Friday, December 15, 2006 - 08:35 pm, by: Luke Middleton(Spook)
Howdy all, this morning on the way to the airport (in the M5 tunnel no less)my power steering pump developed a whining noise. I have since checked the fluid and topped it up as it was low. But the noise still remains - actually my car sounds like it's supercharged When I turn the steering wheel the noise gets louder and I can feel some vibration through the wheel. So my question is, do I need a new pump or can I reseal or save the existing one? Anyone with a similar experience?
Friday, December 15, 2006 - 08:45 pm, by: Luke Middleton(Spook)
Just read the power steering pump tutorial on Planet Soarer. Looks like I have a bearing and seals to replace over the weekend. I'm assuming that's all it needs.
Andrew Ferres TryHard WA '86 Cressida V8, '84 Soarer V8, '90 C-F Celsior V8
Saturday, December 16, 2006 - 02:15 am, by: Benny Gammelmark(Oldfield)
And remember to clean the reservoir when you're at it (if you can get to it).
Mine's developing the same fault, mainly when cold. Niall said it would help to replace the the fluid and clean the reservoir. I had my pump reconditioned less than a year ago.
Friday, December 22, 2006 - 10:00 am, by: Mark Ribbans(V8gtsoarer)
H Luke,
My car had the same problem, in my case one of the pipes going to the pump had a nick in it so besides leaking a bit of fluid, air got in and it's the air in the system that causes the whining noises. You should hopefully get away with getting the system bled.
Friday, December 22, 2006 - 11:40 am, by: Avin Luther(Lex_luther)
Just replaced a hose and cleaned and resealed the reservoir. sounds and feels much better now. Hose had perished and lost quite a bit of fluid. these cars are showing their age.
Don Bagnall Moderator New Zealand I have WAY less Soarers than Hayden :-(
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 08:25 am, by: Ryan Posselt(Yakusaryan)
i had the same problem as you benny just had it reconditioned but it was really noisy. i just topped it up and it was fine! i think the pressure side hoses on ALL of our cars would be very perished and they are no longer available in Australia so why don't we consider a bulk buy from the USA? (if soarer is the same as Celsior that is )
Sunday, February 04, 2007 - 08:08 pm, by: Wayne Llewellyn(Ozaristov300)
You almost certainly have air trapped in the system. In my case a cracked low-pressure hose from the reservoir allowed air to be sucked in under vacuum. The air cavitates the fluid, causing the whining noise when putting load on the pump. See http://soarercentral.com/sc-forum/messages/37/119.html?1098351271 for the answer.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 07:47 pm, by: Steve Millward(Mallard)
Has anyone got the bottom of the noisy power steering pump?
I had a leak in the long hose months ago and the pump was running on low fluid. It hasn't leaked or used any fluid since it was fixed but I still get that whining noise when turning.
I've had the reservoir cleaned and the fluid flushed twice now.
Does the fluid contain bubbles if there is air in the system or is it not possible to tell? Wouldn't the flushing get rid of air, unless its coming back in through a nick in the hose.
My mechanic thinks the vanes in the pump might be making the noise as it doesn't sound like a bearing.
Any advice from someone that has solved this would be great. I've read every post on the forum on this but it doesn't seem to have a conclusive answer
Thursday, August 16, 2007 - 08:39 pm, by: Ben Kelly(Ace)
i second those that suggest air leaking into the system from one of the low pressure hoses on the return side from the rack. apparently there are eight rubber hose pieces that need to be changed, and it can help to change the clamps. This recently solved all my probs and the bloke at midas did it for me for 80$ labour and $36 in parts. Small amounts of air will eventually bleed themselves out through the reservoir anyway, so if the noise is persistent it surely must be a leak causing air to continue to enter(?).
Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 09:19 am, by: Steve Millward(Mallard)
For the record, Niall Bond's conclusion is that the whining noise is caused by using a non-Toyota hose. I think Roger Costello had made a similar point elsewhere on this forum.
The genuine part is somewhere over $700. It's a tough one to justify.
Andrew Ferres DieHard WA '90 C-F Celsior V8, '84 Soarer V8, '91 Supra V8
Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 10:24 am, by: Andrew Ferres(Peewee)
non-Toyota hoses causing a whining noise would be very very strange.
I've had multiple hoses rebuilt for a few different cars over the years (always rebuild by Enzed), and none of them have resulted in whine.
Every whine I've had has been the result of low fluid or stuffed pump/bearings.
That said, its possible the hose has been rebuilt badly, and is not flowing correctly. But I'd be wary in blanket blaming non-genuines hoses in causing this sound.
I've been trying to get to the bottom of this for some time now. I think Niall would probably have diagnosed a problem with the pump. Would love to have this solved without spending $700. I really just posted this as an update in case anyone has the same problem.
Andrew Ferres DieHard WA '90 C-F Celsior V8, '84 Soarer V8, '91 Supra V8
Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 05:22 pm, by: Andrew Ferres(Peewee)
From that link, this seems like the most likely story
Ian Johnston wrote on Sunday, August 28, 2005 - 08:56 pm:
Could be sucking air on the suction side of the system. Had this problem on one of our trucks once, no external leaks as not on pressure side. Check all fittings and "O" rings.
Although, very strange that its happened on many cars...
Would be interesting to know if he ever tried the different hose.