Power Steering was one of the first luxury items available on modern day automobiles. Early automobiles had wheels that resembled wagon wheels or bicycle wheels so they were fairly easy to turn using just a steering wheel. A large diameter steering wheel combined with the right mechanical linkage was a very effective method of turning the front tires of your vehicle. As vehicles got heavier and were able to drive faster, wider and wider tires were required to maintain traction and carry the weight of advancing automobiles. Wider tires in turn were much harder to turn than the old skinny tires on early cars and as tires grew they eventually necessitated a system that could assist the driver in turning them at lower speeds or at a stop.
Many car companies allowed drivers to muscle through steering these larger wheeled cars through the 60s and 70s. By the 1980’s powers steering was an option that just about every new car had. Since the early 90s, it has been almost impossible to purchase a car without power steering.
Since its invention, power steering systems have been almost exclusively hydraulic. In these systems, a hydraulic pump pressurizes a hydraulic working fluid which is used to power a steering gear or rack and pinion. The steering rack or gear uses the hydraulic fluid pressure to move the tie rods and turn your front wheels.
In the early 2000’s, some car manufacturers started experimenting with using high torque electric motors coupled to variable gearboxes to assist the driver in turning the wheels of their car. These systems are simple and very efficient and a great next step in power steering in today’s vehicles.
If you’re like most drivers, you have a hydraulic power steering system in your car and if you’re reading this article then it is probably giving you some trouble. Power steering systems can alert you to a problem in two different ways. First, you may experience difficulty turning your steering wheel or experience dead spots or rough patches throughout your steering wheel’s circle. The other way your power steering system will let you know something wrong is through whining in the pump.
If you’re experiencing dead or rough spots in your steering, your problem is either in the linkage of your steering column or in your steering rack or gear. Your steering wheel is connected to the hydraulic portion of your system using a series of shafts and universal joints. It is possible that your steering shaft is binding on something, or has become tangled in wiring. It is also possible that the joints in your steering column have come loose or require lubrication. You can usually check for this by locating your steering shaft in your engine bay and visually inspecting the shaft and joints. It will start at the firewall behind your steering wheel and travel down to the steering rack or gear at the bottom of your engine bay. These rough spots could also be caused by a clog or blockage in your steering gear. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to inspect for this problem so the best course of action is to get a power steering system flush and see if the situation improves.
Most often power steering system problems are evident in a power steering pump whine. Once you’ve heard a power steering pump whine, they can be easy to pinpoint in the future. Try doing a quick internet search for “power steering pump whine” followed by your car make and model to see if you can find an example of the sound.
Power steering pumps make this signature whine due to the rotary vane style of the pump. A power steering pump may whine for 3 different reasons:
- Pump Failure
- System Clog
- Low Fluid Level
If your power steering pump is wearing out, the bad bearings will allow enough shaft movement to cause your pump to whine. If this is the case you can often feel it by spinning the power steering pump pulley by hand. It will either wobble or be surprisingly difficult to turn. A system clog also causes your power steering pump to whine as it raises the pressure in the system so high the pump will get noisy. As stated before, the only thing to do here is try flushing your system to see if it quiets things down. Lastly, a low fluid level will cause your power steering pump to whine as it fights for fluid and as air becomes entrapped in the fluid.
A low power steering fluid level is easy to spot by checking the fluid level in your reservoir. If you discover a low power steering fluid level it is an indication that you’ve got a leak somewhere in your system. Rather than spending time and energy searching for a leak, simply add BlueDevil Power Steering Stop Leak to your reservoir with your top-off fluid and continue to drive! BlueDevil Power Steering Stop Leak will seal the leak in your system by reconditioning the seals stopping the leak.
For more information about BlueDevil Power Steering Stop leak, check out our product information page here: Power Steering Stop Leak
You can purchase BlueDevil Power Steering Stop Leak at the link above, or at any of our partnering local auto parts stores like:
- AutoZone
- Advance Auto Parts
- Bennett Auto Supply
- CarQuest Auto parts
- NAPA Auto Parts
- O’Reilly Auto Parts
- Pep Boys
- Fast Track
- Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
- S&E Quick Lube Distributer
- DYK Automotive
Pictures Provided By:
power_steering.jpg – By Fuse – Licensed by Thinkstock Photos – Original Link
power_steering_pump.jpg – By Phantom1311 – Licensed by Thinkstock Photos – Original Link
i have a 2005 acura tsx 2.4,replaced power strg pump,still no power strg please help,fyi was leaking now not leaking what did i do wrong/////////
Patrick,
Thanks for your question about your Acura TSX. It is possible that your power steering system still has so many air bubbles in it that it isn’t creating the proper pressure in your system to give you power assist. Try raising your front tires off the ground and turning the wheel from lock to lock a few times and checking to see if the level in your power steering fluid reservoir goes down. Once the level stops going down with the car off, try starting your engine and trying the same procedure.
If you’re sure your power steering system is full of fluid and properly bled, you may have a clog somewhere in your system preventing fluid flow, possibly in your steering rack or the return line.
Thanks again for your question!
-BD Auto Pro
I have a 2008 Uplander. I have replaced the power steering pump 3 times now (March 2015, Oct 2015 and the most recent time Fri Feb 12th ) and the rack once (Nov 2015) and the tension-er belts( Jan 2016.) . I am so frustrated with all the money I have spent on this, I still have the power steering whine. In fact it’s even worse with the last fix. I have had the transmission checked twice and both times it was confirmed without a doubt it was the power steering pump. WHAT could be the cause of the constant whine.??? any advise would be helpful. Please.
Sharon,
You’ve certainly replaced just about ever part of your power steering system. The only thing left original sounds like the hoses and lines. It is possible that one of your high pressure lines has a clog in it which would cause your pump to whine. You may consider replacing that high pressure line to see if that helps at all. Also, if the power steering pumps you’ve used are remanufactured or replacement pumps rather than original equipment supplied by Chevrolet you may consider having a OEM Chevy power steering pump installed to see if that helps at all.
Thanks again for your question!
-BD Auto Pro
Please let me know, what causes my hydraulic power steering rack system when you turn one side the hydraulic spread out and other side not?
Makori,
Thanks for your question about your power steering. It sounds like you’ve got one side extending when you turn and the other side now. If one side works and the other doesn’t then you’ve got an internal failure in your power steering rack and will need to replace it. Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to rebuild the steering rack but will simply have to replace the whole unit.
Thanks again for your question!
-BD Auto Pro
05 Kia Amanti, New power steering seems to perform fine under 2000 rpm. System has been bled. When I take rpm up to around 3000 fluid fly out around the pump pulley (seal failure) however;back at idle it seems ok – no apparent leak. I have replace the pump 3 times. first replacement I assumed reman pump had a shaft seal failure.
This vehicle had a pump replacement around 30,000 miles, when we bought it. That pump failed around 150,000. 2nd replacement had “front seal failure” out of the box. the next replacement pump lasted to about 230,000. I am now on my second replacement pump. Both pumps were bled down (no whine at idle, except at hard stop, either right or left). At 3000 rpm what appears to be a front seal failure occurs. System has been bled empty twice via vacuum on the return hose. Where do I go next?/
Jerry,
Thanks for your question about your Kia Amanti. It sounds like you’re in for another power steering pump replacement. This time you find try to find a genuine OEM pump to make sure you’re getting the best quality. The other thing to check is to make sure you’re using the correct power steering fluid as the wrong fluid could be causing premature failure of the pump shaft seal. Lastly, we would recommend flushing the whole system after you install the new pump to make sure any debris that could cause wear have been flushed out and new clean fluid is added to maker sure you don’t get excessive wear again.
Thanks again for your question!
-BD Auto Pro
Hi I hope u can help, we have a 2003 mini one, we have replaced with both new power steering pump & a new power steering rack, we still don’t have power steering, we have had the car front off the ground & turned the wheels to remove the air in the system and still no power steering, please can you help us, thanks
Freda-
Thank you for asking about your Mini Cooper. Are you noticing a loss of power steering fluid? If so, we recommend using the BlueDevil Power Steering Stop Leak (http://store.gobdp.com/power-steering-stop-leak-00232/). You will be adding 1/3 of the bottle into your power steering reservoir and should expect to see results after about 100-200 miles of driving.
Thank you!
-BDP
I have a 2002 kia Sedona the van is making a kid growling noise and now the power steering is out are these related and also what could be the power steering problem
James-
Thank you for asking about your Kia Sedona. Have you noticed a loss of power steering fluid? If so, we recommend using the BlueDevil Power Steering Stop Leak (http://store.gobdp.com/power-steering-stop-leak-00232/). You should expect to see results after about 100-200 miles of driving.
Thank you!
-BDP