Moaning

[jeffmo]

Sounds kinky? Probably not.
My 92 LSC has a low moaning sound from the front at low speeds. Especially noticeable when parking. The car has 53K miles. I recently bought the car due to fond memories of an 89 LSC I bought new. However, it drives crappy. Wanders and has a funny feel just off center. Does not seem to want to "self" return to staight ahead. Is this the steering rack going (or gone) bad? The steering rack does not seem too expensive, but is that the problem? Is this the result of 16 year old power steering fluid? Would a flush do anything?
I did every kind of search I could on this forum, and drew a blank. Looked at every thread up to page 16 on this forum and found nothing. So, forgive me if it is covered somewhere, just point me in the right direction. Or give some advice or the benefit of your experience.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Get under there and check out the suspension. It could be as simple as an alignment.

 

[NYC LS8]

It could be either the rack or the ball joints. I know on my old 92 I thought it was a bad rack (because it would wander and not return to center) but after disconnecting the ball joints, the wheels would hardly turn by hand.

 

[jeffmo]

Further investigation reveals that the moaning occurs only when the power steering is under load. If I turn the steering wheel enough to make the power steering pump "work" the moaning begins. If I stop turning the steering wheel, the moaning stops. My next cheap fix is to replace the idler pully. The thought is that under the added load of the power steering pump, it is making noise. I took off the belt this morning and found a little bit of play in the pully bearing. That might not be the culprit, but cheap insurance against future failure even if my moaning remains. If the moaning remains, I suppose the next stop is replacing the power steering pump. Any other ideas? If the power steeering pump is the culprit, it is a shame that it would fail in 53K miles.

 

[Elessee]

Sounds kinky? Probably not.
My 92 LSC has a low moaning sound from the front at low speeds. Especially noticeable when parking. The car has 53K miles. I recently bought the car due to fond memories of an 89 LSC I bought new. However, it drives crappy. Wanders and has a funny feel just off center. Does not seem to want to "self" return to staight ahead. Is this the steering rack going (or gone) bad? The steering rack does not seem too expensive, but is that the problem? Is this the result of 16 year old power steering fluid? Would a flush do anything?
I did every kind of search I could on this forum, and drew a blank. Looked at every thread up to page 16 on this forum and found nothing. So, forgive me if it is covered somewhere, just point me in the right direction. Or give some advice or the benefit of your experience.

Excerpts from my manual's steering troubleshooting section..

"has a low moaning sound" System noise: Pump whine or moan:
Fluid aeration
Low fluid
Pump brackets loose or misaligned
Power steering hoses grounded (I guess this means a hose is rubbing on something)

System noise: Chirp or squeal when wheel is cycled lock-to-lock:
Loose or worn pump belt

"Wanders and has a funny feel just off center" Wander:
Check tire size and pressure
Check if vehicle is unevenly loaded or overloaded
Loose/worn tie rod ends or ball sockets
Steering gear mounting insulators and/or attachment bolts loose or damaged
Loose suspension struts or ball joint(s)
Steering column intermediate shaft joints loose or worn

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I took off the belt this morning and found a little bit of play in the pully bearing.
Bearing play .. that can't be good..

You probably have more than just one problem .. anything from tires to suspension or steering components or a combination thereof..
Imho, blindly replacing parts is most often a waste of time, money and patience. I wouldn't hesitate to take the car down to a tire / alignment, brakes-suspension shop for a diagnosis.

 

[Magic Al]

Groaning especially when parking is pretty "normal". Fluid issue. First make sure the level is corrrect. Then try getting both front wheels off the ground & turning it back & forth a few times. This might help if there is air in the system.

Check the alignment to be sure it's not toed out. Then I'd look at the ball joints. Mine would change direction on uneven pavement when they went bad. If all else fails take it to a service facility.

Found this: http://www.lincolnsonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59240&highlight=power+steering+whine See post #12

 

[jeffmo]

Thank you for the link and the input. At this point, I will replace the bearing as preventative maintenance (part is only $16) put in some of the Lucas Power Steering stop leak - even though I do not have a leak - since there is an opinion that it will stop the whine. If that does not solve the problem, I will take to a front end shop. Hopefully they can tell me whether the rack or the pump is the culprit. Neither one is all that expensive ($60 for pump and $92 for rack at Advance Auto Parts) and does not seem too hard to change. Then I will have the shop do a complete check of the front end and do the alignment. Then I should be good to go.

Thanks to all for the feedback. Now if I could only get my wipers issue corrected.

 

[jeffmo]

Solved?

I sucked out as much power steering fluid as possible and refilled with new fluid. The moaning is mostly gone. A good alignment seems to have resolved the steering issues.

 

[Elessee]

I sucked out as much power steering fluid as possible and refilled with new fluid. The moaning is mostly gone. A good alignment seems to have resolved the steering issues.

I did that and it had the same effect.. sucked out as much old brown stuff as I could with a turkey baster and skinny extension hose and the noise almost went away.
My mechanic advised against purging all the fluid.. said he never did it unless there was a reason.
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My moaning noise started after working on the air springs.
I hard-turned the steering wheel a few times (engine off, car's weight on the tires) to access the springs, and noticed some steering fluid sprayed up out of the resevoir vent, and got all over the fender. I think doing this "aerated" the fluid..

Coincidentally i am on my way to have the wheels aligned this morning.

History: Bad air springs caused the front tires to delaminate... Once in a while, with no spring support, the tires 'bottomed out' and hit hard. The tire guy said that impacts like that can cause delamination..

So, i'm on my way back from Vegas and got as far as Bakersfield when the vibration from a raised bump on the tire got really obvious. I pulled over and checked for loose lug nuts and, luckilly, felt the bump.

I then and there replaced two front tires. As soon as I got back on the freeway I noticed it pulling to the left... :shifty:
It tracked straight as an arrow prior to the new tires. Oh well..