Recently I've noticed that when turning slowly (on roundabouts for example) I can hear a whining noise coming from the car. Now I've recently been in a few incidents where I've had to pull up VERY sharply and even one where I was forced (read, forced) to pull the handbrake and skid sideways to avoid a nasty accident.

My car was serviced about 2000km ago (4 weeks ago or so). Any suggestions on what it could be? It's just done 48,000km.

is this only at full lock? Cos i get the same

Power steering pump working hard etc.,

yeah i get the same thing at full lock, but it only happens sometimes

It could be your power steering. I think the whining noise appears when the pump is on it's way out.

check ur fluid cos the same thing happened to me, even the dealer said the steering wines so once i got it hope i checked to fluid to find it bone dry i mean wtf they filled everything else up and they knew it whined

Mine does on full right hand lock, but it sounds like it is coming from the left front wheel and it can be quite loud. I have asked 3 different workshops and they just say it is the splash guards rubbing against the tyre and say they have heated and reformed and it has stopped but it hasn't... it sounds like something metal rubbing against something else that is metal, been like it for about a year. Next time I will get to the bottom of it. I am not so sure that mine is power steering related, more to do with wheel assembly.

Does yours sound metallic? or just whiney

mine has just recently started to whine on full lock too, is it anything to be alarmed at?

I think it's ok, it will be most noisey when the pump is working, Like if you where turning your steering while not moving etc.,

yeh mine did it aswell was just low on the power steering fluid filled it up and now all sweet

Mine does on full right hand lock, but it sounds like it is coming from the left front wheel and it can be quite loud. I have asked 3 different workshops and they just say it is the splash guards rubbing against the tyre and say they have heated and reformed and it has stopped but it hasn't... it sounds like something metal rubbing against something else that is metal, been like it for about a year. Next time I will get to the bottom of it. I am not so sure that mine is power steering related, more to do with wheel assembly.

Does yours sound metallic? or just whiney

funnily enough mine does it on full right hand lock and idles pretty bad on teh right side but the left side has no problems at all :nuts: . I might go out and check my power steering fluid but here comes a newb question, where the hell is it? the brake fluid is behind the resonators right? oh wait, theres a label on the bottle i think, come to think of it i have NEVER opened the bottle so there may be no fluid left hehe.

I know I got here late and it's already been said - so if it's not the powersteering pump needing a fluid top up - possibly your PS belt is on the way out.

I know I got here late and it's already been said - so if it's not the powersteering pump needing a fluid top up - possibly your PS belt is on the way out.

Joy of joys... :doubt:

My stocky head unit is buggered too, so when I take it in to get looked at in the new year, I'll ask about it then - maybe just a PS fluid top up I suppose. It's not full lock usually, cos I don't go around roundabouts *that* fast :P but it's usually at low speeds anyways.

Only when turning to the right, only at low speeds - probably just the pump or the PS fluid? thanks guys, I'll check it out.

humm not sure what sound do you exactly mean but if your constantly topping up power steering fluid then theres a bigger issue. power steering fluid is not consumed in anyway. you may have damaged the power stearin pump by holding it to the far left or far right for too long but doubtfull. most likely it is a loose / slipping belt.

mine use to make this whine when you did low speed conering very annoying (not at high speed though, but then again ur not gonna turn sharply at high speed). just re-tension the belt .

Remember to keep the engine running while checking the powerstearing fluid (manual says so)

Ok i wll say that yes you might need to top it up once in a blue moon.. but if your having to top up your Steering fluid a lot.. then you should seriously consider getting the whole setup checked....

My sisters car ran dry on oil (old sigma) since it leaked it all out..

anyway thinking nothing of it... the problem has got worse and worse... to the point of filling up 4litres a week on oil.... 10 bucks on cheap oil is a lot of money to waste on a crap car!

it pays to stop the problem.. before it turns into a major.. problem....

And i hate mechanics that go.. i dunno.. its just a problem you have to deal with...

i had noise from my front wheels, which were unrelated to the cv's and auto tune said live with it.. Since the noise came around 2 years after i purchased the car... i was not going to live with it... I wasnt satisfied with that reply..

It ended up being a dry bearing causing all the problems... :nuts: so hard to work out for paid mechanics..... yet a non mechanicly minded person such as myself fixed it... and now it runs perfectly....

What size wheels are you runnin as in width because you'll find that when you run larger than 7.5" then the power steering is running harder to turn them. You can alwys get a speed sensitive after market job.

What size wheels are you runnin as in width because you'll find that when you run larger than 7.5" then the power steering is running harder to turn them. You can alwys get a speed sensitive after market job.

nah mate it's nothing like that, still running stockies 15"

If you are getting a whining on full lock from your steering, it would probably be the pressure relief valve in the steering system. If you dont want to hear it, move your wheel from full lovk a little bit. What the pressure relief valve does, is lets the fluid recirculate back through the system, bypassing the steering rack. When you turn your wheel to full lock, and hold it there, the pump is still trying to assist the steering, so pressure builds up in the system, the relief vavle allows the fluid to recirculate. If there is a little squeak, it is usually the belt, as the pump is working a little harder too. nothing to worry about really. but thats only if it happens on full lock. my car does it.

If you are getting a whining on full lock from your steering, it would probably be the pressure relief valve in the steering system. If you dont want to hear it, move your wheel from full lovk a little bit. What the pressure relief valve does, is lets the fluid recirculate back through the system, bypassing the steering rack. When you turn your wheel to full lock, and hold it there, the pump is still trying to assist the steering, so pressure builds up in the system, the relief vavle allows the fluid to recirculate. If there is a little squeak, it is usually the belt, as the pump is working a little harder too. nothing to worry about really. but thats only if it happens on full lock. my car does it.

My power steering only started doing this last week when i lock it to the left,Ii hear this whining noise,
So its not a major thing to worry about yet is it?

I remember seeing in the manual that you shouldn't hold the steering on full lock for more than 10 seconds.............


*races to the car to rummage for manual*