Steering wheel clicking?

[bash1979]

Ever since the temperature in Ottawa started hovering around the 0 degree Celcius mark, I've noticed that my steering wheel "clicks" on every turn until the car is warm.Basically, I pull out of the driveway, and it makes a strange clicking noise on about every 1 revolution of the steering wheel. It's definitely coming from the steering column, and it goes away after the car has been on for 20 minutes.I'm not really sure how something like this could be temperature related, but that's the only thing that's changed recently.Anyone else have this problem? 2005 Auto if it helps.Thanks!EDIT: Found this thread http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=760 that seems to describe the same issue, but apparently the problem just disappeared...

[ColonelPanic]

Does it click at the same exact spot each time the wheel turns?I wonder if it could possibly be the clock spring, which transfers electrical connections from the column to the air bag/cruise/horn/etc on the wheel? I have heard those cause some strange noises when you turn the wheel when those go bad... I've got a squeak in my steering column that has been coming and going for a long time, it is probably something along those lines. No clicking though, just squeaks and creaks when turning the wheel. It also makes itself known more in the cold than it does during warmer weather.

[bash1979]

Hmmm....good question.It does seem to click at the exact same spot, now that I think about it. It's basically every time the wheel is centered (logo facing the right way). Funny you say "clock spring", because I was describing the click to a buddy of mine and I told him it sounded like a old clock was being wound very slowly!

[Atomb]

i had a similar problem in my old VW...it turned out that condensation was forming and freezing over night. The ice crystals were producing a click/crunchy kind of sound until the car warmed up and they all melted.I never did figure out where all the moisture was coming from...but it only happened when we hit freezing over night!