Ok, so I just got a real good deal on a 97 2.8 a4 quattro ($2300). While the guy was cleaning his stuff out of the car, I could have sworn I saw him take out two bottles of power steering fluid. They looked like run of the mill bottles, definitely not the proper audi mineral oil or what not. In any case, I was driving the car yesterday, and the powersteering got real real loud. It makes a pretty damn loud whining noise both when I turn the wheel, and when it's just sitting there. When I turn it, it gets a little louder. In any case, I checked the powersteering fluid, which it does have. The levels seemed to be proper. Wit the cap off, when the car is running, it bubbled up like crazy though (is that normal?) The ps fluid isn't green it's more like a dark brown. I also bought a 2.8 a6 quattro from a different person, I checked the power steering fluid in that car as well to see if it was the same stuff. They both seemed to be the same color to me. Does this mean that the other car more than likely has the wrong power steering fluid as well? That car's steering is smooth as butter, and quiet too.

I popped the hood of the a4 and started the car up, trying to isolate the noise and figure out where it's coming from. I dont know how to properly describe what the thing was, but the sound seemed to be eminating from this little ball looking thing towards the front of the car, to the left of the intake plenum.

Do you guys have any idea as to what has gone wrong? How much is this going to set me back? I'm guessing I'm going to have to flush the fluid, and replace it? Is it too late? should I worry about fixing whatever's wrong first?

thanks for any advice

 

this is the major problem w/ the car preventing me from driving it presently. Any advice would be greatly appeciated.

 

Your description of the fluid doesn't sound off (maybe just old fluid). A flush won't hurt, but pump and/or rack replacements aren't uncommon on the A4.

 

is that going to be a hella expensive job? Is there any definitive way to isolate the problem?

 

The common placed for leaks are the hoses from the PS pump and the rack.


Drain, flush and fill. To get the air out of the system once you have the correct fluid in, you should jack up the front of the car and with the engine on, slowly turn the steering wheel from end to end about 10 times. This will purge the air from the system.
The correct fluid when new is a dark clear green. As it picks up crud, it turns olive. If you don't know what is in there get a couple of cans of Pentosin 11S or OEM from an audi/VW dealer.

 

I'm pretty sure that something to do with the power steering has gone out. The buzzing/whining noise is pretty loud now, power steering feels really bad. Once again, the noise is coming from something that is roughly the same size and shape as a baseball. I'm not too sure what it is though. Any ideas?

How expensive of a repair is it going to be. If the problem is indeed where it sounds like it is, it seems as though it'd be pretty easy to get to.

 

RETURN THE CAR

 

it's that expensive to fix?...

 

go to walmart,QFC,Safeway, or where ever you shop and buy a turkey baster for two or so dollars then go to audi and buy powersteering fluid. once back at your house suck out all the old fluid with the baster and then put the new fluid in...drive around for a day or so then repeat( i did mine with1 1/2 bottles)unt'll its clean or working better....( ghetto cheap power steering flush) i read about it here on the forum and it helped my car out quite a bit.

 

Yeah PS stuff can get pretty expensive specially if the rack has to be replaced, id try bleeding it though first like everyone mensioned. Its possible he forgot to add some so air bubbles got in (if he has to keep adding it though, theres a leak) so it would just have to be bled but if its dark brown it should be changed.