Whining coming from front. Power steering pump?
09-21-2010, 08:31 PM
#1
Whining coming from front. Power steering pump? My 2001 Firehawk has a whining sound coming from the front. It almost sounds like a blower whine, but not quite as loud. It is really noticeable at lower speeds and seems to be more noticeable when I first start the car. I am assuming it is the power steering pump because the noise gets louder when I am going slow and turn the wheel hard. Fluid level seems to be ok, nothing unusual. Is it time for a pump replacement, and is this a job for someone slightly more advanced than novice?
09-22-2010, 08:35 PM
#3
I`m pretty sure it`s not the alternator just because I can actually feel there is more resistance in the steering as the sound gets louder. But otherwise, it does sound alot like an alternator bearing going out. Has a loud whine to it, which you can actually hear over my long tube headers and edelbrock exhaust.
09-22-2010, 09:13 PM
#4
Sounds like the pump going bad. It's not a hard swap (if you have the right puller - you need one specifically for power steering pulleys, because if you use a normal 2-jaw you'll break the pulley...the correct puller is about $20 from Amazon), but the worst part is getting a good replacement.
Numerous people on here (myself included) have gotten fubar'd reman pumps that don't work right. You can take your chances with a Vato Zoen/Retarded Auto-brand replacement, sell a kidney for an AC Delco reman, buy a Turn One pump, or buy a reman and have it sent to PSC and worked over.
Numerous people on here (myself included) have gotten fubar'd reman pumps that don't work right. You can take your chances with a Vato Zoen/Retarded Auto-brand replacement, sell a kidney for an AC Delco reman, buy a Turn One pump, or buy a reman and have it sent to PSC and worked over.
09-22-2010, 09:27 PM
#5
That doesn`t sound good. Are these things known to lock up? I am about to go on a trip, and the last thing I need is for this thing to lock up and take out the belt with it while a hundred miles from home. What about the ones that they sell at Autozone? It is coming up as Duralast.
09-22-2010, 09:39 PM
#6
I've never heard of them locking up, although I imagine it's physically possible. Use the turkey baster method to get as much of the old fluid out as possible, flush some new stuff through and pull that out, then refill it with clean fluid and that should help a bit, until you can get a new pump on.
Any house-brand pumps is going to be a game of Russian roulette with more than one chamber loaded. You could be lucky and get one that works fine, but it sucks to take the time to pull the old one out, swap the pulley, put the new one in and hook all the lines up, only to find out that it's busted, too.
Any house-brand pumps is going to be a game of Russian roulette with more than one chamber loaded. You could be lucky and get one that works fine, but it sucks to take the time to pull the old one out, swap the pulley, put the new one in and hook all the lines up, only to find out that it's busted, too.
