Steering noise?
Asked by cpack Apr 14, 2008 at 01:58 PM about the 2006 Chrysler Town & Country Limited LWB FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Why does my steering emit a whining sound after about an hour of driving. My dealership keeps telling me they can't find a problem after three trips to two different dealers
6 Answers
littlehorn answered 16 years ago
Sounds like the power steering pump is cavitating/sucking air as the fluid heats up. Try adding power steering fluid when the vehicle is hot and making the sound, this may make it go away.
I could see a whirlpool in the reservoir. I had to over fill mine to get it to stop whining.
there is a orfice in the return line (to check if it has one there will be a crimp clamp in the middle of the rubber part of the hose) if you replace the rubber hose and leave the orfice out it will steer easier and no noise
My 2003 Town & Country, with 107K miles had developed a loud grown from the power steering. Having found this and several other articles, on the subject, I decided to try replacing the power steering reservoir. I ordered a new reservoir and was wondering what I might use to remove the power steering fluid from the old reservoir when I found an old battery filler in my tool chest. This is essentially a 6oz red bulb with a 6 inch spout and was commonly used to add water to batteries. They are still available but are seldom needed due to the newer maintenance free batteries. As I started to suck out the old power steering fluid, the thought occurred that it might be possible suck out some of the old fluid and jet it back into the reservoir, dispersing the plugging material on the surface of the reservoir screen. I decided to give it a try, repeating the process 8-10 times. During the power washing process, I positioned the spout at different angles in attempt to get better coverage of the screen surface. Following the washing process, I sucked out all of old power steering fluid and replaced it with new fluid. I was rather surprised that this completely eliminated my power steering noise. That was 3.5 years ago and the new reservoir is still setting on the shelf. One word of warning, if you squeeze the bulb too hard you may blow the spout off the bulb, spraying power steering fluid all over the place. This may not as effective as replacing the reservoir but it is sure a lot easier.
The filter screen is plugged with contaminants. The reservoir cost $25. It takes 1 hour to replace.
