Hey guys I have been having this issue for about a month now. Every time i turn the steering wheel left there is this loud screeching noise. I noticed that my power steering fluid was also low so I went ahead and did a flush by myself from one of the diys on this forum. While doing the flush I was able to take a video to better understand the noise. I have yet to check the fluid again to see if its low but i believe i might have a leak. Heres the video, sorry for the bad quality its the best I could get. Thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQHK...ature=youtu.be

 

You may have air in your power steering system due to letting the fluid level get too low and/or the possible leak. Make sure your fluid level is between the high and low marks on your reservoir. Also check to see if you can find a leak somewhere - the fluid has a distinct odor and color.

After you've got the fluid level correct and have made sure you have no leaks, you may be able to bleed the air out by turning your wheel all the way to the right, then all the way to the left, then all the way to the right...so on and so forth. It can take a minute or two of doing this to get the sound to go away. See if that helps. Then check your fluid level again!

 

There's so much strange noise in your vid I couldn't tell if you still had the screeching noise or not. After you filled the powder steering did you still have the noise or not? Normally if you lose that much fluid there's a leak in the rack, it will need to be replaced!
Gary

 

Yea i know its not a great vid. The noise did go down a lot after the steering fluid flush but if the fluid leaked once that means i definitely have a leak right? Also when the engine is hot, the fluid should be at hot max? Is the steering lack the only cause of the leak? I know those could get expensive.

 

Went to go get my car checked today and they told me in fact my rack and pinion needs to be replaced. Its leaking. However they quoted me 1200 dollars which is crazy. Is this how much its going to cost me? Am i taking a risk by buying a used steering rack and pinion off of ebay and replacing it that way? Also can i run into any problems by putting this off for a couple months? Is there anyway in avoiding this like continuing to top off my steering fluid until i get the funds to fix it? Any help would be much appreciated Thank you.

 

i think the parts are pretty cheap $250-$450 for rebuild.. most of the $$$ is for labor..

monitor the fluid loss.. if it goes down to "low" level from "high" level every few months, I would just keep on refilling.. Mine has been "leaking" for few years now, it goes from high to low every 6-8 months. I just refill..

 

Thats a relief to hear. Hoping I could do that. So im guessing theres no dangers of driving with a leaking steering rack as long as I make sure the fluids are to the correct level?

 

anything is possible.. but i feel like most of rack leaks are just minor.

Your wheels will not fall off, but your steering might get harder (like a non-powered P/S), when it "breaks"

I am just giving you a solution.. not sure how bad yours is.. hell if it's really bad, it might not hurt to put in some Lucas Leak-stop (worked for some, didn't work for many) $10 vs $1000.. the worst that could happen is you wasting $10

Personally, I use a Castrol high mileage transmission oil. It's cheap at Walmart and the high mileage part basically says it contains solutions to swell up seals so it'll stop/slow down minor leaks..

 

Thanks for all the help. Being a college student, my jaw dropped when i saw the quote i received yesterday. I will most likely just put this off like you said. I will also try the lucas leak-stop, I have heard about it before. Thank you!