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Old 11-28-2006, 02:32 PM   #1
silfreed
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Default Power steering pump bearing whine - time to live?

I hijacked another thread, so I figured I should start my own in the correct forum.
My MY04 WRX 58k miles recently started making a "whiny" noise from the front area of the engine compartment - the intensity and pitch increased with RPMs, so I knew it wasn't the turbo. I originally thought it might be an alternator bearing or a fraying timing belt judging from the area the sound was coming from, but I went on to find this out:
Quote:
I stopped by my local Subaru dealership today and they were surprisingly willing to help me diagnose the problem (must be the Thanksgiving turkey).
Through the use of their "ears" (a stethoscope-looking device with a long hollow tube on the end), their thought was that my problem was a bearing in the power steering pump (left, top side of the belt system). Unfortunately, the parts department told me this would cost about $500 to replace (plus labor). The service rep told me this doesn't require immediate attention, but I'm a little worried that a bearing problem now could leave me with no steering down the road. Anyone know about that?
If anyone has any insight on the following questions, I'd love to hear from them:
  1. How long do I have?
  2. Can the existing pump be rebuilt?
  3. Any cheaper sources for a new one (subaruparts.com says $390ish)?
  4. Is this a DIY project? Does it require any special tools? I've never done a timing belt, so I'm worried about screwing that up.
-Doug
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Old 11-28-2006, 02:40 PM   #2
UkNuck
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I think Legacy777 (Josh) re-built the PS pump on his Legacy - he posted a link in a recent thread. Or you could look for a used unit.

No need to go anywhere near the timing belt AFAIK - just slacken the tensioner on the alt and pop off the RHS accessory belt.

EDIT: Josh's post http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...59&postcount=4
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Old 11-28-2006, 02:45 PM   #3
silfreed
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UkNuck View Post
I think Legacy777 (Josh) re-built the PS pump on his Legacy - he posted a link in a recent thread. Or you could look for a used unit.
Thanks - I'll look at his recent posts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UkNuck View Post
No need to go anywhere near the timing belt AFAIK - just slacken the tensioner on the alt and pop off the RHS accessory belt.
That's terrific. I haven't played in that area of my engine at all - I know screwing up the timing belt can do seriously bad things, but accessory belts are another thing. I'll try to do some research into how to work with them - if you have any links or tips that you know of quickly I'd appreciate them.

-Doug
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Old 11-28-2006, 09:54 PM   #4
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my ps pump has been making a whine for the last year since I bought my 02. It has 77k on itand still seems to function fine. I have noticed a gradual hesitation in steering assist and the sound has increased. Have you noticed if the whine increases on especially cold days like mine? I just bought a replacement one used for pretty cheap and hope this will fix the problem, but from my experience, if you can put up with the noise, the pump should last you a while.
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Old 11-28-2006, 10:07 PM   #5
silfreed
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It hasn't been extremely cold here yet - not really even moderately cold (ie, not even below 40degF for awhile). With that said, the noise didn't start until it began getting down into the 50's here, but I don't really notice the sound getting any less when the engine warms up - I just get used to it. If I listen it's definitely still there just as loud.
So far the noise hasn't gotten worse - and like you said, it's probably something I could live with until it starts affecting the pressure.
I a rebuilt one for an 02 on eBay for around $190 (#190050464293) but I'm not sure if this is a good way to go or not. I'll probably download the service manuals from http://techinfo.subaru.com/ ($35 now .. ouch) and see how hard it is to take it apart and see how much the parts are to rebuild it.

-Doug
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Old 11-29-2006, 12:07 PM   #6
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Doug,

Check with your local subaru dealership first to see if they even offer a rebuild kit. The service manuals may not even go into detail on the internals of the PS pump, because it's an item, most techs would just replace, not rebuild.
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Old 11-29-2006, 07:20 PM   #7
haroman1188
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my -2 wrx just started making a whine but my power steering does not work at all when idleing. it only works when the car has some revs. anyone know the deal?
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Old 11-30-2006, 06:11 PM   #8
Legacy777
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Quote:
Originally Posted by haroman1188 View Post
my -2 wrx just started making a whine but my power steering does not work at all when idleing. it only works when the car has some revs. anyone know the deal?
Can you elaborate what you mean by it doesn't work? Does it just not have as much assist when revs are low?

Have you tried to turn the wheel with the engine off, does it require that much effort when the car is idling?

What you're describing is somewhat normal, depending on how much assist you are getting at idle.
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Old 12-02-2006, 11:15 AM   #9
silfreed
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I took my accessory belt off this morning and turned the pump by hand - I couldn't really feel like there was any grinding or anything, but it wouldn't spin freely when I pushed it (not too surprising - it is a pump).
The only other thing I noticed is that my power steering fluid looks brown, not red. At 58k miles should I be considering replacing my power steering fluid?
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Old 12-02-2006, 09:10 PM   #10
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It wouldn't be a bad idea. Just get a turkey baster, suck out as much fluid as you can from the resevoir and refill. Repeat this once or twice more and you should be good.
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Old 01-21-2009, 08:04 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by haroman1188 View Post
my -2 wrx just started making a whine but my power steering does not work at all when idleing. it only works when the car has some revs. anyone know the deal?

I don't mean to bring this back from the dead, but I didn't want to start a new thread.

This dude's post ^^^ describes my issue exactly. It is basically impossible to turn the wheels left or right when the engine is at idle. Once you put it into gear and bring up the rev's, it'll move freely. I know it's the pump, and my buddy (Subaru mechanic) agree's, but I just wanted to feel out all of my options. I've sourced out a used WRX pump from an 02 with <60,000 miles for $50 before shipping. Should I just go this route, or is there any other options that are cheaper? Is it possible that there is something else wrong that could be causing my problems?

I just want to make sure that I know what all of my options (if any) are that I have available.


TIA


Andrew
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Old 07-22-2009, 09:54 AM   #12
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I have the same problem with my 2002 after a night of flat spins in a parking lot and the fluid got down to just about nothing. No assist what so ever at idle and it makes a whine when you turn the wheel. Any thoughts? Also has a leak on one of the lines right under neath the downpipe.
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Old 07-22-2009, 11:52 AM   #13
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Wirelessly posted (LG Voyager: Mozilla/4.1 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; ) 400x240 LGE VX10000)

pump's dead. find a used one here on the forums or you can do what i did.

i used car-parts.com and found a basically new pump with all the lines and resevoir for $60 shipped. was here in a week.
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Old 08-16-2009, 03:34 PM   #14
kiwicasti
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I need to swap out my PS pump on a 04 STI. Are there any threads or step by step instructions for this kinda of thing?
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Old 08-22-2009, 11:07 PM   #15
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Here it is:

http://www.omods.com/index.php/mods_..._intall_guide/

You need to remove 3 12mm bolts in order to remove it.
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Old 09-07-2009, 05:47 PM   #16
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Hey, My p/s went,... i guess because I'm only getting assist off idle and it has a leak in it somewhere. Will a p/s pump off an 04-06 sti work? It says they're interchangeable between wrx and sti but will it fit on my 04 wrx? Thanks
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Old 04-24-2010, 10:21 PM   #17
wessubie06
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I have a 2006 sti with 54000 miles and that ps pump wine like crazy sometimes i'm taking it in soon thought been about 6 months since it started... got progressively worse.
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Old 12-06-2010, 02:16 AM   #18
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Bringing back the dead thread i guess...I live in the Chicagoland area and as the weather got colder a whine from the front of my engine has increased in intensity. As i do alot of parallel parking i noticed the p/s assist would sort of skip and the noise would increase during parking and turning. I am hoping all i need to do is replace the p/s fluid with ATF as suggested in other threads.
What steps should i take in diagnosing this problem and i was wondering if anyone has had this same problem.
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Old 12-06-2010, 04:13 PM   #19
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anybody preez?
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Old 12-07-2010, 01:08 PM   #20
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I'd start with the fluid and go from there. That is going to be the least expensive and easiest option.
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