sienna power steering pump whine?

[narwhals]

i just replaced my powersteering pump that had a bad leak with a used one i got at the junkyard
I hooked everything up, filled the reservoir with prestone stop leak power steering fluid and started it up
There are no leaks, but even after about 20 mins of idling with me turning the wheel lock to lock, and a 10 minute drive, it still whines
Its not as bad as before, but its not as quiet as the old pump was

Is it still just bleeding the air out of itself? or should it have settled down by now? Could the pump just be a bad pump?

thanks

[narwhals]

bump for some help?

[tennsienna]

Does the whining change in pitch or intensity as you turn the steering wheel from side to side?

Did you replace all of the old power steering fluid with new fluid?

I use Toyota power steering fluid in my Sienna. Is Prestone equivalent to the OEM specification?

[narwhals]

Originally Posted by tennsienna

Does the whining change in pitch or intensity as you turn the steering wheel from side to side?

Did you replace all of the old power steering fluid with new fluid?

I use Toyota power steering fluid in my Sienna. Is Prestone equivalent to the OEM specification?

Ya, it drones constantly at idle, when the wheel is being turned in fluxuates a bit, and quiets down almost completely when the steering wheel is turned as far as it can go

I sucked out as much old fluid as i could and replaced it with the prestone stuff, i didn't try and replace the fluid left in the rack though

I asked the employee at the front desk at the autozone, and she said that the prestone stuff should work just fine in a toyota

[nevada]

have you verified the level is still full after working the wheel back and forth?
if it still whines after being bled, and the fluid is full, the pump is probably bad.

[tennsienna]

If the whining sound is continuous and doesn't change significantly when you turn the wheel from side to side, then my first guess is that you still have air in the power steering system. If the whining changes in tone as you get to the extremes, then the pump might be problematic. (How much did you pay for a junkyard pump? I think you can get an OEM replacement at Autozone or the like for about $100.)

You probably know that the fluid is being pumped at high pressure through a very small orifice and the presence of air in the fluid creates some undesirable dynamics. It can sometimes be difficult to get all the air out of the system. The oldest trick in the world is to power on the engine, let the fluid warm to operating temperature, turn the wheel back and forth a few times, then power off the engine and wait for the fluid to cool and bubbles in the reservoir to float up to the surface. Repeat as necessary. The more aggressive method is to bleed the system while the engine and pump are running, but unless you have done this before or you have someone to help you who has done it before, I recommend that you not try this. Because the fluid is at a very high pressure you can end up with it all over the engine compartment and yourself. A little power steering fluid will go a long way when it's in aerosol form.

Finally, how does the power steering perform when you are driving? If turning the wheel is nearly effortless, then the pump is probably working okay. If it is tight or vibrates when you turn, you have a bad pump or you have the wrong fluid.

[narwhals]

Originally Posted by nevada

have you verified the level is still full after working the wheel back and forth?
if it still whines after being bled, and the fluid is full, the pump is probably bad.

Fluid is full in the resevoir, made sure of that.

Originally Posted by tennsienna

If the whining sound is continuous and doesn't change significantly when you turn the wheel from side to side, then my first guess is that you still have air in the power steering system. If the whining changes in tone as you get to the extremes, then the pump might be problematic. (How much did you pay for a junkyard pump? I think you can get an OEM replacement at Autozone or the like for about $100.)

You probably know that the fluid is being pumped at high pressure through a very small orifice and the presence of air in the fluid creates some undesirable dynamics. It can sometimes be difficult to get all the air out of the system. The oldest trick in the world is to power on the engine, let the fluid warm to operating temperature, turn the wheel back and forth a few times, then power off the engine and wait for the fluid to cool and bubbles in the reservoir to float up to the surface. Repeat as necessary. The more aggressive method is to bleed the system while the engine and pump are running, but unless you have done this before or you have someone to help you who has done it before, I recommend that you not try this. Because the fluid is at a very high pressure you can end up with it all over the engine compartment and yourself. A little power steering fluid will go a long way when it's in aerosol form.

Finally, how does the power steering perform when you are driving? If turning the wheel is nearly effortless, then the pump is probably working okay. If it is tight or vibrates when you turn, you have a bad pump or you have the wrong fluid.

The sound i'm getting now is a bit different than yesterday.
Today it is just barely noticeable (whining) at idle and no wheel turning. If i turn the wheel it groans louder, and from the inside you can feel it a bit in the steering wheel.
The pump seems to work alight in terms of power steering, the wheel is just a tad harder to turn than it was with the old pump, but its still assisting quite a bit.
I bought it at a junkyard for 40 bucks. For just the pump
And i should mention, this morning when i started it up for the first time today, the reservoir was leaking a lot of frothy PS fluid, then it settled down and the level went back down

[tennsienna]

What is the status of your power steering pump issue? Is the system still making unusual noises?

If your problem is indeed air in the system, the whining/growling noises should be decreasing with each time you drive the vehicle, heating the fluid to operating temperature and then allowing it to cool again when you are done driving. The steering should get easier as well because air trapped in the hydraulic fluid is compressible while fluid itself is not.