Loud moaning sound. PS and brakes.

Fordcowboy · Jul 9, 2011

My truck will usually make a bit of a mOaning sound if you are sitting still and turn the wheel, not bad but you can hear it. Also if you are stopped and push harder on the brakes I will normally get a bit of a moan, and in both instances you can hear it just puts a little more strain on the motor, very slight, I always figured this to be normal.

Yesterday I noticed the moan from the brakes and powerstering was a lot worse. Painful sounding. I checked fluids and they are good. I first heard it with the steering so I was thinking the pump, but having it also with the brakes has me a bit confused. Listening under the hood while someone turned and pushed the brakes it sounded like it was coming from the PS pump or alternator. It seems more like it's just the little bit extra draw on the motor causing the sound. Oh and sometimes it will quit and go back to normal after 10 min of driving. But then might or might not come back if I shut it off and restart in a few minutes. I haven't torn into it yet, thought I would see if anyone had run into this befor and get some ideas first.

Cota · Jul 9, 2011

My power steering pump started making noise and you could feel pulsing in the break pedal and steering. Flushed the system with new fluid and nothing changed.
CSIPSD recommened some Lucas power steering stop leak, I thought yea sure but tried it any way before tearing into it. I sucked out the resivoir, poured in the Lucas and the noise and pulsing went away and I have not had a problem since and that was last year.
It's worth a try.

Fordcowboy · Jul 10, 2011

I'm curious as to why the stop leak? Just a better fluid? Did you do all of the fluid with stop leak or is it just one bottle worth and the rest with regular fluid? Or is one bottle enough for the whole thing? I haven't seen the bottle so I don't know how much it is. Thanks for the idea.

Cota · Jul 11, 2011

Not sure why the stop leak worked so well vs something else but it did.
The bottle is small, maybe a pint, so I just sucked as much as I could out of the resivoir and filled back up with the stop leak. Did not quite use the full bottle.

Arisley · Jul 11, 2011

Did you check for a hooker stuck under the hood?

4duggan · Jul 11, 2011

Dammit Andy you just reminded me its "Beer:Thirty".
Excuse the derail

Fordcowboy · Jul 11, 2011

Arisley said:
Did you check for a hooker stuck under the hood?

Yeah the last one I hit worked her way out last week.

Austin · Jul 11, 2011

Fordcowboy said:
Yeah the last one I hit worked her way out last week.

LOLLOL

My old truck did that. I put in synthetic ATF. No more problems.

Stroken7.3 · Jul 11, 2011

Arisley said:
Did you check for a hooker stuck under the hood?

LOL I sig'd that.

Big Bore · Jul 11, 2011

Stroken7.3 said:
LOL I sig'd that.

LOL High Five

Arisley · Jul 11, 2011

Somebody had to say it. I did wait until he got a good answer.

BTW, in case you did not realize it, our brakes use the power steering system for power assist instead of engine vacuum (diesels have none) or a seperate vacuum pump like the OBS trucks did. It is called Hydroboost. It works really good, but the bad part is, when you lose power steering, you also lose brakes.

CGMKCM · Jul 17, 2011

Here is a good write up on flushing the power steering. The only thing I would add is pump the brakes while doing the flush and you will also flush the hydro boost.

http://www.superdutypsd.com/power_steering_flush.php