no more power steering

[unknownroad]

Originally Posted by fasternyou929

Depends how long it's been leaking, but that's the best place to start. Whenever it was filled, it should have been filled above the lower-limit.

Yup. If to your knowledge it hasn't been checked in the previous 100k miles, most likely it's a fairly trivial leak.

However, *in general* the power steering should still behave normally if you're at the lower limit. The symptoms made me assume it had run very low. What sort of weird noise did it make when the problem started?

If you're sitting in the car, parked, with the engine on, and turn the wheel from lock-to-lock, do you hear a squealing like the belt is slipping? A noise almost like a moan? A clunking?

Is the thumping rhythmic, in sync with the engine, or does it change depending on how quickly you turn the wheel? You could have a problem in your front suspension, with the P/S problem being a symptom rather than a cause.

[AquaPython]

ok yesterday i syphoned (turkey baster) out the fluid and replaced with fresh stuff 3 times. every time the stuff came out like chocolate syrup. i guess there is a lot of this stuff in the system because what i was doing seemed to not make a dent in it.

the car when on makes a noise now. the noise is the wheel that one of the belts is on. the wheel shakes while spinning about .5" i am guessing this is the power steering belt / wheel. if the cat is sitting parked i cannot turn it from lock to lock. if start to turn the wheel the power steering tries to assist and fails. it is a rythmic droning like a failing robot in a bad sci fi film.

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by AquaPython

ok yesterday i syphoned (turkey baster) out the fluid and replaced with fresh stuff 3 times. every time the stuff came out like chocolate syrup. i guess there is a lot of this stuff in the system because what i was doing seemed to not make a dent in it.

the car when on makes a noise now. the noise is the wheel that one of the belts is on. the wheel shakes while spinning about .5" i am guessing this is the power steering belt / wheel. if the cat is sitting parked i cannot turn it from lock to lock. if start to turn the wheel the power steering tries to assist and fails. it is a rythmic droning like a failing robot in a bad sci fi film.

ok. First guessing that the "wheel" is the pulley that the serpentine belt runs on. Which pully is it? Is it the one on the power steering pump? The one on the alternator? the Idler/tensioner pully?
Regardless, it sounds like a bearing is out in said pully. This will need to be replaced to further diagnose problems with the system.

[AquaPython]

yea dont think it is on the serpentine belt. if i remember it is a little thinner. i dont know if its on the power steering unit or not...