Power Steering - Help?

[Directedby]

I noticed today that when my car is parked with engine running and i turn the wheel left or right, i hear a tiny squeel and engine RPM's go up/down 100 RPM's. This happens in Park and Drive (with foot on brake).

When car is moving everything works well.

Think this means I need a new power steering pump?

[ctrcbob]

First thing I told my wife after we got married was; Never turn the steering wheel while the car is standing still! You get away with it for a while, but in the long run, you end up having to replace the outer Tie-Rod ends. (Perhaps the inner tie-rod ends also). She learned this, and she (an myself) always make sure that the car is rolling even very slightly while turning the steering wheel.

As for your problem, I don't know, but you could be right, or it could be that it is low on fluid, or that the belt is not tight enough on the pump.


.

[David Morton]

Nope, nothing's wrong. Turning the wheels with the brakes on, causes extra stress on the tie-rods and pump and the switch on the rack will then tell the computer to adjust rpm to keep up. This extra pump noise could be what your hearing, or the belt could be going bad, but I wouldn't worry about it. Do like the doctor said when the guy said "It hurts when I bend backwards and touch my head to the floor." Don't do that!

You can turn the wheels at any time, the car is designed to do that, but take your foot off the brake if it's in park. Try not to push things unnecessarily.

[jgc61sr2002]

Paul - I agree that you should not turn the steering wheel if possible when your vehicle is parked, especially with the brakes applied. That puts a strain on the entire steering system.

[RF Overlord]

Nope, nothing's wrong.

^^^what he said^^^

[ckadiddle]

Compared to other makes I have driven over the years, I have found Ford products to have generally noisy power steering systems.

I am not a mechanic, nor do I play one on TV.