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My car is creaking whenever I turn at slow speeds, and I'm almost certain that its the power steering rack and pinion (and probably sway bar) bushings that's causing the noise.

Question: If they are not cracked or damaged can I just lubricate them? My concern is that this might stop the noise while at the same time prevent the bushings from working properly.

Don't think this matters, but my car is a 2011 Honda Civic with about 100,000 miles.

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    Rubber bushings are not usually lubricated. Are you talking about the rubber bushings that mount the parts to the body? What makes you think it is the bushings?
    – HandyHowie
    Jan 7, 2019 at 8:02
  • How have you concluded that the problem lies with the steering bushes and not, for example, the top mounts?
    – Steve Matthews
    Jan 7, 2019 at 12:38
  • @HandyHowie Yes, the ones that mount the power steering rack. Maybe I was too quick to judgement here. When I jack up the car so the wheels are off the ground, I turn the wheel and the creaking noise sounds like its coming from the center of the car. I thought that maybe it could be the inner tie rods, but they feel solid. I didn't remove the boot or disconnect the outer tie rod to check for play, so I probably didn't inspect them thoroughly enough. Any suggestions?
    – matt stokes
    Jan 7, 2019 at 16:36
  • The only thing you can do yourself is to get someone to turn the steering wheel while you listen closely to identify what is making the noise. Make sure you have the car supported well if you need to go underneath.
    – HandyHowie
    Jan 7, 2019 at 16:44
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    The strut top bearing can fail which can cause a creaking sound when the steering is turned, so try lifting the hood and listen to the top of the inner wheel arches.
    – HandyHowie
    Jan 7, 2019 at 16:47

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The strut top bearing can fail which can cause a creaking sound when the steering is turned, so try lifting the hood and listen to the top of the inner wheel arches.

The bearings are usually part of a mount. I believe the ones on you car look like this -

enter image description here

To remove them you will need some coil spring compressors. When I have done this job previously on other cars, it has not been a difficult job.

While doing this job, it would probably be a good time to check the condition of other components on strut, for example, once the spring is removed, the damper can be tested.

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