Power steering noise

[Eric.S.]

Hello everyone I was finally able to pick up my grenadier yesterday Unfortunately, I noticed at home that my power steering makes a strange noise. I think it's not a normal noise, or? The filling level in the container was at maximum with the engine warm but switched off. The German instructions do not say exactly in which condition the oil should be checked. Does anyone have an idea? I tried to post a video but I always see the file is too big (7mb)
Thank you

 

[DenisM]

Ok, I know people are going to call me 'crazy' but I'm going to throw this out and if the crazy fits, so be it. I think I'm a victim of mass hysteria.

Not always, but more often than not, I get a loud-ish sort of whiny sound that I associated with the PS pump. After all, everyone has a case of the loud PS pump, right? The sound kind of reminds me of the vacuum at the car wash. The sound emanates from directly behind the passenger side headlight (LHD) which is where the PS pump is located. So far, so good. Everyone has it, so what...

Ok, here is the crazy part, in my case I'm pretty sure it isn't the PS pump. However, because there is SO MUCH TALK about PS pump sounds, I just assumed my noise, given its location, was the PS pump. But, when I turn off the AC compressor, the sound goes away. Turn the AC back on and the sound returns. How could that be, the two systems are not related. I now believe what I thought was the PS pump, is actually the electric fan attached to the back of the small radiator below the PS pump.

I'm not saying that PS pumps don't make noise. I'm just saying, I assumed my sound was PS pump noise and it isn't. I may be a lone dolt but there may be others out there laboring under the same misconception.

You may very well be correct. The vehicle I have was 20xx out of production. So far, there have been no PS noise problems.... so Myth #x "they all do " (i.e. whistle/squeal) is busted.... I.e. "they don't all squeal" despite the reported response from several Ineos dealers. (I suspect the spare parts industry thrives on replacement parts where a proper diagnosis would produce a different result.)...(rant over)

 

[Clark Kent]

Ok, I know people are going to call me 'crazy' but I'm going to throw this out and if the crazy fits, so be it. I think I'm a victim of mass hysteria.

Not always, but more often than not, I get a loud-ish sort of whiny sound that I associated with the PS pump. After all, everyone has a case of the loud PS pump, right? The sound kind of reminds me of the vacuum at the car wash. The sound emanates from directly behind the passenger side headlight (LHD) which is where the PS pump is located. So far, so good. Everyone has it, so what...

Ok, here is the crazy part, in my case I'm pretty sure it isn't the PS pump. However, because there is SO MUCH TALK about PS pump sounds, I just assumed my noise, given its location, was the PS pump. But, when I turn off the AC compressor, the sound goes away. Turn the AC back on and the sound returns. How could that be, the two systems are not related. I now believe what I thought was the PS pump, is actually the electric fan attached to the back of the small radiator below the PS pump.

I'm not saying that PS pumps don't make noise. I'm just saying, I assumed my sound was PS pump noise and it isn't. I may be a lone dolt but there may be others out there laboring under the same misconception.

Hmmm...

The oil cooler in the LHS of my Australian MY23 RHD vehicle is for the transfer case. It does not have an electric fan.
UK MY23 vehicles are the same arrangement according to the pics that @Logsplitter posted about his dislodged LHS cooler mounts.

The cooler in the RHS corner does have an electric fan. I think this is an auxiliary engine cooler.

The PS pump for RHD vehicles is on the LHS behind the headlamp, same as yours.

Have MY24 or NA delivered LHD vehicles gained a fan for the transfer case cooler, or have the coolers for MY24 or LHD vehicles swapped sides versus MY23 or RHD?

The AC uses a small heat exchanger mounted high up near the LHS of the engine. I think this heat exchanger it is in the low pressure engine cooling circuit which may explain why you're hearing an electric fan cycle with AC operation. For my RHD vehicle that fan is on the RHS, opposite side to the PS pump.

Your theory may explain why the NA market is reporting PS noise more than RHD markets; because you're getting PS pump and cooling fan noise from the same location.

This is my transfer case cooler on the LHS. No fan. PS pump visible top right.

 

[AWo]

The cooler in the RHS corner does have an electric fan. I think this is an auxiliary engine cooler.

Yes. As the lights in the front grill take away cooling power, they needed some somewhere else.

AWo

 

[GN4HIR]

Hmm.. perhaps I now need to start a thread on why is my electric fan so darn loud. I need to learn how to take video and upload it.

 

[Clark Kent]

Hmm.. perhaps I now need to start a thread on why is my electric fan so darn loud. I need to learn how to take video and upload it.

You could, but it wouldn't really achieve a lot. 'Comparative engineering' by ear is very subjective; except for auto dealers where sameness is a standard defence against a customer complaint: "They all do it so yours is normal". Dismiss the concern by normalising the issue. Solved.

Not saying your fan isn't faulty, but the installed fan is loud therefore your fan is loud (sameness!) It's compromised by the space available behind the cooler. The fan diameter is small so the rpm is high to move enough air to be effective. The side effect is a hovercraft level of noise.

 

[MileHigh]

The steering pump noise is starting to piss me off, probably because I’ve also picked up a squeak when going over bumps at low speed. So if I’m turning into parking lot that has a rough patch of pavement all you hear is the turbine whine from the pump punctuated by squeaks. Not really confidence inspiring. The squeak I have a separate post about, but that pump makes a noise that an $85k vehicle shouldn’t make. I mentioned it when I was last at my dealer, they have tried swapping PS pumps and it is all a matter of degrees on noise it seems. Like I said to them, it may be ‘normal’ but first time my wife was out of the car, she thought there was something seriously wrong with the car.

I’d gladly pay a couple of hundred bucks to get that sucker to be quiet..

 

[IdahoGrenadier]

Has anyone tried bleeding the air from their PS system? Because contrary to the "normal" claims from IA, it sounds exactly like air in the lines. Then yesterday, I see my PS reservoir has been overflowing. You know what causes that? Air in the lines.

I'm don't want to start futzing with things in this vehicle that are not working right because I expect we'll eventually have them acknowledge it or face a class action, but I'm very curious about whether it's air and/or where it's coming from.

 

[Tom109]

Has anyone tried bleeding the air from their PS system? Because contrary to the "normal" claims from IA, it sounds exactly like air in the lines. Then yesterday, I see my PS reservoir has been overflowing. You know what causes that? Air in the lines.

I'm don't want to start futzing with things in this vehicle that are not working right because I expect we'll eventually have them acknowledge it or face a class action, but I'm very curious about whether it's air and/or where it's coming from.

I have the same dampness on my PS reservoir.

 

[IdahoGrenadier]

I have the same dampness on my PS reservoir.

Do you also have the PS whine?

 

[MileHigh]

I have the same dampness on my PS reservoir.

Moooooiiist.

Like I mentioned in my post above, my dealer has done around Robin on pumps and vehicles, so I would think if there was some kind of bleed issue that would have shown itself as the install, and uninstall them?

What would be a good benchmark for this kind of pump in another vehicle?

 

[Tom109]

Mine has a slight electronic noise, not an air/cavitation noise.

 

[Zimm]

air in power steering pump noise - Google Suche

 

[IdahoGrenadier]

Mine has a slight electronic noise, not an air/cavitation noise.

You should get yours fixed ASAP. According to IA, they are supposed to have a very loud straining sound.

 

[Zimm]

You should get yours fixed ASAP. According to IA, they are supposed to have a very loud straining sound.

Really though. I think you're sucking air in. Severely. The fluid doesn't spontaneously expand that much. Pressure test the whole system. Bleed all you want, but if a connection at the box is letting air in, doing that or swapping pumps will never help.

 

[NQ94]

The noise seems to be an issue not limited to Ineos but other brands with electro-hydraulic power steering pumps. There are videos on YT for electric power steer pumps in conversions and factory installs, many seem to be noisy without some sort of sound attenuation.

View: https://youtu.be/e_qf0UJFYSk?si=yy3WSIjFveFGrS5

 

[outono]

The noise is a common complaint from Nissan and Jeep owners that use similar electronic hydraulic steering pumps. It's definitely not coming from air within the system.

As far as I can tell, nobody in the Jeep community has found a solution. For Nissan, the manufacturer began installing insulation to quiet the squeal. You can read about that TSB here.

I believe enclosing the pump in an acoustic jacket is going to be the best DIY path forward, though I do wonder if heat retention will cause premature failure (do these even produce much heat?). I've reached out to DARE AUTO for any insight on this matter so hopefully someone will get back to me.

 

[emax]

But why do not all Grenadiers have this problem?

Mine is silent.

And whichever Grenadier I've seen and heard in Germany ( a few dozens): They were all silent - none had this problem.

 

[outono]

But why do not all Grenadiers have this problem?

Mine is silent.

And whichever Grenadier I've seen and heard in Germany ( a few dozens): They were all silent - none had this problem.

It's a good question. Almost every Grenadier i've seen has had the sound to some degree, though the test drive trucks at my local dealership did not have any noticeable noise. I can only guess there are acceptable tolerances from the part manufacturer that allow this sort of noise to occur. This would explain why some trucks, perhaps with different hardware revisions, are silent.

To me, it doesn't sound out of the ordinary, just loud (and annoying).

I'd love for Ineos to swap mine, but I highly doubt that will happen unless they determine A) its an actual fault or B) there are enough complaints.

 

[Skydance]

It's a good question. Almost every Grenadier i've seen has had the sound to some degree, though the test drive trucks at my local dealership did not have any noticeable noise. I can only guess there are acceptable tolerances from the part manufacturer that allow this sort of noise to occur. This would explain why some trucks, perhaps with different hardware revisions, are silent.

To me, it doesn't sound out of the ordinary, just loud (and annoying).

I'd love for Ineos to swap mine, but I highly doubt that will happen unless they determine A) its an actual fault or B) there are enough complaints.

The sound happens under load or turning of the steering. I would hazzard a guess that if the tyres are overly inflated, it would be quieter. Most dealer cars are over inflated I find, don’t know why when it says 36 psi cold.

 

[outono]

The sounds happen under load or when turning. I would take a guess that if the tyres are overly inflated, it would be quieter. Most dealer cars are over inflated I find, don’t know why when it says 36 psi cold.

The sound comes from my pump whenever the steering wheel is touched. You can hear the motor turn on. If the wheel is left untouched, the pump motor will shut off in 5 seconds (ive timed it). As long as there is steering input, the motor is squealing, doesn't matter if its under load. If you move the wheel side to side, the squealing changes in pitch.