Robert_H

Greetings,

Not having messed with the steering rack before, I ask for your knowledge...

When I first start driving my car ('89 S4, 150K miles), for about the first 5 minutes I get a nasty sound and feel coming from the front end. It only shows up when I turn (the sharper the turn, the more apparent it is).

The problem sounds and feels like a tire rubbing against a plastic wheel well liner, yet when I check the by parking with the wheels turned, there is no rubbing of any kind.

The sound and vibration goes away after about 5 minutes. Does this sound like a steering rack possibly going bad?

Thank you very much for your time.

Rob

ErnestSw

describe the sound and the feel.

GlenL

Might be the power steering pump. Check the fluid level in the reservoir. Takes Dexron ATF.

Garth S

Yup! - and if the fluid level is down, pull back the boots from the rack end and see if you've found it: don't wear a white shirt ....

adam928

Double that YUP

Btdt... pump is cavitating (swallowing air..) due to lack of ATF Dexron III...

If rack is leaking... top it up.. then start to look for a good repaired steering rack. If you need a temporary fix try "Omega 917". It will seal the rack somewhat... Not a temporary solution but it will make it leak less while you are looking for a new rack.

MGW-Fla

Mine was making a groaning noise in the first minute or so when I turned, especially left. It could wake the dead! I would leave my driveway looking like a NASCAR driver weaving back n forth like I was warming up my tires so the groan would be gone by the time left my street. I would lightly turn each way to get the fluid moving in the system. Was told by the head of service at Brumos that the system builds up pressure overnight & once it warms up the pressure lessens as the fluid works through the system, thus the groan goes away.

I was parking the Shark in my driveway & after moving her to the garage it greatly reduced the steering groan to the point that I rarely notice it happening unless I turn the wheel to lock as I leave the garage. Was told that causes great pressure on the system & to avoid doing so until it warms up. (Parking in the garage also has temporarily cured the electrical gremlin of my car not shutting off when I turn off the key when I 1st drive it & the AC fan coming on randomly when the switches were off. Thinkin my Shark is of the female gender perhaps??)

Back to my steering pump.... The steering pump was replaced about 14k miles ago by the PO. He told me that replacing the pump did cause the groan to go away for a while, but then it returned within 10k miles. He also parked the Shark in his driveway & not his garage. Along with the steering boot, I also replaced the steering system reservoir which has a permanent filter in it that can get clogged and adds to the pressure within the system increasing the groan. Replacing the reserivoir did indeed help reduce the noise some. Guess there was something to that. Even though I have not had any further problems with it since parking her in the garage at night & being careful to turn the wheels to lock less I have to, I know that I will be looking at the possibility of having to replace the steering pump again in the not too distant future.

Good Luck!

MGW-Fla

Oh.... no offense intended to any of the ladies with the gender application to my Shark.... just meant that she wants to be pampered & deservedly so of course!!(kinda like my wife!) Of course who would want to be left out in the driveway at night!

deliriousga

Sounds like the PS pump to me too. If you end up replacing the pump and/or the rack, replace the resevoir too. A worn out pump will put little metal pieces all through the whole system and alot of them are trapped by that filter mentioned above. Also, if you only end up changing the pump, make sure you flush the whole system with new ATF to get those metal pieces out of the rack before you put the new resevoir in.

Good luck!

SteveG

IIRC this is the second example of that service person giving you a tall tale. There is no way it could build pressure over night; what was his solution for excessive pressure in the system?? Diagnosing a "groaning" steering rack is probably one of the easiest fixes, as already described. I would stay away from him. Maybe the owner of the dealer needs to know why, that is up to you of course.

Big Dave

A leaky hose that sucks in air can also cause the pump cavitation noise. The leak can be very small, too.

MGW-Fla

Perhaps I either misunderstood him or mistranslated what he told me. Of course that makes perfect sense, a car sitting overnight isnt going to build pressure in the system. I do however, trust Frank Eisenmann and his 25+ years of working for Brumos Porsche. He is not just another yahoo mechanic saying he knows how to work on a Porsche. I have no doubt that he has seen more Porsches than most of us put together. When I was over there last week, they had four 928s there that I saw at that particular time(including a Gemballa), besides everything from 914s to a Carrera GT. I drive on a regular basis in the four county area with a million other people here & I dont see another 928 but once every few months at best.

All I know is what he told me seem to make sense in regards to how my car was reacting beforehand and how it reacted afterwards. I guess however exactly, technically the hydraulics work within the steering system on a 928, its obvious that once my car was warmed up, the problem went away. I know he did specifically comment about avoiding turning the wheel to lock when first cranking it up due to it increasing the pressure perhaps.

I'm sorry, I am not as astute as most on here mechanically, I am trying to read all I can & learn as much as possible about these great Sharks we all own. Sometimes the story may get some inadvertant misinformation by the time I translate it. That or as I tell people, as I age, my memory at times seems to be fading as fast as my hairline!!

I can give you Frank's # at Brumos if anyone ever wants to talk to him directly about this or any other Porsche issue though. 904-725-9155 or 800-434-8514. You truly wont find a nicer, more down to earth guy, he has countless times gone over & above board for me during the five years I had my 911 & this past year a couple of times with my 928. I've yet to see him not have the low down about any Porsche new or old in my conversations with him.(maybe I just dont know any better). I think he must know something about Porsches though since he one of only a dozen or so that is on some kind of "technical service advisory board" for Porsche North America in regards to the dealer's service depts & training the mechanics. Im not saying the guy walks on water or is perfect, but I doubt he is a total idiot with his extensive background & most of his life devoted strictly to Porsches. Probably just another case of me distorting what was told to me.