Originally Posted by
though
. As I said, I removed the fork from the bike and as I push and pull on the steerer tube, it makes the noise. So it has nothing to do with the bearings.
You seem to have confirmed that the fork is toast. Call the maker and see if it qualifies as a warranty situation, but
do not under any circumstances reinstall this fork. Or if you do, please leave a note for any heirs that I at least told you not to ride on it.
I'm not kidding or exaggerating the risk, take a moment to consider what would happen of this steerer ever works loose enough for the crown to fall off the bottom end.