2008 Honda Pilot, started getting a grinding/whining noise two weeks ago; traced it to the power steering pump. The noise only starts up after a few minutes of driving - it makes no noise when the engine is cold. Fluid in the reservoir gets frothy after running for a few minutes. Noise gets louder when turning the steering wheel. I've replaced the power steering pump with a remanufactured one, replaced inlet and outlet o-rings, and I trimmed off the ends of the hose going from the reservoir to the pump inlet because they looked old and corroded. I then reattached the hose with new clamps. I don't see leaks anywhere and I've bled the system twice according to the Haynes manual. The noise has gotten better after all this, but hasn't gone away. What else can I try or look for?
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1Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair!– Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦Jun 16, 2019 at 23:40
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A bit of noise is normal when the wheel is turned all the way to the left or right– GdDJun 17, 2019 at 9:14
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In my experience, it's normal for power steering fluid to get frothy, or at least I've noticed it in all the vehicles I've had. The power steering fluid is drawn from the bottom of the reservoir, so the fluid won't have air in it, or at least minimal air. I've noticed significantly increased noise in sub-zero temperatures, but slight noise is normal at any temperature. If the reservoir is full and the noise is fairly quiet, it's probably normal.– the_storytellerJun 17, 2019 at 15:32
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It's definitely not normal P/S noise - this is a horrible low-pitched whine/growl and it just started suddenly. The froth in the fluid resembles freshly-poured beer; lots of tiny bubbles mixed throughout the entirety of the reservoir. The bubbles dissipate after about 5 minutes when the engine is turned off.– CarltonJun 17, 2019 at 15:44
2 Answers
Upon recommendation from a professional mechanic, I used a power steering fluid additive made by Lucas which got the air out and solved the noise problem almost instantly.
This happened to my 2007 Honda Pilot, The reservoir has a filter in the bottom that was semi plugged. I cleaned that mess filter and new fluid fixed mine.