Truck is a 2000 F150 4.6L 2WD. Recently, it has started making a noise when I turn the wheel going slow with just a little bit of throttle. Doesn't do it all the time. I've never heard a power steering pump make a sound like it before. Sounds like a cross between a whine and a whistle, almost a high pitched hum. The only thing I can compare it to is the sound the hydraulic pump makes on the cardboard bailer at work when I hold down the button once the ram is all the way down. Like maybe the pump is straining? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

It wouldn't hurt to replace the fluid. Easiest and cheapest thing to do is go get a quart of good synthetic Mercon V-compatible ATF, use a turkey baster to suck all the fluid you can out of the reservoir, and refill it. Run it a couple of weeks and do it again.

 

i think i may have the same noise. i have changed the fluid and its still there. it is almost like the pump may be sucking in air but the leak is so small that only air can get in no fluid can get out.

 

Mine doesn't do it as much as it had been. I'm actually starting to wonder if it isn't the air cleaner sucking in air and making a strange noise because I've noticed that on a certain straight stretch of road where I'm not moving the wheel it will make the same noise. It does kind of remind me of the noise I hear in the winter time when the air is really cold and it kind of whistles sometimes. Funny thing, I had to replace a broken stereo antenna a few years ago on the truck and the only one that the auto parts store had that would fit was one that had "Ford" molded into it about half way up. Sometimes the air moving over the "o" in "Ford" would cause a whistle. Took me forever to figure it out. I don't know... I'm not going to worry about it as it's not causing any problems at the moment and the fluid reservoir is full.

 

Very easy to flush the pumps on these trucks yourself with a complete fluid exchange. Mine was noisy at one time, yea, that cold day winter noise they make. I know exactly what that is lol. Anyway, I flushed/exchanged my PSP using the rest of my Amsoil up and some Royal Purple I still had on the shelf and she's been quiet ever since. That was back in 2008 and with a factory original pump w/303,000 miles behind it.

 

Mine actually hasn't made the noise in a couple days. Hasn't made any strange noises actually. Truck is running pretty good now that I've got everything pretty much back in order. See my overheating thread for a picture of my thrashed water pump. Now all I gotta do is get the lower ball joints replaced and I should be in tip top shape.

 

Didn't think about it until just now, but I'm pretty sure the fluid was changed when the motor was swapped. I highly doubt the mechanic resused the old fluid, then again you never know these days.

 

Power steering has absolutely nothing to do with an engine swap. Other than moving it over or pinning it down out of the way lol. So no, draining and changing most likley wasn't done. The vehicle has to running to so properly.

 

mine makes this noise at full lock, but until i get there it is fine. i think it is running original fluid at 160k. as they said it would be a wise idea to swap the fluid around.

 

I didn't even think of the power steering not being removed. Very true. At any rate, I haven't heard the noise for a few days, so maybe it was nothing or whatever it was worked itself out. No problems so far.