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Hey guys,
I have a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix 3.8L V6 that has 97k miles on it.
I’ve been having unusually consistent problems with my power steering system. About 2 years ago I had the pump replaced. That pump failed within a day, and a new one was installed.
Everything was fine until about 6 months ago when it failed on me yet again. I took it to a different shop at which point I was told it was my power steering lines and not the pump. That technician supposedly repaired the lines (or at least thats what my bank tells me).
I’ve been getting a noise that I’ve heard every time the power steering pump has failed. I’ve taken video of the noise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgWWXQThSmc
I’m 99 percent sure the same thing is going to happen yet again. It seems to me that I shouldn’t have had THIS much trouble with a power steering system in this short of a time span. I have NOT checked the fluid as this happened when I was on the road, but I will check it tomorrow morning when the engine is cold.
Any ideas guys? What could possibly be wrong with this system that 2 separate technicians have missed on 3 separate occasions?
I’d really appreciate some help here!
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Could not really hear it well.
Usually power steering noises decrease with speed as a spinning wheel can be turned with little effort from the pump.
Try this, get a video (or audio recording) of under the hood by the pump while a helper turns the wheels from lock to lock while the car is idling in park.
And I guess another thing I should mention. When I was parked I did as you said, just tried to turn the wheel from the lock to lock, and I could do it, but the noise was there and also I noticed my headlights dimming slightly as I did so.
hi, guess who also owns this car!
as the power steering pumps wear out on most GM vehicles such as W body cars with the 3800 V6 such as our Pontiac grand prixs the power steering pump can make a whining noise, the whining noise is more pronounced upon stand still acceleration and seems to go away as speed picks up… sometimes noise can change depending on how you steer the wheel…
it is probably the power steering pump, check your fluid level first if the fluid level is low the pump can become starved of fluid and this is not good as it lubricates the pump and that would create a high pitched whine just like you are experiencing… check the fluid color, if it is brown ish or black that is not good and if it smells burnt that is not good either, check all the lines and hoses that lead from the PS pump too the rack and pinion for leaks… check the rack itself for leaks… (this of coarse if the fluid level keeps dropping)
I have had some bad luck with rebuilt pumps on GM cars. I don’t know what brand your tech used but I always use Delco pumps now. I have had a couple of Delco pumps with problems also but far less than anything else.
You said that the last repair was a line problem and that’s possible. If it was a line leaking it’s likely that it ran low on fluid and damaged the pump. That’s why it’s making noise now. Frequent pump failures can also be caused by deteriorating inside the hoses or pieces of rack components entering the pump. Make sure they use high quality fluid. NO transmission fluid.
If the pump is replaced again use a Delco and install a filter in the return line. Any auto parts store should have one.
Okay, I see better they did not replace the last pump. Yeah Bill is dead on if you had a leaking line that pump very well could be going bad. And he is dead on about what kind of pump you use. Many GMs and Fords are naturally hard on their steering systems. So a reman or inexpensive pump sometimes can not handle the demand and loads and fails much faster than a higher quality new pump. One thing I used to tell my customers is that their original parts lasted to now (which is usually over 100,000 miles) and I ask them if they would like the replacement to last as long.
Ever notice how the original batteries seem to last a long time (I usually see 7 to 8 years out of them), but the part store batteries never seem to last half that time?
OK guys, I’ve read what you said and I appreciate all of your insight. I took the advice and shot a video of the noise from under the hood and had an assistant turn the wheel from right to left, lock to lock. This is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmEErSWKBf0
Assuming this is the power steering pump I have a couple of questions.
1) Should it be very difficult to remove the coolant resevoir in order to give myself more space to work with? Any tips if that becomes my approach?
2) Is this a simple plug and play job like I see a lot of videos like to make it look?
3) What additional procedures do I need to do? (flushing, bleeding)…I have no idea how to do this stuff.
Much better,, thank you
And YES if that pump is full, it is on it’s way out.
replacement instructions
bleeding procedure
TSB about things to pay attention to when replacing the pump
It’s not hard to remove the coolant reservoir to access the pump but you will likely need to remove the pulley and install it on a new pump. There are special tools to do that.
OK, so I wanted to update you guys and come to you for further advice regarding this problem.
First of all, after a 9 hour ordeal, I replaced the power steering pump. I know thats hella long for a pump, but it was my first time. Getting it out was the semi easy part (had to run out and get a flare wrench for the high pressure line). Getting it in was the pain in the butt. Kinda hard to get those fasteners started.
Anyway, to my dismay, I got everything together, did the bleeding procedure, dropped the car down, started it, and the whining was bad.
I immediately took it to a mechanic who, like me, saw no installation problems on my part, and no leaks. He felt the issue was that the system just needed to work some air out, and indeed he was correct. I drove it for a couple of days and while the whine is still there slightly, everything was working properly.
…until this morning. My power steering has failed yet again.
Now I’m trying to stay calm and just assume that as air has left the system that the fluid level has gone down…which I’m about to check here in a few minutes.
But let us assume that:
a) The fluid level is just fine
b) I continue the procedure of adding fluid, and the problem persists.Where should I be looking for problems? I’ve got to be losing fluid somewhere, but for now I’m just hoping that the level is going down because air is escaping.
I want to bang my head against a wall.
Check this over
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lu492y5r57so1kb/grand%20prix%20power%20st%20leaks%20TSB.pdf
Concerns known steering leak issue in your vehicle.
Alright,
So now the noise is gone, but I am completely without power steering.
I put in more fluid and took the car for a spin a couple of hours later and found no change. Power steering is still out.
I pulled over and found power steering fluid in the engine compartment, but it was under the component on the far lower right of the attached diagram. I don’t see it on the power steering pump or underneath it. It looks like the leak is somewhere by what I believe is the AC Compressor.
So looks like I have a quite serious leak.
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