dhughe2

this afternoon i started my truck after it had sat outside since 6 AM in 20 degree Fahrenheit weather, and my truck was making a whining sound. it was coming from somewhere under the hood behind the steering column. When i put it in gear, it stopped. I started to accelerate and turn the wheel and i heard it more. i went forward and backward hoping it would go away and it didnt. I could also feel it in my brakes and a tiny little bit in the throttle. A mechanic at work suggested that it was the hydrobooster, and thought it may subside when the truck and fluids warmed up. So i took the truck out and drove it to about 165 degrees, and the whine and vibration wasnt as bad, but i noticed that after i accelerated to about 30 miles per hour, and let off the throttle some (so the engine wasnt under a load) i could still hear it between 1100 and 1200 RPMs. Does anyone have any ideas? is it something i should worry about? another mechanic said this bitter cold we're experiencing today could be causing it.

phox_mulder

More than likely, it's the power steering pump.

Changing the fluid to 100% synthetic helps to some degree.

Cold is cold, and even synthetic will get thick, just not as quick as dino lube.


phox

dhughe2

so you think the liquid is just a little thick? that'd be good news. i just went out and checked it and it was about halfway between add and full cold. the service manual calls for it to read "full cold." i'm gonna go buy some fluid and maybe that will solve the problem.

OUTDOORSMAN

Another member reccommended "lube gaurd" for the power steering. I couldnt find it so I went with auto parts store brand and it cleared right up. I believe the vibration actually vibrated the power steering cap off. I drove the truck from a 2 day sit and cold start and it whined for a while. So the next day I backed in the driveway that is on an incline and the truck leaked a good sized puddle of power steering fluid. On the intial start up the fluid foamed up bad. So I had to wait a while for it to calm down and then I added fluid and ran the truck to temp. Then topped it off. Feels great now. good luck.

btw, the new fluid is supposed to be better in cold weather. we'll see how long it last.

Dinner

My truck was doing the same as well. If it was in park and you pushed on the brake it would whine, etc. Once i put it in drive it would go away until i turned the steering wheel. Looked at my steering fluid and it was pretty low So i put some new fluid in her and she is all ready to go, no more whine

Dinner