Question1996 Mitsubishi Galant. Power steering pump has a loud whinning sound when cold. It only happens on days of 35 degrees or colder. It makes the sound for less than a minute of driving. Has done it since new, but dealer could never solve it. It hasn't gotten better or worse over the years. Car has less than 40K mileage.
AnswerDennis,
If your power steering fluid has never been changed, this is a good time to do so. Most people don't think of their power steering fluid as needed to be changed, but it does. After 30,000 miles or so, if can become very dirty and break down like all other oils.
I'm not sure what your dealership assessed the problem could be, but they should have exhausted every effort to fix it. It may be bad fluid, overtightened belt, faulty idler tensioner, or even just a bad power steering pump directly from the factory. If they never replaced any of those parts in an effort to fix your problem, that's pretty poor service on your dealership's part. But the items I've mentioned are typically the main causes to power steering noise problems.
My guess is that if you went back to your dealership, now that your warranty has expired, they would try to replace all those items at a very high cost to you. Unfortunately, some dealerships work that way. By far, the most expensive part to replace would be the pump itself; which cost anywhere between $250-$300. If your mechanic determines its the pump, ask yourself if its worth it for you to replace. If the car is steering fine, but it's just noisy, it may not be worth your while to fix it. Get a few opinion from a couple different mechanics. The dealership is not always the best deal.
Good luck!
