Loud power steering pump

[Danny Weikel]

I have 2002 S6 Avant and have a very noisy power steering pump. I checked the fluid levels and they aren't low but there is a lot of air bubbles in the fluid that is the reservoir. Does this mean my power steering pump is going bad and needs to be replaced?? I thought about trying to do a flush and put new fluid in the system but fear it won't make anything any quieter. Any experience with power steering pumps acting up like this???

[kickstand80]

Here is a link on how to change your oil. You have a filter built into the power steering reservoir that is not removable. I drained my reservoir and blew backward thru the filter and used some degreaser to help flush out the junk, or just buy a new reservoir. Make sure you get all of the degreaser out of the reservoir before you reinstal the tank.

Remember that Audi Power Steering fluid is special. It is a mineral oil. If you put reqular fluid into your system it will kill your rack seals, then you are in for a bill!!!

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ch&um=1&itbs=1

[Danny Weikel]

That looks pretty easy. I will try that and see how it is after flushing it out. My fear is that if I flush the system my pump will let air back in the system and will end up being the same in no time. Thanks for the link and will let you know the outcome.
Thanks, Danny

[uberwgn]

Originally Posted by Danny Weikel

I have 2002 S6 Avant and have a very noisy power steering pump. I checked the fluid levels and they aren't low but there is a lot of air bubbles in the fluid that is the reservoir. Does this mean my power steering pump is going bad and needs to be replaced?? I thought about trying to do a flush and put new fluid in the system but fear it won't make anything any quieter. Any experience with power steering pumps acting up like this???

Danny, do you know how many miles are on this car?

IME, I would strongly suggest suctioning out the old fluid and putting fresh in assuming it's never been changed. You must use the correct Pentosin fluid as noted above.

[Danny Weikel]

I'm at 104k. I have 2 cans of the correct Audi fluid and scheduled for a oil change tomorrow so if I need more it will be waiting for me. The real concern I have is what is causing there to be air in my fluid?

[Danny Weikel]

Well I followed what that link told me to do and must have something wrong or let more air into my system cause now it is very loud and isn't working properly. Gonna just have to drop it at the shop and have it flushed correctly.

[Danny Weikel]

What I failed to do was while the car was running turn the wheel all the way to the left and all the way to the right continuously to work all the air out of the system. Once I started to this it emptied all the fluids in the reservoir and pushed it thru the system. I kept adding new fluids and continued to work the steering wheel back and forth. I decided to remove some more fluids with a baster and continued to add fresh fluid and worked it thru the system until the fluid was all fresh and green like it is supposed to be. After driving it to the shop it is actually quiet like it is supposed to be. Thanks for all the tips. D

[uberwgn]

Originally Posted by Danny Weikel

After driving it to the shop it is actually quiet like it is supposed to be.

Yep, this is one of those rare (and predictable) miracles. It's also an AudiWorld Top-Tip of the week: It's a real good idea to change this fluid by 100k miles or earlier.

I just do the turkey baster (extractor) routine, drive around the block, drain, drive around the block and keep doing this 'til I've expended the full litre can. I'm not keen on opening up those lines.

I'm very confident one can purchase this magic elixir (Pentosin CHF11S) at the local NAPA store under the Pentosin name. It's probably in the $25 - $30/Litre range nowadays. It's also going to be available at many of the Euro car dealerships since it's widely used.