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possible steering problem

2K views 31 replies 6 participants last post by  alfizta 
#1 ·
minutes ago, i was turning right and the steering wheel felt a bit stuck for a moment.
any ideas of what this could be?
 
#3 ·
no whining noise (maybe not loud enough :confused:). fluid level is ok, but it’s dark. i’ve read that it has to do with a faulty pump. maybe it’s ending its life... also i know it has a very slow leak. it has lost no more than 200 mL in almost 3 years.
 
#4 ·
Today, turning in a tight roundabout, heard a really sharp and high sound. But not sure if it was from my car. Could it be the whining noise you refer to? Fluid level still ok, but black. Steering feels a bit loose, more difficult to return to centre point on its own (I think). Got to help a bit. Is it bad? How much long can it last? I’m worried.
 
#6 ·
glad to “ear” you smaky. i’m waiting for the next whine, just to make sure. anyway, i’m already searching for parts. i’m not sure which pump is mine. eper v16 has parts number 60618477 and 46534756 suitable for my chassis number.
 
#7 ·
You can use pumps with either of those part numbers. They are just from different manufacturers (one is made by Saginaw and the other is made by ZF). Car manufacturers will often change parts suppliers part the way through a car's production run if they can get the part made cheaper by someone else.

I recently replaced the Power Steering Pump in mine but with one that had a part number not even listed for my car. Although there are a number of different part numbers for the 145, 146, 147 and 156 they all have the same footprint and mounting points so you could potentially use another pump from any one of those cars...

Alfa145.com - Power Steering Pump: Fitting A New One, on a Twin Spark Engine
 
#8 ·
thanks giallo. i’ve also read that wrong fluid can damage the pump. i toped mine some time ago with krafft LHSD SAE 10W. it’s written it exceeds GM type A specifications and a lot of other fluids.
is it ok?

also, thank to your posts i’ve downloaded some goodies and printed some useful stuff. and, by the end, learned a “few” things. it’s nice to have people like you and smaky sharing their knowledge, helping us sorting out our alfas :)

btw, you have some really nice cars.
 
#10 ·
RED is the correct colour for new fluid :D

If you want to use the Alfa recommended fluid then you should use GM Dexron II. I just got some Halfords own brand GM6137M DII for mine (~£7 for 1 litre).
 
#11 ·
heard a whine again. went to do a pump check. first they said they didn’t find anything. i asked if pump pressure was ok. they answered yes. bet they didn’t know how to do it, but ok... then they argued about the colour of the fluid. that i was using the wrong fluid cause it shouldn’t be black. so i said that the fluid was black cause of the malfunction of the pump. then they asked the head mechanic “how could the steering fluid be black?” :lol: he replied that could be caused of the rubber degrading inside the system. he also said that could be a problem be in the steering “box” (if i may say so). unsure of what this guys were telling me, i just asked to replace the whole steering fluid and let things happen.

they also told me steering was making kind of soft rattle with max turn. i confirm that. so, is it really the pump?

thanks a lot again, for whatever the answers is or whom it comes.
 
#13 ·
Your system takes 1.1 litres in total but you will need a bit more than that if you're replacing the old fluid because like the braking system you will always waste a bit of new stuff while using it to flush out the old.

Rattling on full lock isn't right so if the pump is rattling then there sounds like a problem. You will get a hiss but you shouldn't get a rattle.
 
#15 ·
If it's rattling on full lock then it's the relief valve on the pump, on most cars when you hit full lock the pump will start to strain, you'd hear the pitch change in the steering and when at idle the revs will drop for a second, that is normal, what you have to know is wether this bouncing off full lock is caused by a constantly varying pressure or if it's the normal operation of the system, and with the black fluid in there it's confirmed to be a fault, and colour the colour of a fluid doesn't mean it's right, it's determined by the components which make the fluid up and it's the spec that matters and not the colour.

But as I said it's the seals breaking down, most likely the pump and worst case in the steering rack.
 
#19 ·
the fluid is still black, but obviously in better conditions. as i was told here, for a full replace it is needed about 1.1 L, but they only managed to replace ~0,7 L. the mechanics also told me that the new fluid in contact with the “dirty old” rack would turn black almost instantly. so, because of that, i’m trying to believe them and trying to forget their neglect on not being able to replace the whole fluid. anyway, it might have fixed something, and if steering pump can stand for one more year, i’ll switch the whole fluid again by myself or on a competent alfa dealer.

also, in the fluid bottle they used it is written “stops fluid leaks”. might be helping somehow. i don’t know...
 
#21 ·
here i go again.
i’m still not sure about the whining noise you refer to. now it started to make a "kind of rubber stretching" noise. i’m only able to ear it when i turn left and with the car stopped. :confused:

also, are aftermarket pumps good enough?
 
#22 ·
I think trying to fit an aftermarket pump would be more hassle than it's worth. Try one of the breakers on eBay. I managed to pick up good secondhand pump for mine (from a newer car) for £50 which also came with a 3-month guarantee.
 
#23 ·
thanks. cause i’m really in a hurry. i think the pump is going to fail any minute. i might not risk and fit an original one.

still i’m wondering about the “whining” noise. don’t know if you mean a loud high pitched sound, or just a noise. translated to portuguese would be a “crying” sound. trying to imagine what a “crying” sound would sound like coming from a car (???)

but it’s fact that now is noisy every time i turn left parking the car or just running slowly.
 
#24 ·
Sounds like your pumps going or gone!! Mine was lucky, it kept making the hight pitched noise a month or so ago and was intermittent, then last week it made loads of loud whining / groaning...turns out the front 2 pipes that carry the fluid had rotted through (common prob apparently) and caused my pump to empty.
2 new plastic coated pipes and a refill of fluid and all is welll again! Id get your pump changed asap though cos this sounds £££££££...
 
#26 ·
Not really...you need to dismantle a different part of the engine to do the PAS pump. The only thing in common is removal of the auxiliary belt which is less than a 5 minute job anyway.
 
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