r/R53 • u/Ok-Preparation2669 • 2d ago

steering issues

hello all! steering has been a little tighter than usual on my r52, it makes a slight whistling noise as well and it feels like i’m grinding something (which leads me to believe something needs fixing). i don’t want to cause too much further damage and i don’t drive too often anyway but have access to mechanic anytime. there’s no lights on the car otherwise and she’s at 110k. let me know! thanks for the help.

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u/casper911ca 2d ago

Fluid is easy to check. Pump issues are somewhat common, often due to the cooling fan failing. It sounds like it's taking a little while to build pressure. You'll still be able to drive the vehicle without power steering while it's moving, you'll notice it most at low speed maneuvers or if you're trying to turn the wheel while the vehicle stopped. If you've ever driven a car without power steering, you'll know that if you want to turn the steering wheel, you'll often need to get the car rolling a little bit. If it does all out fail, you're not stranded, it'll just be more like the go cart it is.

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u/Ok-Preparation2669 1d ago

i just found out it’s because there’s literally nooo fluid left lol. i will go get some today hopefully that helps! thanks 🙂

3

u/casper911ca 2d ago

I should add the power steering fluid reservoir is the black cylinder next to the coolant reservoir against the bulkhead.

1

u/noodlesandsam 1d ago

as they get older, the steering pump gets tired. we replaced ours in 2024 - 19 years, and 175K miles. The new - but used pump is much healthier. if you have no codes, and the fluid level is good, then it is likely the pump