I have a 2002 Taurus with the 3.0 Vulcan engine. It has a bad power steering whine and so I replaced the pump with a re-manufactured one I purchased at the local auto parts store. With the new pump on, I flushed and filled the system with fresh Mercon V. Then I jacked up the front end with engine on and turned the steering wheel back and forth with the dipstick cap off the reservoir to allow air to escape. Unfortunately after all my effort, it still whines but to a lesser degree than the old pump. Looking inside the reservoir with a bright light I can see very fine bubbles in the fluid. I began to think there was air entering the system somewhere. I inspected all the lines including the rack and pinion but found no leaks. Something else I found odd was that the whine seemed to occur only either at high rpms or at moderate rpms during left turns but not right. I can be in park with the engine idling under 1000 rpms and turn the wheel back and forth with no whine. I don’t know if I got a bad re-man or if there’s a hole or bad seal allowing air to enter but not fluid to leak, or maybe an issue with the rack and pinion. I do know that this whine is driving me crazy so any advice would be much appreciated.
The bubbles are more or less normal.
I would want to know for sure the noise is coming from the pump and not another pulley on the engine. When you turn the wheels you put load on the pump and the drive belt which loads the other pulleys too.
How about taking a long piece of heater hose and using it to listen around the belt while a helper turns the steering wheel ?
Thanks for the suggestion. I will try the heater hose idea. I did notice the tensioner was vibrating a little while idling. Don't know if that could contribute to my problem. I also replaced the idler pullley during the pump install since I noticed it had some play in the bearings.
So I tried the heater hose idea, well I actually used a long funnel, but its definitely the pump making its distinctive whine. The more I listen, the more I think I got a defective re-man pump. Its undoubtedly better than the old one but it still whines. Anyone had any experience with Cardone re-manufactured pumps? I don't want to install another pump unless I know for sure its defective. Could anything else cause the pump to whine?
It's possible dirt or metal particles from the rack is floating around in the system.
It's also very possible to get a dud when you open the box.
You might want to live with the noise, since a second pump might be worse.
Some pumps on some cars whine more than others.
If the warranty on the pump is longer than you think you will keep the car, I'd live with it.
!!! FIXED AT LAST!!!
After inspecting every part of my power steering system, I was convinced that the pump I got was a defect. Sure enough after installing a second pump the whine had completely vanished. It just goes to show that every now and then there are bad parts right out of the box. Hope my little story helps someone else with whine problem. I also want to thank skychief2001 for the insight.
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SOURCE: 2003 Ford Escape leaking red fluid
Sounds like you need a new power steering hose. To verify this, I would dry up any wet areas on the hose and pump with a towel, get a flashlight and start the vehicle and try to determine the exact site of the leak which is usually at the ends of the hoses. Good luck!
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