For those of you old enough to remember manual steering, you know how difficult it is to control an automobile without power steering. Your power steering system needs maintenance just as every other system on your vehicle needs it. Urb’s Garage & Tire lists five signs that your power steering pump is going bad, and this can directly affect the ease of your steering as well as your ability to control your car, truck, utility vehicle, or van.
1. Whining Sounds
One sign that your power steering pump is going out is hearing whining sounds when you turn the steering wheel. This is also a sign that you have low power steering fluid, which indicates a leak in the power steering system because this fluid is completely encased. You shouldn’t hear whining noises coming from your automobile at all, especially every time you turn the steering wheel.
2. Slow or Loose Response
Another sign that you have a bad power steering pump is changes in how your steering wheel responds when you turn it. In some cases, the steering will be slow to respond. It will feel tight and be difficult to get your automobile to turn. In other cases, the steering will feel loose, or it will give and take as you turn it. Your steering wheel should always give you the same amount of resistance every time you use it.
3. Squealing Noises
Squealing noises when you turn on the car can indicate a problem with your drive belt, but they can also indicate a problem with the steering well pump. Again, as with whining sounds, squealing noises are an indication that there is something going on underneath the hood that should not be going on, which is why it’s important to have any strange noises your automobile makes checked into as soon as possible.
4. Groaning Sounds
Your automobile shouldn’t groan when you turn it, either. This is a sign that you have a faulty power steering pump. This sound can also be made if there is something else going on in the suspension, including worn shocks and struts or a cracked axle. Don’t take chances. Have the groaning sound investigated so the cause can be determined and fixed.
5. Inability to Steer Your Car
Finally, if the power steering pump has died completely, you may not be able to steer your car at all. Your steering wheel may lock and it won’t unlock, or you may find it incredibly difficult to steer your automobile as if you had manual steering. The larger your automobile the harder it is to control without power steering, so it’s important to replace the pump ASAP.
Urb’s Garage & Tire has two locations, an auto shop in Burlington, KY, and an auto shop in Erlanger, KY. Call us today for a power steering inspection.
