Hey guys I have a 08 Type S and for about a month now my car have been making a loud whining sound everytime I press the gas. Im pretty sure somethings up with the P.S. Ive been looking around on the fourms and I wanted to know what things I could check first before going out and just getting a new pump. I have 125k miles and it has also been getting louder with the cold out. Thanks

 

There is an o-ring you can change, it worked for me but I didn't have the exact same symptoms as you. Can't link right now since I'm on mobile but search for power steering whine on this forum. You're gonna find it there.

 

I replaced the inlet o-ring on the TL last year when it started getting cold. Then about a month ago the wife's pilot started to make the same whine. I replaced both the inlet and outlet o-rings on hers for less then $3 in parts and problem solved. Takes less then 10 min to replace both, worst case your out $3 and 10 min

 

Ok I just ordered the o-ring hopefully that will fix it. It started doing it when it was warm outside it just started to made the sound louder when it got colder. So say the O-ring dosent fix it, the pump will be the only other option? I saw just the pumps and the entire kits online.

 

Whats happens when you turn the steering lock to lock first thing in the morning when it's cold? Is the whine stronger then? If the steering doesn't produce the whine but it only appears when you apply gas then it might not be the power steering system.

 

You will notice you power steering fluid will be foamy too from air getting into it.

 

Yup you'll see bubbles in the reservoir. And don't worry if the whine doesn't disappear immediately, by changing the o-ring you're letting a bunch of air in. Once you'll have driven around for a while, the air will be gone and so will be the whine.

 

Mine has been making the same noise for about a month now now that its getting colder the noose never stops. I ordered the O-ring 2 days agoo waiting to try that. But my symtoms sound exactly the same also i check power steering fluod n there were no bubbles. If anyone has another possible cause please lmk. I miss my car running and sounding smooth lmao

 

Is the sound mainly audible when turning the steering wheel? Need to know that before we can guess the cause of the noise.

 

As others said, move steering side to side. If it's not noisy when you don't move it and you're parked but it becomes noisy when you do, then at least that confirms it's power steering related.

Check power steering level in the reservoir to see if you have a leak of some sort. If the level is good (no leak) but there's bubbles in it then it's likely the infamous inlet o-ring worth less than 3$ at the dealership.

15 minutes job even for someone with no mechanical knowledge. Ideally a 10mm stubby wrench since it's a tight area and something to cover the timing belt (you don't want some to drop on it!!)

 

The sound is deffinetly more when i turn the wheel if im driving straight theres no noise. I have noticed that as i drive my steering gets tighter n tighter. Checked power steering fluid its full n no bubbles. Still not sure what it could be?

 

A common mis-diagnosis of a failing PS pump is a clogged PS reservoir filter. How long has it been since you got your PS fluid changed?

The filter is at the bottom of the PS reservoir so you'll have either to flush it (good idea to change your PS fluid every 50K miles or so) or use the "turkey baster" method to suck it out while the car is off to see it at the bottom.

If there's a lot of debris and you can't seem to see properly through the fine mesh filter then I would advise you flush the PS fluid, remove the reservoir, clean it properly with brake cleaner (cannot stress this enough though, you'll need to make sure there's 0 brake cleaner left because otherwise it will mess your gaskets/o-rings!), re-install the reservoir and top off the PS fluid with new stuff.

Be cautious while using the turkey baster method or while cleaning the reservoir mesh, you don't want to puncture it otherwise in the future you'll essentially let all the debris run in the system and that's no good.

 

Also, do check the PS inlet o-ring. It's a seriously easy and cheap job to the point it should pretty much be the first thing you check prior to anything even if there's no bubble (although there usually is). There's a guide here that's very easy to follow, and if the o-ring seems not rubbery enough or there's any discoloration after being wiped clean from PS fluid, change it. Less than 3$ at the dealership.