Over the recent months my 2008 TL-S with 215k on has a loud moaning sound coming from the power steering pump.

It doesnt do it when the car is cold as some others have posted. It only does it when warmed up after 15-20mins of driving. It so loud it echos in the parkade when I come home.

The dealer wants to replace it for something stupid like $600+.

The attached TSB is for a similar problem which calls for replacement of the O-ring on the pump. It apparently is only valid in the US not Canada. Should I try this first? or this only to stop the whining and moaning when the car is cold?

Has anyone else experienced this? Did you have to replace the pump? How much did you pay? I've seen some power steering rebuilt kits out there too, are they a good idea?

Thanks,
Ranbir

 

They want to replace the pump? Is it moaning when you're driving straight?

Are there any leaks that you know of? I would imagine the rack is leaking and the rack is the one making the noise.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/problem...ne-fix-754586/

also:

try a power steering fluid flush

 

The OP says that this doesn't happen until the car is warm, so I don't think its the O-ring (although I guess it could be)

 

Do the power steering fluid flush.

Bet you $10 this makes the whine go away

Otherwise the power steering pump is pretty easy to change. Buy an aftermarket pump for cheaper and DIY the install. $600 sounds steep. Oem pump price ive gotten is $250. Labor like two hours....

 

It does moan when driving straight after warming up. I notice more after getting off the highway and stopping at the first red light.

The dealer checked for leaks. There are non. The did do the power steering pump hose replacement a few years ago when the recall related to that was issued.

 

This one related to when the car is cold. There is no whining from my car when its cold. Just moaning when warmed up.

I am going to take it to another mechanic I know for a second opinion before changing the pump. I am surprised it would need to be replaced at 215k.

 

The low pressure seal is maybe $2 - I'd try that. Why not flush the system as well?

 

OP,

Ive had the same issue you're talking about. I too began to notice it after long highway drives and getting off at an exit. The issue only started occurring now thats its begun to get a bit cooler. this past weekend I changed a O-ring, the resevoir, and flushed the system twice. I haven't noticed it since, but I haven't been on a terribly long drive recently and it has been abnormally warm. I keep an ear our for you, but im thinking my problem is solved. The parts costed me about 40$ (20$ resevoir, 1$ o-ring, 20$ for 4 bottles of fluid) and it was pretty simple. If you plan on doing the job, let me know and id be glad to walk you through some of the steps and what other parts/tools are needed.

For reference, my car is an 04 with 140k miles with embarrassingly old PS fluid.

 

This may be off since it's not specific to my TL, but i had the same issue with my beater (Durango). I was experiencing the whine, but only after the vehicle was running for about 10-15 minutes. I replaced the pump and both hoses thinking the problem was solved, but the noise still persisted only after reaching operating temp. The new pump didn't come with a reservoir so i just swapped the old one to the new pump.
Lost story short, the screen inside the old reservoir was clogged and wouldn't allow the fluid to return back to the pump fast enough.

 

Mine was the opposite. When I started it up in the morning, it would whine until the car warmed up like 15-20 minutes. Then the sound would stop. But my steering wheel was really heavy, I would literally have to crank it with all my strength at times at low speeds and when parking. Ended up getting the pump replaced at the dealer along with timing belt and water pump and now it's good.

 

You fix this OP? It's usually the other way round with PSF in terms of temp. So first thing is to diagnose the noise. You say it's more noticeable at idle / stop when the engine is hot. Does it moan when you move the steering wheel from left to right? If so, the noise is definitely coming from the pump and is probably fluid related. If not, it might still be the pump, but more than likely the auto tensioner / accessory pulley / belt related. The belt / pulley / tensioner related noise is quite distinct, high pitch / wobble sound that can fluctuate with RPM. Can get louder as RPMs rise then cuts out.