Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think my steering pump may be on the fritz but the two mechanics who I took my car to the past year have not been able to help me. When the engine is running on my Prizm, there is a a whining noise and rattling sound coming from under the hood. The noise goes away when I turn the steering wheel either left or right a few degrees. I had the car in storage for a few years only, occasionally driving it until a year ago. The noise started about a year ago as a whining noise that turning the steering wheel would silence the noise as long as you kept it turned. Then the noise disappeared after a few months of driving but has come back this past summer and is annoying. The last mechanic, I feel, kind of BS'ed me by telling me that a pulley tensioner needed to be replaced and the load of the steering pump being used by a turned steering wheel would silence a noisy tension bearing. Alas, they replaced the pulley but the noise still is there. I am at the point where I think mechanics can not diagnose noises or care to. Help!
I think my steering pump may be on the fritz but the two mechanics who I took my car to the past year have not been able to help me. When the engine is running on my Prizm, there is a a whining noise and rattling sound coming from under the hood. The noise goes away when I turn the steering wheel either left or right a few degrees. I had the car in storage for a few years only, occasionally driving it until a year ago. The noise started about a year ago as a whining noise that turning the steering wheel would silence the noise as long as you kept it turned. Then the noise disappeared after a few months of driving but has come back this past summer and is annoying. The last mechanic, I feel, kind of BS'ed me by telling me that a pulley tensioner needed to be replaced and the load of the steering pump being used by a turned steering wheel would silence a noisy tension bearing. Alas, they replaced the pulley but the noise still is there. I am at the point where I think mechanics can not diagnose noises or care to. Help!
You might want to have the PS Fluid flushed. My sister had the same problem on her 94 Saturn and after replacing the fluid the noise went away.
ps noises don't go away when you load the pump.. they are aggravated by load, not quieted...
id bet its an idler pully bearing
Mechanic already changed an idler bearing. I have not had much of a chance to crawl under the car to figure out where the noise is coming from exactly. My worse nightmare of a repair is it is something related to the automatic transmission. The steering is connected to the axles and the axles go to the tranny. It may be a bearing problem because when I shut off the engine, you hear for a brief fraction of a second moment the noise, implying, IMHO, it is probably an external to the drive-train cases.
My huge frustration is that I had the car in two separate shops and the mechanics have been inept (harsh term, but I am held to high standards in my job too) in tracing the noise.
What kind of simple tests can I do to narrow the possibilities down? I can always take the car to another shop but I am starting to really not trust them. One concern is shops padding work to make an extra buck on stuff. They are not immune to up-selling service if they can net extra money.
Mechanic already changed an idler bearing. I have not had much of a chance to crawl under the car to figure out where the noise is coming from exactly. My worse nightmare of a repair is it is something related to the automatic transmission. The steering is connected to the axles and the axles go to the tranny. It may be a bearing problem because when I shut off the engine, you hear for a brief fraction of a second moment the noise, implying, IMHO, it is probably an external to the drive-train cases.
My huge frustration is that I had the car in two separate shops and the mechanics have been inept (harsh term, but I am held to high standards in my job too) in tracing the noise.
What kind of simple tests can I do to narrow the possibilities down? I can always take the car to another shop but I am starting to really not trust them. One concern is shops padding work to make an extra buck on stuff. They are not immune to up-selling service if they can net extra money.
Remove all drive belts (power steering, alternator and ac) start the engine and see if the noise stops. This will tell you if the noise is in the ps pump or anything belt driven. Don't let it run more than a minute or so if the water pump is not turning. If that stops the noise you'll have to eliminate the possibilities one by one. Good luck and be careful
Get a long screwdriver and with the engine running touch the tip of it to the mounting point of each of the pulleys. Put your ear to the other end and it will work like a stethoscope. It will help you locate exactly where the noise is coming from.
My huge frustration is that I had the car in two separate shops and the mechanics have been inept (harsh term, but I am held to high standards in my job too) in tracing the noise.
What kind of simple tests can I do to narrow the possibilities down? I can always take the car to another shop but I am starting to really not trust them. One concern is shops padding work to make an extra buck on stuff. They are not immune to up-selling service if they can net extra money.[/quote]
Yes, you have been poorly served by the automotive repair industry. The first diagnostic step is to remove the drive belts, as noted by previous posters. If no noise or play is felt in the pulleys/bearings, the next step is to connect a power steering pressure tester. In my experience, when this happens, you are looking at a power steering flush minimum, and perhaps pressure line and possibly pump replacement. Good luck
you said that the tensioner pulley bearing was replaced, that is different from the idler pully...
i digress, as the mechanics you used are inept, maybe it's time to take it to a higher-quality shop for service
Another data point this morning. Frosty weather (<32* F) nullified the noise quite a bit. Consistent with a bearing and viscous grease packing? Perhaps the steering portion somewhere? Sluggish pump fluid? I do hear a high-pitched squeal, like from a bearing, sporadically too, in idle or when I am driving. That is definitely a bearing, I bet.
I am in the process of finding another car repair shop. My mistake was thinking that all shops are top-notch and it is child's play for to them to work on cars. Sometimes they fudge just to get your car outta there.
The A/C compressor on my '98 Prizm makes a rattling noise when it's engaged (A/C on). It's been doing it for about 5 years now...when it breaks, I'll fix it.
That's the thing about car noises...they will eventually let you know where they're coming from. Unless the noise is extremely irritating, I wait until it breaks, or becomes obvious where it's coming from.
About your "thinking that all shops are top-notch"....I'm sorry but that's rather naive. Like any other business, there are bad ones and good ones...IMO, in the auto repair biz, the former far outnumber the latter.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
