Hey guys,

I've been trying to find some information on what's happening to my RL and so far I think its a bad steering pump..

Basically, when the car is stationary and I turn the wheel Left/Right I hear a whirling type of noise coming from the engine.

The RL is 2005, has 68k Miles.

The fuel pump reservoir has is bubbling and has small bubbles coming up..
I tried turning off the car, and turning the wheel all the way left and right over 20 times with the cap off of the reservoir.
That helped a bit but the bubbles are still there.

So bubbles and noise.. Does that mean I need a new Power Steering Pump?
If so, how much am I looking at in terms of cost and is it something I can do myself?


Thank you!

 

Also, when stationary and turning the wheel either way the RPM's tend to go up from idle to about 1-1.5.

 

rpms go up because the pump runs off the engine.

Bubbles means there is air in the system, is the reservoir full and have you had the recall done?

 

^Does that not seem like a high jump in RPMs though?

I really want to know the outcome because my wife's CR-V is acting similarly.

 

the fact that it has bubbles in the reservoir, bubbles are pumped : the air in the bubbles make the pump whine like that. Unless you just had work performed on the pump/pipes/steering rack, there's a leak in your system.

and usually when work has just been performed, it doesn't take very long for the system to purge all the air out (a few minutes with reservoir topped after that, should make your system airless ).

if the pump is defective, depending on your skills, it's pretty easy to replace with basic Tools. A used unit will be cheap and these are rarely problematic (chances of going bad again are very little).

Be sure to find the leak letting air being pumped first before replacing parts.

 

The reservoir is between the min and max. About half way. I have not had the recall on it, so this could be an issue.

 

Is there a detailed diagram somewhere online I can look at to figure out which hoses I need to follow?
Also, since the reservoir isn't leaking fluid, there is just air in the system, what is the most likely place for this to happen - where should I look first?

Thanks!