starting to hear some sounds from my power steering pump, and at times the wheel is extremely difficult to turn. has anyone had this problem ? ideas on what to look for ? nothing is leaking, and the power steering fluid is at a normal level.

03 5.3 z71

 

Is your truck stock, or are you running a different wheel & tire setup? I've seen oversize tires on negative offset wheels take their tolls on power steering pumps. Especially if you like to crank the steering wheel really sharp when the vehicle isn't moving and you've got your foot on the brake.

 

Dont know if i can help, but several years ago, i had a 01 sierra 2wd fabtech 7" lift with 35s. My buddy had a 2000 silverado 4wd 6" lift with 35s. we were dickin around in the desert, had are trucks dropped in 1st and doin donuts, didnt take long, both are pumps took a ****, same day, almost like we had over-reved the pumps. Thats my only experiance with the pumps on these trucks.

 

slightly bigger tires, stock rims, and no lift. im at 150xxx now, i might as well look into another pump.

 

They are pretty cheap at the zone. As cheap as I found in the web.

 

any way to tell if its the actual pump going out , not the gear box or the rack ?

 

Is it making like a whinding nose real loud untill the motor gets up to regular temp?

 

any time i turn either way, hot or cold, i can hear something making noise. its not the same noise a pump makes when it has air in it, it sounds like the pump might be struggling. ill post up a clip of what im dealing with.

 

Any way to tell what is going out? Pump or steering box?

 

My 01 Z71 was doing something similar, pump whining while turning left and hard to turn occasionally, the fluid was low and pretty brown. Suctioned out what I could and filled it with a left over bottle of Mobil 1 synthetic ATF. You can use hydraulic fluid if you have some.

Its is working much better now, will probably pull some fluid out and replace it again.

Hope that helps.

Justin