Chirp and whine from under hood

[strat81]

2004 Buick Rainier AWD 5.3L V8
82,500 miles
Front and rear diff fluid changed about 10k miles ago with Mobil 1 LS 75W-90
Transfer case fluid changed at 50k and 75k with Auto Trak II
P/S fluid replaced 500 miles ago with NAPA house brand P/S fluid
Tires inflated to 35 psi, problem occurs with Hankook Ventus All Seasons and Firestone Winterforce
Happens regardless of vehicle temp or drive time
Belt was replaced ~30k miles ago with a Dayco
Vehicle otherwise drives OK

I've noticed that I'm getting a chirp sound when turning (i.e., a full 90* turn), especially when turning right. It will do it when turning left too, it just doesn't seem as loud. It will also do it at slow speeds, so I don't think it's a traction/tire issue. This has been going on for a few months, with different fluid, different tires, different weather, and different drivers. It does not happen when changing lanes. I do not notice any shudder in the wheel.

A tight circle does not cause anything to bind up. I can only hear it - no feeling is transmitted through the steering wheel or in the ride.

I've tried cleaning the belt and pulleys and that didn't help.

I removed the belt. Tensioner still has "good" tension. Idler pulley and tensioner pulley spin freely. The alternator pulley spins smoothly and will continue to spin once I get it going.

The power steering pulley... it was the hardest to turn but I didn't have muscle it and once I released it, it stopped immediately. It did not feel rough. How easy should that pulley be to turn? I'd think there should be some resistance due to the fluid in the pump.

In park, at idle, if I turn the wheel, there are no odd noises.

In park, if I hold the engine at 3,000 RPM and turn the wheel, I get a high-pitched whine. It's not the sound my grandfather's old Grand Marquis would make when the belt needed replacing which sounded more like a squeal, if that makes any sense.

I cannot get the vehicle to chirp when it's stationary.

Thoughts?

 

[Sawdusted]

Chirps and whines are almost always belt related or belt driven related. From the sound of it, I would check your power steering pump and its pulley and bearing.

You mentioned that it makes the chirps especially on turns, that's when the PS is most active, especially at slow speeds. You also mention it is harder to turn and it feels rough to you.

My guess is that the bearing in the PS pump pr PS pulley is gone. That's where it'd start.

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted By: Sawdusted
I would check your power steering pump and its pulley and bearing.


That's what I was thinking.

 

[strat81]

***UPDATE***

Last Tuesday, I added some Lubegard Power Steering Protectant to my PSF reservoir after doing another drain and fill. It's been in there close to a week now and the noise is substantially reduced, maybe 80-90%, and it even reduced steering effort slightly. I haven't taken the vehicle on any trips over 5 miles since then, but I'm hoping that a long trip on the highway will warm up the fluid and parts enough to let the Lubegard stuff work even better.

 

[Tosh]

Really? Why do I feel like I'm sitting in the audience of a Lubeguard infomercial...?

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: Tosh
Really? Why do I feel like I'm sitting in the audience of a Lubeguard infomercial...?

While I don't doubt that it could have taken away the whine, it sounds a lot like maybe masking the real problem.

 

[Tosh]

My 01 Acura CL-S w 114k has got a faint whine that has steadily increased over the past 15k which I >hope< is from the PS pump, so if there's an additive that will reduce it, I'd like to try it.

 

[strat81]

Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: Tosh
Really? Why do I feel like I'm sitting in the audience of a Lubeguard infomercial...?

While I don't doubt that it could have taken away the whine, it sounds a lot like maybe masking the real problem.


It probably is masking the real problem of GM's disposable power steering pumps.


Tosh, when my 2001 Honda CR-V's steering starts to get noisy, 3x drain & fill with Honda-specific fluid seems to clear it up. I've been using the OEM fluid. Seems to happen every 40k miles or so. The noise usually appears during tight parking lot maneuvers in that car.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: strat81
Tosh, when my 2001 Honda CR-V's steering starts to get noisy, 3x drain & fill with Honda-specific fluid seems to clear it up. I've been using the OEM fluid. Seems to happen every 40k miles or so. The noise usually appears during tight parking lot maneuvers in that car.

You mean the 'ol turkey baster method, or a full purge as described in the factory service manual? I know some people who are freaked out about doing it that way, fearing that they'll damage the rack or the pump will fail as a result - or at the very least that it'll take weeks for the system to self purge itself of air. I've done it maybe 3 or 4 times on various Honda and Acura cars, and nothing bad happens in the short time it takes to do it. It may sound bad though with all the screeching and groaning coming from the PS system. And the air is purged within seconds. I was checking it running after my last top off, and I could see the amount of bubbles in the reservoir going away to nothing within less than a minute.

However, with my wife's car, there was this persistent whine. I was thinking maybe it was the transmission, but it totally went away with just enough fluid added to the reservoir.

I also noticed a tiny amount of oily buildup under the reservoir and on part of the feed hose. I've never touched it, but I suspect there's miniscule amount of leaking at that end. I'm wondering if maybe it needs a new feed hose and clamp. That seems simple and cheap enough. I've also heard of the issue with the O-ring, but I'm not sure which one that is. I was thinking #16 in this diagram:

 

[Tosh]

Originally Posted By: strat81
Tosh, when my 2001 Honda CR-V's steering starts to get noisy, 3x drain & fill with Honda-specific fluid seems to clear it up. I've been using the OEM fluid. Seems to happen every 40k miles or so. The noise usually appears during tight parking lot maneuvers in that car.

Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't been able to track down the source of this whine on my 01 Acura CL w 114k: It is just a very faint 'gear' whine that varies exactly with engine revs from about 1800 rpm and upwards. The whine does not seem related to load on the PS. I have done a slurp and fill from the reservoir three times and replaced with Amsoil PS fluid, but no change in the whine. The noise is so faint that nobody else notices but has been increasing over the past 15-16k or so...

 

[strat81]

Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: strat81
Tosh, when my 2001 Honda CR-V's steering starts to get noisy, 3x drain & fill with Honda-specific fluid seems to clear it up. I've been using the OEM fluid. Seems to happen every 40k miles or so. The noise usually appears during tight parking lot maneuvers in that car.

You mean the 'ol turkey baster method, or a full purge as described in the factory service manual?


Turkey baster.