Something wrong with my power steering...

[fitefanSHO]

There is something wrong but **** if I know exactly what.

Basically, the steering makes a groaning sound when turning the wheel either direction in the morning while pulling out of my parking spot. There is no noticeable noise when steering while driving. The fluid was black as night when I bought the car and I flushed the fluid with little noticeable difference. The steering itself feels fine to me, but maybe I don't know really how it's supposed to feel. Nothing appears to leak. There is another noise also, kind of like a constant ticking/whirling that can be heard over the sound of the engine. It's actually very annoying. Some people told me it was a pulley, others have suggested it may have something to do with the power steering...



Do I just need a power steering fluid pump? Should I replace that and see how it goes?

Is that an expensive job?

 

[ohfosho]

can you tell that it is a 'fluid low' whine, or more like a squeak from another suspension part?

 

[projectSHO89]

Noisy PS pumps are often due to air trapped in the system. Sometimes you have to do a vacuum-assisted purge to get it quiet.

As for the ticking noise, identify which engine/tranny you have.

Steve

 

[fitefanSHO]

Noisy PS pumps are often due to air trapped in the system. Sometimes you have to do a vacuum-assisted purge to get it quiet.

As for the ticking noise, identify which engine/tranny you have.

Steve

ATX 3.2

Fella today thought maybe the groaning noise was an upper strut mount?

The ticking is driving me nuts though. It's most noticeable on the passenger side of the car.

 

[bigcollins25]

I am having the the same problem with the howling noise while turning....Sounds like a damn cow mooing when I am turning into a parking spot!
kinda vibrates the steering wheel a little too at the same time.

Anyways I should change the PS fluid and have the air vacuumed out of it???

 

[sdpatt]

Got lowering springs? The mooing cow sound is likely to be the upper strut spring pad rubbing against the inside of the strut tower. The far outward movement of the upper strut mount is necessary with the lowered ride height to keep the camber in spec.

The groaning power steering is probably air in the power steering rack and/or some worn seals in the rack itself. I noticed this topic because I just replaced my rack today for the second time. It has been about 6 years and 150,000 miles since the first remanufactured rack was installed. It had developed an over-assisted feel and regularly groaned when the wheel was turned. Both of the tie rods (inner rod ends) had loosened to the point of making popping noises when the wheel was moved from side to side. I cannot complain about 150,000 miles of service though.

It seems a bit funny to replace the rack, outer tie rod ends and sway bar links all on the lifetime warranties of the respective manufacturers. The cost of the service may be funny, but the effort to replace that rack is much more than it should be. That is one of my least-enjoyed services I have performed on the SHO.

 

[bigcollins25]

Got lowering springs? The mooing cow sound is likely to be the upper strut spring pad rubbing against the inside of the strut tower. The far outward movement of the upper strut mount is necessary with the lowered ride height to keep the camber in spec.

The groaning power steering is probably air in the power steering rack and/or some worn seals in the rack itself. I noticed this topic because I just replaced my rack today for the second time. It has been about 6 years and 150,000 miles since the first remanufactured rack was installed. It had developed an over-assisted feel and regularly groaned when the wheel was turned. Both of the tie rods (inner rod ends) had loosened to the point of making popping noises when the wheel was moved from side to side. I cannot complain about 150,000 miles of service though.

It seems a bit funny to replace the rack, outer tie rod ends and sway bar links all on the lifetime warranties of the respective manufacturers. The cost of the service may be funny, but the effort to replace that rack is much more than it should be. That is one of my least-enjoyed services I have performed on the SHO.

I am not 100% sure about the lowering. I am the 6th owner of my SHO and I dont think it has been lowered...but to me it looks like it rides low in the rear.
Anyways thanks for the tips on getting rid of my mooing cow.


Think my SHO might be lowered?

Note: this was before the tint job....

 

[sdpatt]

The rubbing inside the strut tower can be silenced by a dose of silicone grease or spray at the contact point near the outboard portion of the inside top of the strut tower.

 

[ohfosho]

your car looks 'stock old', seems to just be sagging rear. front has wheel gap

 

[bigcollins25]

your car looks 'stock old', seems to just be sagging rear. front has wheel gap

"Stock old"
how in the heck do I fix that?

 

[frosho]

New springs.

 

[bigcollins25]

New springs.

Oh alright. I kinda figured it was in that area of springs and shocks.
Think that will be expensive?
Thanks guys

 

[luigisho]

Don't know about spring costs but you can do the work yourself. It's not that bad. The springs sag in the back of these cars over time. It should still ride ok.

 

[jesshasasho]

I have an odd ps problem too....

Mine does the mooing thing when I turn, but only when it's cold. It also sometimes just seems to lose all power steering and I can't turn the wheel, like when the car stalls and the wheel is hard as **** to turn. Also only when it is very cold. Fluid is full and looks good, BUT (big but) this started when I wrecked it a few weeks ago so I think it might be some front-end suspension damage. Not sure if it is cold-weather related or wreck-related as they both happened at the same time.

Anyway, just thought I'd see if anyone ever heard of this.

 

[ultimatesho]

my 92 is startin to make some funny noises to........seems to all be coming from the passenger front wheel area.......when turning left it makes like a metal screech type sound.......and occasionally it makes a groaning/grunting type sound when turning eather way............it use to make a poping noise occasionally on bumps (after searching seems like a bad strut mount) but that has since stopped......

it only dose this at times seems like usally more when its cold out.......steering feels fine (just needs a alignment) as far as i know still has all the stock suspension on it, with the exception of the new tires and rims..........

 

[ultimatesho]

the groaning/grunting sound is starting the same..........only on occasion when i turn the wheel(not every time tho)

the screeching sound seems to happen all the time now.......when braking, slow acceleration, and in turning.........

took it up to 125 and cruised there just to c if there was play in the steering up top but theres not any up top or down low...........im hopin its just due to the cold weather.........any ideas of anything else it could be?????

 

[93rev2sev]

These pumps were a new technology when they were designed. I'm told by one of the engineers that worked on the SHO power steering that they

"tried like **** to get rid of 'cavitation', but the penny pinchers told us "no" when we told them it would cost money to have the impellers coated the way we wanted."



A new pump should be nice and quiet...for a while...

 

[ultimatesho]

would the pump b making the metal screech from in the passenger front wheel area tho???????........and if it was the pump wouldnt it only makes noises in turns????

it kind of almost sounds like something is rubbing something

 

[93rev2sev]

It's in the same viscinity...but I havent heard the sound so I can't comment on what it actually is...just that some PS pumps make noise when they are fine.

 

[ultimatesho]

thnx..........when we get a break in the weather and it dries up some ill check it.........