Subaru power steering noise

Hello everyone,

I have a friend at work who is having some issues with her subaru Forester. Here is the email she sent me. Does anyone have an idea of what could be the issue?

Hey Mike. I’m still having issues with my power steering making noise. We have bled it several times. My husband did it again on Sunday. He said he jacked it up and turned the wheel lock to lock about 10 times and then went out and drove it and no change so he said he did it again. In all he says he turned the wheel about 50 times. He took it to a mechanic yesterday and he said the only thing he could think would be some valve in the side of the pump but we traded the old one with the one from the rebuilt I had. We have put 2 separate pumps on it and it continues to do the same thing. He went to Subaru to find out if he could get the valve but they said you can’t get it but alldata says you can and I found it on line. Very frustrating.

I know you’re busy but at one point when we talked you told me you had friends who race Subarus. Do you think you could talk to them and see if they have ever had this problem or heard of it and if they have any ideas or do you know a really good mechanic up here in town who could maybe diagnose it? The mechanic in Lancaster said there isn’t much to the steering system, just the pump, reservoir and lines.

I will say that after he did the bleeding on Sunday the steering isn’t as stiff but he says there are still air bubbles in the reservoir and still maintains that the churning of the fluid in the reservoir could be causing the bubbles.

Change the fluid for some nice new fluid...

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

She said that the fluid has been changed twice. Also its a Outback not a Forester if that changes any thing.

Thanks for the reply

When does it make the noise? is it constant? on start up?

Quote
BlackWidow
She said that the fluid has been changed twice. Also its a Outback not a Forester if that changes any thing.

Thanks for the reply

But we don't know:
what is the correct fluid according to manual
What they had in it
what they now have in it
if they purged right
if they refilled right
if they do or don't hold at full lock for xxxx time or not..

We know we have a lotta known unknowns and a lotta unknown knowns.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

I will find out the info John. I really dont know and didnt know to ask that. I did find out the Her Husband when filling it filled and let it run out the drain on the pump in hopes that the air would evacuate with the fluid.

I do know that they pulled one from a scrap yard when the original pump went out. after they installed it it was making noise ( I think all the time: confriming that ) they figured it was the pump they had gotten and had it replaced with another pump form the scrap yard. So the pump that is in there is not the orignal one. Any way i will try to get better details.

When does it make noise? her respnse below


When I turn the wheel. When I’m going straight it doesn’t “moan”. I my opinion it is worse when I turn left. When we jacked it up the first time and turned the wheel it didn’t make any noise. I don’t know about Sunday.

Has anyone messed with the shroud over the belts lately? If so, make sure that the shroud is centered in the slack so that it never yanks on the bolt that both holds the shroud and also connects the return pipe to the pump.

She said that she doesnt remember a shroud but she will ask and she had read on a website that the 2.5 is differnt then the 3.0. She has the 3.0

http://allwheeldriveauto.com/why-is-the-power-steering-making-noise-on-my-subaru-outback/

The above is the website i showed her last month.

I'm sorry. I should have admitting to not knowing the details of which cars this happens to. I just know that the shroud over the belts can cause grief because of a silly design using one bolt for both the return line and the shroud on at least some cars, including one that I owed.

Her response on the question about holding the wheel in the turned position

He said he just turned it and did not hold it in place. I know my dad said the only way he knew to bleed the power steering on older cars was to turn it lock to lock holding it in place until the noise went away. Still waiting on response about shroud.

Quote
BlackWidow
Her response on the question about holding the wheel in the turned position

He said he just turned it and did not hold it in place. I know my dad said the only way he knew to bleed the power steering on older cars was to turn it lock to lock holding it in place until the noise went away. Still waiting on response about shroud.

Yeah hold the steering on the stops till the noise goes away---when the pump seizes, or the belt breaks....
Full lock ----touch---other way. Never let the fluid get low---and aerate.

also: some pumps are just noisier.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Pardon the interruption...Subaru has an o-ring that fails on the suction side of the pump. Sucks air causing a buzzing groaning noise. Often you can press on the plastic fitting on the back of the pump and change the noise. I believe two bolts and a small standard o-ring (nothing wierd). We've fixed several late model Subes with this problem. Quick fix.

Quote
john vanlandingham

Quote
BlackWidow

Full lock ----touch---other way. Never let the fluid get low---and aerate.

also: some pumps are just noisier.

MIght get those steel air bb's....

Check valve she is talking about was a TSB item, symptom was groaning at full lock.... probrably not the problem.

I vaguely remember something about a bleed valve to the brake booster.... 15$ hose has a check valve in it... something something. ..

here is something close http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f88/power-steering-funky-noise-61918/

Side note what happened to being able to search google for discussions?

We had an 04 xt that had issues with the automatic trans selector doohicky. another seemed like that was another common problem. Don't remember what the fix for that was either.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2014 02:28PM by aj_johnson.

Quote
heymagic
Pardon the interruption...Subaru has an o-ring that fails on the suction side of the pump. Sucks air causing a buzzing groaning noise. Often you can press on the plastic fitting on the back of the pump and change the noise. I believe two bolts and a small standard o-ring (nothing wierd). We've fixed several late model Subes with this problem. Quick fix.

Isn't this is the same issue as the shroud? The vibrations and yanks from the shroud are what cause the O-ring not to seal.