Ive got a 01 a6 2.7t and over the last couple of months ive heard a whine noise when turning. I had somebody turn the wheel for me while i tried to figure out where it came from and it sounded like it was coming from somewhere near or around the y-boot...I have no idea what is around there that would be causing the noise. Any direction would be great.

 

Did you check power steering fluid? You car uses mineral oil.

 

yes i checked it...it was low at one point so i filled it up with regular power steering fluid...i didnt know it took some type of mineral oil (guess i should have since it is an audi and they never do anything normal). How would i go about flushing it and refilling it with this said mineral oil?

 

It may have killed your pump already, but here is a flushing diy. You may want to try this first.

Flush DIY

As for the fluid, get Pentosin Mineral Oil CHF 7.1. Some decent parts places carry them. Internet always works too.

 

Related question that hopefully helps the OP too: First time S4 owner (2000 B5 2.7T). Bought a wrecked car and have been putting it back together. Been trying to research threads and can't find this exact problem on the forum yet...

Power steering plastic RESERVOIR was broken and I replaced it with a used one, filled it up with regular power steering fluid (clear - didn't know there was a difference). After purging the system while it groaned at me like they all do when out of fluid, the power steering seemed to work fine for about 20 miles.

Then, without warning, yesterday the power steering starts coming and going, getting hard to turn. No noise, just hard to turn at times then normal. Within 50 miles the power steering has quit altogether. So now the questions:

1. Will a simple purge of the system with the proper fluid fix it or has it likely roasted the pump?

2. If it's roasted the pump, how likely is it that it's taken the steering rack with it since there's no noise, just really hard to turn?

3. How hard is a simple R&R of the power steering pump with the car completely back together (of course, it would happen right after I got it back from the body shop and it's done).

Thoughts? Thanks, and sorry for chiming in on your thread, thought it would be related and helpful to you, too.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but…

Using the wrong fluid does not just hurt the pump. It can affect the seals throughout the system. This includes the seals in both the pump and the steering rack. If you had one of the original S4's you could also take out the power steering booster since that was also hydraulic.

I am not sure what I would do in your situation. Perhaps try contacting a good Audi mechanic. See what their experience has been and what they recommend. As you can tell from this thread this happens somewhat frequently so I am sure someone with experience can give you good advice.

Good luck, R&R'ing the rack is a pain in the a…

 

I'm not that worried about the seals with only 1 day and 50 miles of driving with it in the system, although the booster is likely a concern.

The question is, how do I test the system now to figure out if the pump is pumping and the booster is bad or if the pump and booster are bad and the rack is blown or if the pump is bad and the other components are fine without going through and replacing one component, replacing the fluid, and running it, trial and error, wasting a bunch of fluid and labor in the process.

As far as finding an Audi mechanic I trust... I don't trust anyone. If someone knows someone in the Nashville area who IS trustworthy, that would be great, otherwise I prefer to test things myself, figure out what the exact problem is, take it to a mechanic and say "You will fix THIS, and touch NOTHING else. Period." I tend to not get taken to the cleaners when I do it that way, and mechanics are about as trustworthy as the government, generally speaking.

 

To test the PS pump, you need specialized tools (a glorified pressure gauge). Take it to a mechanic and ask them to pressure test the PS pump and to do nothing else. They will test other stuff but, as you said, don't trust what they say, just look at the numbers. Either you have good pressure (which means a good pump and a bad rack) or you have bad pressure (bad pump, unknown rack). A real good mechanic can put pressure from an outside pump to your rack to test it but the cost of that test will probably exceed the cost of a rebuilt rack.

For parts, try www dot powersteeringpros dot com.

Good luck,

Bob

 

Thanks, Bob. I appreciate it. :beer: