Steering noise

[djumphrey]

I have a squaking noise when I turn the steering wheel standing still and moving slow as I enter or back out of a parking spot. Ford says it's check valve noise and all windstars do it. The farther I drive it the louder the noise gets. Do all you windstar owners have the same noise?

[wiswind]

Try changing the power steering fluid.
The Windstar tends to cook it's power steering fluid.
Make sure to use the correct fluid...for your year.

[BaddAndy]

My left tie rod made a similar noise and got louder until I changed it

[wiswind]

A stiff tie rod end will also put a lot more load onto the power steering....with will cause more noise...in addition to the noise from tie rod end.

[robert feeney]

Originally Posted by BaddAndy

My left tie rod made a similar noise and got louder until I changed it

On my 95 it turned out to be a bad strut.It was stiff and caused the top bushing to squeek loudly

[yotermanic]

Could be a bad Power steering pump...we've replaced a whole lot of them on windstars. If your rack is leaking, which is pretty common on those, it may be the source of your p/s pump pronblems and both would need replacement.

[Wa jang chang]

My 00 SEL whenever it is steered abruptly, the power steering fluid pump is making loud whining noise. Is this normal or the pump gotta go?

[BaddAndy]

To quiet my power steering pump, I replaced the fluid my sucking up the old fluid with a turkey baster, then adding the new. I did this over a few days of driving until the new bottle was empty.

[wiswind]

It is also possible that you have gotten air into the system. Check the fluid level.... If you have to add fluid....make sure to use the correct fluid. Some windstars (like my '96) require a Type 'F' fluid for the power steering... I have read that newer windstars require Mercon fluid for the power steering. Check your owner's manual....

Once you verify that the fluid is within the full range. Turn the wheels fully in each direction, from stop to stop. Do not rest against the stops for any length of time. This is the correct way to purge air from the power steering sytem.
Recheck the power steering fluid level.

[Wa jang chang]

Great to hear that someone already has gone thru this problem. I will definitely check the fluid level and replenish it as required and try to bleed the system per Wiswind. If the problem persists, I will try to replace the fluid with the brand that Ford recommends. Thank you all for good info. I will keep you updated with my results/findings.

[Wa jang chang]

Perforemd the bleeding procedures for power steering system. The noise from the pump seems to quiet down a bit but I can still hear the high pitch noise when I steer abruptly. Is this normal for Winstar?