MEGATRONSS

iTrader: (2)

'02 SS, bought last October. Right when I bought it I noticed that there was a loud groan anytime the car was stopped or going really slow and the wheel passed 12 o'clock changing directions. I got the guy who inspected the car to fix it and replace the rack and pinion. After that it was fine.

For 14 months and 10,000 miles. Now the sound is just starting to come back. I checked the fluid and it's a little low and near the bottom of the resevior but you can still see the level of fluid in the reservoir.

I haven't heard of this being a common problem, anyone have found that it is? I also have UD pulleys for the crank and alternator not sure if that makes a difference? The sound was there when I bought the car (didn't hear it until 3-4 days later) and that's when the pulleys weren't on yet.

Any help on this would be really appreciated I'm pretty pissed about it. It's a really annoying/embarrassing sound...

Thanks guys

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

This is bad.

Its a problem with your power steering system and you definitely have a leak somewhere. Depending on where the leak is, it may be putting stress on your PS pump, causing the groan.

... or, your rack could be bad again.


This stuff is common to any car over 10 years old or over 100K miles. Our cars add a nice little twist to the equation with the PS cooler design.


- Any idea where the leak is coming from?
- Is the top of your PS reservoir wet or sticky from fluid overflowing it?
- Do you have a sheen on the top of the fluid that you see in the reservoir. (Like an oil slick?)
- If you check the coolant (at the radiator overflow tank) dipstick, do you have dark crust or alien slime all over it?

MEGATRONSS

iTrader: (2)

I actually don't think it's leaking(filled it and going to keep an eye on it now) because I took some fluid out because I think it was causing my alternator pulley to squeak.

And no wierd slime in the coolant dipstick.

The fluid in the reservoir looks like a mirror, when looking at it I can see myself in the daytime.

Does that help any? Or does it sound more just like the rack and pinion is going again (which I have no idea why that would be). It's also more of a creaking sound too

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

That's good, you don't have any classic signs of PS Cooler contamination.

The groan is probably an indication that you have a problem with the pump or the rack. When the system is working harder than it should, (from worn parts, binding, etc.) you'll get that groaning sound from either of the two components.

MEGATRONSS

iTrader: (2)

Would UD pulleys have an effect on the pump and make this sound?

Or could my rack and pinion really be bad again...after less then 10k??

Any help would be great.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Not unless the sound goes away at a high RPM.

If the unit was a reman, sure.

MEGATRONSS

iTrader: (2)

Hmm well it only does it at slow speeds, such as parallel parking.

And actually I think it was a remanufactured rack...

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

It could be due to a number of factors or several components "slightly bad" all adding up to stress on the system:
- UD Pulley
- Bad pump
- Bad rack
- Bad fluid

If you are in a position where you need to experiment to get it resolved, doing a fluid flush would be the least expensive first step.

After that, your fluid may be an indication that your pump isn't so well. (Assuming none of the other components are leaking.)