As soon as the car is started, there is this irritating whining noise, which as per my mechanic is due to the Power Steering pump being in it’s last stages.
BHPian supremeBaleno recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
There’s this issue with my 2005 Baleno 1.6 that sprang up few months ago. As soon as the car is started, there is this irritating whining noise, which as per my mechanic is due to the Power Steering pump being in it’s last stages. I also double-checked with a PowerSteering specialist (Kokkattu Swan, Kochi) and they also confirmed it is the PS pump.
Part Number: 49110-64G11
Name: PUMP ASSY POWER STEERING
MRP: ₹32,615
Inspite of being exhorbitantly priced (SGP), I would normally just go ahead & replace it so that the car is in top shape and also because I hate noise (in a car which doesn’t have even 1 rattle in 17 years, this surely is a pain to bear). But there’s recently been some plans of selling the Baleno as wife/kids want a new car – and I don’t have the need or time for 2 cars. So didn’t want to spend 35K on a car that I might be selling.
My questions for the experts :
1) What’s the effect due to driving around with this whine ? Other than the sound?
2) What happens if the pump goes kaput while driving ? Guess I will only loose power-assist, right ? Or any serious loss of control, damage etc ?
Any other comments/inputs are welcome.
Here’s what BHPian skb1811 had to say on the matter:
1. Old pump, itll just wear faster, and go kaput quicker.. since the pump mechanism is worn already..
2. Uh, if the pump goes out while driving, yes, you will lose power assist, but, since the pump pushes hydraulic fluid, there is a high chance (probably will) that the fluid will leak/gush out of the power steering hose, and, well, we all know what happens when gears don’t get their oil. (For those who don’t, you’re gears grind due to friction, and that’s gonna be a new power steering rack.)
So, if it’s rebuildable/refurbishable, it would work, but, getting a new pump will probably be more reliable.
Here’s what BHPian balenoed_ had to say on the matter:
Last month I have got steering pump work done on my Baleno when it started to give a similar whining noise and steering was very hard, like when the vehicle is turned off. The noise used to come while turning the steering wheel. The mechanic repaired it and the sound issue was resolved. Charges – Rs.9000/-
The whining noise went away, but the steering hardness still persisted. Then we suspected the steering rack. So that was opened and overhauled. The fluid circulation was not there and hence steering was hard. That too was fixed after this steering rack repair.
Here’s what BHPian vishy76 had to say on the matter:
Firstly, have you tried changing the PS fluid? If you haven’t done it in a while, changing the fluid might help in reducing the noise to a good extent. Use good quality PS fluid and see if it helps.
Coming to the repercussions, I don’t think the pump is going to fail anytime soon. I have seen this whine in a few cars and it happens many a times and oft that the pump just whines but works perfectly fine for 2-3 years or even more.
If it does decide to give up though, you will lose power steering. It’s something which is quite dangerous if you consider this could happen while you are on the move. You have a perfectly weighted steering that you have been used to for years, that suddenly gains a lot more weight.
Since it’s only now that you have started experiencing the issue, I would suggest change the PS fluid and keep driving. If the noise increases to unacceptable levels or you notice the steering acting funny, you might need to pay attention to it.
Keyword: 2005 Maruti Baleno: Noisy power steering pump