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Humming from/near power steering pump

XperimntNterror

New member
Hello!

I have a question about some noise I'm hoping someone can help pinpoint the cause of before taking it in to the mechanic tomorrow.

I have this odd humming noise that sounds like it is coming from or near the power steering pump. I checked the fluid level and it appears to be OK.

The noise only seems to be present when the engine is still cold. If I warm the car for 10 or 15 minutes, the noise goes away.

I noticed this last week one day when the temp was around -15. I was in a hurry that morning, so I didn't let the car warm up like I normally do each morning. At first, I didn't notice anything, but when I cranked the wheel to the left (hard) I noticed a low humming + a rubbing "sound". Upon accelerating, I heard a higher pitched hum coming from near the center of the dash. When I got to the stop sign and turned a right, I heard another low humming + rubbing sound coming from that side.

After driving for roughly 10 minutes and getting the car warmed up, the humming during acceleration went away and once I made it the area around my work I wasn't getting the low hum + rub during any turns.

Today, I left work without really letting the car warm, and got the same sounds described above (temp: 34), but once the car was warmed up, it went away. I had an appointment to go to, so afterward, I popped the hood in the parking lot and after a couple of minutes, noticed the buzz/hum coming from the power steering pump area. I checked the fluid and it appeared to be alright (the lighting was very low and no flashlight, so can't be 100%). I allowed the car to idle for about 5 minutes and noise started to weaken until it became inaudible. I left and did not have any of the other noises during acceleration/turning.

Is it possible that the cold temperatures are causing this to happen? I normally let the car warm up for at least 10 to 15 minutes and haven't heard these noises in between when I heard it the really cold day last week and today.

Any insight would be appreciated.
 


Yes that's the power steering pump making that noise. Cold will definitely make it more noticeable but it doesn't necessarily mean the pump is going bad as both of my gp's have had a small PS hum. Unless your having power steering problems and the fluid levels are fine I wouldn't worry too much about it

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I tried that...actually did a complete drain when I had a leaking power steering line...did stop the whine. But also don't care about power steering anymore need to replace my rack and PS pump. I'm completely replacing all my PS system including the lines for it

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