hey auditech79.. i replaced my pump because it wasnt holding fluid and it was whining like crazy (obviously because of the no fluid) i checked the lines n that to and from the pump through the cooler and all that and didnt find any loose hoses at the time.. is it likely the pump itself was leaking fluid? i took it apart and didnt notice any cracks or anything in the seals.. the shaft did have some play it in and it turns alot easier than the new ZF pump i put in the car... any suggestions?

 

They never leak, but mineral based fluid will evaporate at a very high rate. Especially if you are in a warmer climate. So topping off the power steering fluid is a necessity every 15k or so. I would assume that it all just evaporated and either tore up the pump, or it was never bad to begin with. I can't tell you how many times a B6 A4 would come in with the PS resivoir dry as a bone. Topped it off, turned the wheel back and forth (lock to lock) to get the air out, and it fixes it everytime.

 

well ****.. my whole entire system was completley empty, i filled the resevoir and watched it run right back out onto the ground... so you think my pump is still good? i must have just had a bad line somewhere that i didnt see?

 

Yeah if you have a leak, its either gonna be on the suction line or the feed line. Check both of the hoses from the resivior and trace them down to the leak point. It usually comes off where its clamped, because the pressure will blow them off.

 

time to post it up on ebay then!! there goes 350 down the tube!!!!!!!!!!!

 

what if you do this and it's still noisy?

 

Ive had some issues during the really cold winter days where my steering wheel shook violently and whine loudly when i turned it... I topped off above the max line after reading in the forum that fluid gets a bit compressed in the winter. Anyway since then never a problem.