QuestionQUESTION: I have a 1999 town and country van. When I turn the steering wheel it makes a loud vibrating sound under the front of the van. It also acts as though it does not want to turn.
Thank You
ANSWER: Hi Stephanie,
The first thing to check are the power steering belt to watch whether it is slipping on the pulley which drives the power steering pump. In general, because you didn't say which engine you have, the pump/pulley are the unit closest to the firewall and in the case of the 3.3/3.8L engine it is the lower of the two units on that rear edge of the engine. It is held in place by an automatic tensioner so it is slipping it may be that the drive belt is worn out or oily.
Have a helper try to turn the wheel with the engine running while you observe/listen from the right side of the van to try and localize the noise.
The other thing would be the power steering fluid reservoir to see if you may be low on power steering fluind. It is a container mounted on the passenger side inner fender in infront of the engine. It should be labelled as such and should have a dipstick which will tell you the low/full levels.
Let me know the results of those observations and we can go further.
Roland
PS: I would appreciate very much your clicking on the "Thank/rate the expert" button below, and where you then will see the question about making a nomination for me to be 'volunteer of the month' please click on 'yes'. I hope to be recognized for my efforts this month and your vote of confidence will help me achieve that goal. Thank you so much.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: The belt seems to be okay. It has been making a slight noise for quite a while when you turn the steering wheel but not this bad at all.
AnswerHi Stephanie,
Did you check the fluid level? Does the sound seem to be coming from the pump or from under the van nearer the driver where the steering gear is located? How about the front tire pressures, are those up to around 30 psi? Let me know which of these it sounds/behaves like:
objectionable hiss/whistle
rattle or clunk
chirp or squeal from the pump when the wheel is turned to the extreme left or right
whine or growl from the pump
sucking air sound
squeal or rubbing sound from the steering column
scrubbing or knocking sound
catches or sticks in certain positions or hard to turn
vibration of the steering wheel/dash during park/low speed steering
stiff/hard to turn/surges/momentary increase in turning effort
Each of those symptoms has possible cause(s).
Roland
PS Thanks for the nomination. Actually there is no limit so feel free to do it again.
