Help! Massive Power Steering Whine. Any Ideas?

[A3Tomlin]

Hi Guys,

Just started up my car and there's a horrible whining sound coming from the engine bay which seems to be related to the power steering. The steering feels a bit grindy and the noise gets worse when you turn the wheel. Has anyone got any ideas what this might be?

I have been driving it all weekend (not hard, just motorway miles) and it wasn't a problem when I turned it off last night, but I could hear it the second it fired today.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I need to get this fixed asap and I don't know if I can even drive it to a garage in this state.

Cheers all.

 

[Matt82]

find out where your pas fluid went

 

[A3Tomlin]

Indeed. I've topped it up (was about an inch below the minimum) but the sound is still there and after a short (sub-one minute) drive, the fluid has gone all frothy at the surface.

Is it a case of running it when the fluid was low has now screwed up the system, or do I just need to run the car a bit more to work the air bubbles out of the system and keep topping it up as I go?

 

[Lemon S3]

As above, check your power steering fluid, might need topping up.

Edit: Ignore what I said, you've already done it lol.

 

[golf]

The power steering fluid is in a sealed unit, it really should never drop unless there is a leak. My first thought would be that the rack is leaking from one of the sides, or that it's leaking from one of the pipes.

Top it up to the correct level and take it for a drive if there are no obvious leaks, if the level drops dramatically, stop driving it as you'll kill the pump.

 

[Matt82]

its going throthy because of a LEAK. the leak is introducing AIR. the pump is partially filled with AIR, not lubricating properly hence the NOISE.

tbh just find the leak and fix it, fill the system and find out how to bleed it

 

[Effect]

After you top it up turn it lock to lock a couple of times.
I had the same problem, mine is a leak on a pipe which seems to come out of the rack run round the front of the engine bay then back into the rack again, my mechanic reckons itw ill be something to do with cooling more than likely, my leak is under the front drivers side of the car just in front of the PAS pump.