Power Steering Whine

[Cire2]

I've noticed a loud whining noise while making slow, sharp right or left turns. Has anyone else come across this? I'm not sure if it is my power steering pump or rack and pinion, and if I need to replace either or.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Cire

 

[03_4x4Runner]

How many miles do you have? The best place to start is flushing/changing the fluid.

 

[96r50]

X2 on your mileage and model year. How old is your serpentine belt? If it's not the fluid or the pump it could be the belt starting to slip.

 

[Cire2]

Thanks for the quick response guys.

My 4Runner is 2010 TE with a Toytec lift. There is currently 50k miles and the fluids and belt are original. The fluid looks transparent.

It's a weird sound. It sounds more like a whiring sound and occurs only while turning at low speeds. Are there any internal filters that could be clogged causing low fluid to make it to the pump?

 

[96r50]

I haven't actually looked in there myself but I'd assume that there's the typical Toyota fine mesh screen at the bottom of the reservoir to trap any particulate that gets in the fluid. I'd be surprised if there was enough junk in there to clog it though. If your fluid is clear then it's probably still the factory fill. I'm at the same mileage/year with the original fluid and belt and no issues.

Have you done a visual inspection of the steering rack? Maybe the lift increased the tie rod angles enough to wear something out faster than usual? Maybe take off the skid plate and check the lines for pinhole leaks as well.

 

[Cire2]

I'll inspect it further this weekend as well as flush the system out and respond with my findings. Thanks for the pointers!

 

[wfo9]

changing fluid is a good place to start with a whine... It's a closed system, so very unlikely to have debris... more likely air and cavitation.

 

[Ledvette77]

Cire,

I just started having the same problem after off-roading yesterday. Haven't inspected in-depth yet but I was wondering if you came up with anything that might have been causing yours, or of course if you fixed it.

 

[Briton]

I've also been having the same issue. It's only at slow speeds, turning right or left. Fluid level is good, although I haven't checked it's coloring, and the belt looks to be ok. Both are original. It's a 2010 TE with 55k and change. Any help would be great. Hopefully it's nothing too costly.

 

[latha024]

I was having the same issues. Last week I had the dealer do a full power steering service and it's completely gone. I think it was about $150 but the steering feels incredible. I'm generally not a believer in flush services, but this one was worth it.