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'98 Corolla Power Steering Noise
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habman
New User
Oct 1, 2009, 5:40 PM
Post #1 of 3
(4214 views)
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'98 Corolla Power Steering Noise
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I bought a 98 Corolla a few months ago. It looked good aside from a loose resonator, noisy AC blower fan, dead dash lights, and a small power steering fluid leak. I fixed the first 3 issues with help from posts I found while searching this board (thanks), they were easy for a novice. I think I will have to bring the last issue in for a real mechanic though.
There is a loud groaning noise from the serpentine belt when I steer the car, especially when it's stopped or going slow and when the weather is cooler. Watching with the hood up, the belt will slow down when the wheels are being turned. There is a fluid leak from the reservoir but it is quite slow, about 1 cm a month. There is a good deal of residual old fluid on the hoses between the reservoir and pump. Steering is becoming more and more difficult, recently.
My wife drives the car to get to school and back. Right now I'm worried... If the pump goes out on the road, is there a risk of an accident? Would it lock up the steering or just disable the assist? Might this affect other things on the serpentine belt? And finally, would it be possible to let the pump die and just drive the car with manual steering (the corolla isn't very heavy)?
I'm an American living in Canada at the moment and parts are expensive, and the weather is getting cold (!). So I would be grateful for any advice.
(This post was edited by habman on Oct 1, 2009, 5:43 PM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 1, 2009, 5:53 PM
Post #2 of 3
(4199 views)
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Re: '98 Corolla Power Steering Noise
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That's not something you want to mess around with. It sounds like you may have a power steering pump leaking and on the verge of failing. You may also have saturated the belt with power steering oil which makes the problem worse. this is not something that should be put off at all. This can fail in many different ways and can be dangerous.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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habman
New User
Oct 2, 2009, 1:41 PM
Post #3 of 3
(4185 views)
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Re: '98 Corolla Power Steering Noise
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Turns out it was just the pressure hose. The reservoir had a stain along the inside which made it look full when it wasn't. Cleaned it out and had the hose replaced. No noise! Thanks.
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