98FoRmULa_BiRd

Hey a few years back I had my suspension replaced on my formula. Now the mechanic advised me that the whining sound was due to air in the line and he said to keep driving it and it would eventually go away. Problem is it never went away and when i turn it makes a real annoying whining sound. My power steering fluid is filled. I am just curious if this is air in the line and how would I go about getting rid of this annoying sound?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Usually, "whining" happens when the pump is dry.

Does it happen all the time or only when you are turning the steering wheel?

1 FMF

iTrader: (1)

the pump will make noise when it's dry, but your problem is not air in the line. if it were air you would also feel it when turning the wheel, the wheel would get harder to turn like if the engine were off and you had no power steering.
it's the power steering pump making the noise, which for the most part is normal because the power steering fluid never gets changed, becomes dirty, and the pump wears and makes noise over time. my 2002 started doing it last year. you can try to save the pump by doing a PSF change, but not by the so called turkey baster method. you have to disconnect the lines to the rack and drain the system best you can then refill and then run the pump and flush best you can. and many times the power steering lines from the pump will deteriorate internally from heat and age and that rubber material will flow throughout the system and cause problems on a new pump, so it's advisable sometimes to replace the power steering lines when you put on a new pump. hope that helps.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Are you guys suggesting that when the car is completely dead-nuts-stopped, and you turn the steering wheel side to side (dry steering) your power steering is supposed to be quiet as a mouse?

I've got a car with 24K miles and with the above scenario, I can still hear the pump making some noise.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Maybe. Even though a car has 24K miles, the rubber seals and other parts are probably going bad due to age. In some cases, not running a car can be worse than driving it every week.

71novaguy

iTrader: (2)

I did the turkey baster method and it turned out fine.

killagt

iTrader: (3)

BINGO ! I usually did this way at every oil change,

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Is it possible to replace all the seals associated with the PS unit?

Speaking of which, I was under there the other day, and the lil boot on the passenger side was a little but oily. The rubber boot that comes out of the power steering shaft.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

You have to rebuild. If you have a low mileage car, you may be best off doing what I did and sending my parts away to be rebuilt and returned. (That way, you'll get all the low wear internals back.) TurnOne did a stock rebuild on my pump and added one of their pulleys, which is incredible. I haven't had to do my rack yet.

My understanding is that once the rack starts to leak, it has to be rebuilt also.

As I think folks are discussing above, changing the fluid may be enough to make the system happy. Most of us have problems with fluid leaking out the top of the reservoir, and I believe flushing the fluid takes care of this problem. (We also believe that improved cooling will keep the issue from coming back as soon.)

98FoRmULa_BiRd

thanks for the all the help everybody I am going to try the turkey method you mentioned. Originally I had a power steering leak. That got fixed but its never been the same since. It has plenty of fluid its just whines a little when turning the wheel and it has plenty of fluid. It turns smooth just makes a sound its weird. Its only when turning thats it.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Interesting you say that about the PS leaking from the top! I thought it was my cap so I went to GM and got a new one. So far, no signs of it leaking/sweating up top.

I'd like to do the turkey blaster method and see if it does anything in terms of my dry-steer noise.

One other thing I noticed, and this was like this since I bought the car at 16K miles, is that the steering feels heavier than most cars I've driven before.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

This is common. The P/S cap is not a pressure cap, so it won't keep fluid in under pressure, when the level rises. (That's why the marks are on the dipstick the way they are. Important not to over-fill for the same reason.) It will just keep fluid from sloshing out under normal driving.

This could be a sign that the pump is not 100%. You may try finding someone else with a similar car and try it out to compare.


This is a great article on the pumps: http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...all/index.html

TurnOne will also do custom rebuilds. Since I do a lot of city driving and wanted to keep mine stock, (the racing version is heavy at slow speeds) they did a stock rebuild for me. They did an incredible job.

71novaguy

iTrader: (2)

powersteering feeling heavy just seems normal to me in this car. it is trying to turn 18" of rubber contact patch after all.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

I was told that the heavy steering feel of these cars is a common f body thing. No idea how much of this is true, but this is what i've been told.

garygnu

old seals or dirty fluid is not good for the rack.with low mileage try heavy gear lube to recondition the O-rings.it worked for me with a old car with higher mileage.change power steering fluid every 5k and save the price of a pump and rack.

Big Cat 33

Mine starts doing it as soon as it reaches top temperature. It never affects the steering but its so embarrassingly loud goin around corners and it does it during acceleration in every gear. A local shop did 2 flushes on it yesterday with a air compressor tool that sucks it all out. Its still making the noise?

99monguse

What is this turkey baster method you speak of? My SS still has the original brake, P/s and M6 trans fluid but the car only has about 30k