Temps have dropped down to the 20's here, and I've noticed that lately my PS is making a weird groaning noise when I turn the wheel. It sounds like the PS pump is low on fluid, but the resevoir shows that there's plenty of PS fluid in there. Is it normal for the PS to make weird groaning noises in cold weather?

 

don't know if urs was making the same noise as mine but, I had a little power steering noise in the cold so I nailed it down to this rubber washer thing around the steering column, right under the knee bolster .....lubed it up, noise gone. My symptoms were a vibrating steering wheel when turning and a groaning noise like you describe. Hope this helps.

 

i don't know about the ps fluid, but my suspension is now squeaking due to the cold - grrr.

 

mine is doing the exact same thing!!! sounds like it's low on fluid but it's not... once the car runs for a while and it warms up it goes away. what to do??? i'll listen somemore tomm to see if it sounds like it maybe coming from inside, but it seems to be from under the hood. it started the first time back at the deals gap meet cause it was cold as hell up there. went away and now it's back for the last week or so cause of the cold weather.

 

hoary chit! Mine is doing the exact same too! Man this cold weather is causing all sorts of problems with the R

 

Mine does the same. Chicago weather right now sucks.

 

Solution: disconnect the ps. Problem solved.

 

mine is making noise as well.

 

ditto

 

Same thing happening here. In fact, I just went down to the garage to check the power steering fluid and all looks good.

Damn cold weather!

 

Mine does the same thing also and I live in FLORIDA!! I'll probably just take off the powersteering belt. Heard it gives you 2 whp

 

Acura has a service bulletin for this problem. There is a rubber bushing where the steering shaft passes thru the firewall that needs to be lubed. If this is the cause of the noise, removing p.s. will not stop it. Look under the dash and you will see a plastic cover over the steering shaft. Remove this cover and you will be able to see the bushing. Pull the edge of the bushing away from the shaft a little with a small screwdriver and spray some lube into the bushing. That should take care of it.

 

i will try it today and see what happens. while it's cold so i can tell if it works or not.

 

Kenso you fuggin r0ck d00de! Thanks for the tip. Guys, I thought I was the only one. Hearing this makes me feel better. R is going to get WD-40'd tonight!

 

Did this work for you? My Honda Pilot sounds like she’s in excruciating pain every time I turn the wheel but only when it’s cold outside.

 

Regarding the Pilot, when the power steering noise occurs on a cold morning, remove the cap to the p/s fluid reservoir and look inside at the fluid. If it looks foamy, the likely cause is cold air entering the system via the inlet joint o-ring and/or the feed hose o-ring (both are at the pump) which leads to a loud groaning noise that increases with engine speed and turning the steering wheel. Replace those o-rings and make sure the fluid level is correct once the foaming has settled down. That should take care of it.

 

Definitely needs lube.