well , I am cursed its been one problem each week and none have been cheap.

okay so the past 4 morning its been 40-60 degrees out , pretty cold. I start my car and I hear a whirrring whiny sound , its my PS pump. Fluid is in there. canister is about half way full. I am not leaking any. but when I turn and even sometimes going straight you can hear it sounds like a supercharger lol it whines and whines and sounds like I have no fluid but .. its in there.

is it just the pump or do I really have to replace the steering rack?

 

pump is bad.. replace.

 

whew! I can do that in like 30 minutes lol power steering rack would make me cry. how urgent is the repair ? when it warms up I hear no noises from the pump and it acts normal it just been doing this in the cold or if the car sits longer than 8 hours.

 

Try flushing the fluid with some merc/dex III and see if that helps. If not replace. As to when it will go bad? I have no idea.

 

Wow, funny thing is that I was going to start this same thread last night. My max and two others which are friends of mine also have a winning noise when steering wheel is turned and we were trying to diagnose the pump and rack separately. But you guys are saying the pump which aftermarket ones are no good and the dealership wants $546 for one.

 

as far as how urgent it is: you dont NEED power steering...

the past month with my max ill just say I FEEL YOUR PAIN

 

Ideally you replace parts with brand new OEM parts, but 99.9% of us can't afford BRAND NEW OEM. So either you settle for used OEM or brand new (or reman) generic.

Depending on the parts and cost, I prefer the latter.

 

get something with a good waranty. Avoid the cheapest ones. Try a1 cardone. also shop around, try dave b for an oem one.

 

crap, goodthing i searched. My max has the same problem and i was scared by that noise, guess it ain't so bad if it'll still drive if it goes bad, right?

 

How distinct is this whining? Video?

 

When the pump seizes it will take the belt with it. Perhaps, it is thrown off and does nothing. Perhaps, it takes out the other belt and you're stuck on the side of the road. It's a little bit of a gamble. Not to mention that a vehicle with p/s is insanely hard to steer when you lose the power steering. Other than that? Sure. No problem.