Steering wheel creak comes and goes
 

Was driving the other day - nice, sunny, hot day and about a half hour into my drive, my car started creaking as I turned the wheel. In town, it was loud! Creak creak, groan groan. I parked it, went into my meeting and when I came out a couple hours later, no creak! Took it out yesterday and again, no creak.

So - is there something that would cause a very loud and obvious creak when the sun is out and it's hot? Is some rubber getting loose and stretched so it creaks, but when colder, it's tighter?

I want to get it fixed, but my guy can't fix a problem he can't find, and if it's not creaking, can't find the issue. Trying to think where to start.

Power steering pump about to croak? Just a guess.

This sounds just like what my car started doing last month. It doesn't happen all the time. not even half of the time. It can be really loud, though. I have a bad driver tie rod and i need to get another but haven't. I sprayed some grease in the tie rod boot and it seemed to help but that might be because it reduced the resistance or angle of the tie rod and the steering rack maybe causing the parts to rub or something. It does feel/sound like rubber to me, but I am afraid it probably isn't.

Mine is only on the driver side and without the tire on the ground you can't hear it. so no resistance = quiet but not completely gone, you can hear it if you are near the front but not in the car. i need a second person to help me locate the sound exactly. maybe

You'll also get a creak/squeak when turning from a worn control arm...the middle one shaped like a coffin. The ball joint material is steel and it starts rubbing on the inside of the control arm, which is aluminum... making a racket.

An almost free fix is to remove the wheel, take an exacto knife and make a small slit in the ball joint rubber cover, and squirt some WD40 or spray-based lithium grease in there and see if that makes it quiet. I've done this from time to time and it keeps it quiet for about six months.

Mine made a real racket after a rain storm when moisture built up in there, and stopped making noise when the car was in the sun for a while and it dried out.

Ok I have a similar situation.
History: I had the Lower Control Arm creek and would WD40 it to keep it quite.
I replaced the front LCAs and that sound was gone.
Then I started hearing Groans when making slow speed turns, again usually after things heated up.
It's coming from just behind the front bulkhead, where the Rack is.
When I stand outside the car and turn the steering wheel I can't hear it. Sit back in the car and I can hear it from inside.

I'm thinking, like suggested, it's my Power steering pump not delivery high pressure anymore. I have also noticed a bit more Bump steer. I have new LCAs, Tie rod outers, inners, new tires and alignment.

Is there anyway to test this??

It's a pain to get to, but it's worth checking your power steering fluid level. I find mine is low now and then, but I see no drips.