurred. afterwards, it sounded like, a bicycle's brake pads rubbing on its rim. not constant, but pulsating as if it were a very slightly bent rim. it would make that sound from 0-35mph and then disappear. when turning left, it sounded like the tire was rubbing on something along with vibrations transmitted trough the steering wheel but these symptoms occurred only on tighter turns like exit ramps at around 40mph or higher and not at lower speeds. does anyone have a clue as to what it could be?

 

Most likely just an inner or outter tie rod on the side that was hit. Things only cost like $20-$60 each and then you require an Alignment afterwards. But then there's the other possibility which isn't very common that you could have stripped/broke a bunch of teeth/gears in the steering rack. But I'd start with the tie rods first because they're the cheapest to do.

 

Could have bent an axle up a little bit.

 

If the steering wheel free spins, and you only impacted one side, it's likely that you damaged a component of the steering rack.

If it were a tie rod, or ball joint, one wheel would still be connected, and you'd feel drag on the steering system.

Depending on how the impact was absorbed, you may want to check to see that the base of the steering shaft (inside the cabin) is connected. There's a sliding sheath on it that is designed to allow it to collapse in the event of an accident. I can't imagine it collapsed, but if it were improperly adjusted initially, and you jarred the steering rack enough, it may have popped the knuckle off of the splines.

DO BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL! Be sure to disconnect the battery as you're tampering with a system that may have an airbag sensor set to it (I'm adding this because I honestly have no idea whether it does or doesn't, but better safe than sorry). Steering wheels (and faces) are expensive to stitch up.