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Hey,
New to this forum and figured I would ask for some input on this. I bought this 2001 Honda Civic EX at the begining of the summer with 115k on it. It now has 130k (YeeHaw!). Since I bought the car I have done a DIY headgasket change, o2 sensor change, IACV change, Fuel pump & filter change, bumper replacements, window trim replacements, sunroof motor replacement, and passenger door lock replacement. Honda did a quality job with this one LOL. Anyway its safe to say I know my car pretty well at this point. One thing I never looked into though was this noise. The car has been making this strange poping noise when I turn the wheel. It's been doing this since I bought it. I figured since the car has not complained in awhile I would finally look into it. Check it out:

 
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I have been driving the car like this since I bought it; it can't be too serious? I suspect cv joint or power steering. Anybody else have this problem?

 
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj307...ature=youtu.be

 
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Power steering for sure! Did you look at the steering rack at all?

 
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P.S. pumps usually whine when they're bad. Can you isolate the noise to the pump if you have someone in the car turning the wheel while you listen to the pump?

Sounds more like a steering rack problem. Have you checked the inner+outer tie-rods? You could try putting the front end on jack stands and turning the wheel with the engine off.

It may not make noise w/no load on the tires but its something to try.

 
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I have a similar noise and suspect (cause i too lazy to check it) it is the "topmount bearing plates".... that's them bearings on the top of the front shocks that allow your coil spring/strut assy to turn.
Have a buddy look at the origin of the noise while you turn the steering. the topmount bearings are easy to check. It could be the rack or intermediate shaft (in column) ....ya never know.... just have a local garage give it a quick look....noises like this are common accross multiple brands so it isn't rocket science.

 
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alright so i had my little brother play racecar driver in the car while i tried to isolate the noise. It seems to be coming from the rack inside the right boot. Perhaps it needs oil? the boot is not broken so I have no idea why it would make a noise while the other boot remains silent.

So I basically jinxed myself with this thread. I was driving home from work today and the tranny completly missed going into third gear. I got a check engine light and a blinking D light. Great. I had a 2003 odyssey that had the transmission FALL OUT of the car while I was driving it so since I have gotten the civic I have been changing the tranny fluid as often as I change the motor oil. Obviously this has not made any kind of a difference. This being said I am no longer concerned about the steering noise as I am about doing a tranny rebuild, but thanks for your help.

This will probablly be the last Honda I will ever own. I have spent more time being a mechanic with these cars than being a computer science major (not that I dont mind being a mechanic: I was actually offered a internship at harely davidson but turned it down). I need to start looking at different brands.

Anyway thanks for all your help guys,