In my recently acquired 997.2 c2s i noticed the steering is quite firm to turn especially at lower speeds compared to other vehicles. This is my first 911, is this normal?
There are no noises or leaks anywhere near the power steering pump or hoses. The fluid is pink and at the max level.

I have also noticed there is a little play in the steering wheel when i move it left and right along with a faint clicking that can be felt thru the hands on the actual steering wheel. Could this be a steering rack issue?

Tie rod ends were inspected during PPI and afterwards by another P car indy garage who both said the tie rod ends are fine.

No vibration at any speeds, but i noticed the steering was very slightly off center even after i did an alignment.

any suggestions on what could be the issue?

 

The steering can be heavy at low speeds. The car has some fat soft grippy tires up front (and even more so at the rear) and the power steering has to over come that.

Without being able to actually experience the steering I'd say the behavior is normal. But you are certainly welcome and in fact I'd recommend it to have a professional Porsche tech road test the car and advise you regarding not only the steering feel but the play and clicking noise you report.

If the tech believes this behavior to be abnormal then he will diagnose the root cause and advise you what's wrong and what to do about it.

The steering wheel can be off center if you fail to ask for the steering wheel to be centered during the alignment. Be aware the dash is slightly canted so if you go by how the wheel "aligns" with the dash it may not appear "centered". When the tech centers the steering wheel he puts a level on the wheel.

Also, be aware the car is very sensitive to road surfaces/topology and the wheel can be off center slightly in order to keep the car pointed straight ahead. You have to be sure you experience the car on a variety of roads to note a definite off center condition.

 

I'd check the lower control arms too. If you grab the wheel at the 12 & 6 o'clock positions and try to wiggle it, any movement? What about at 3 & 9 o'clock. The clicking sound seems to me like something is worn.

How many miles on the car and what tires are you running?

 

Thanks for the input. Car has 46k miles. Tires are new pirelli p zeros N1 stamped.
Did both 9 and 3 and 12 and 6 wiggle test and everything seems fine.
Inner and outer tie rods are relatively cheap if I go with trw branded ones.
Steering rack and control arms would be an expensive replacement
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You may need to put it up on a 4 post lift so the tires are loaded remove the front undertray and have someone watch the front suspension components while someone else turns the wheel side to side to see if you can see anything moving when you feel or hear the click you describe.

 

Hi,

I’ve just started experiencing the same faint clicking that can be felt through the steering wheel in my 2006 997TT. Did you manage to find what was causing your clicking?

Thanks!