Hello folks, 2006 S60 2.5T FWD, just brought it in to a Volvo dealer to have the driver's side airbag recall addressed, and he mentioned a winding noise from what he believed is the power steering pump. It seems to have been making that noise for a while but I did not think it was anything out of the ordinary. Does not whine when turning the wheel, and the wheel feels normal. It has 170K miles on it. I had the reservoir replaced a while ago, and it may have been running with low fluid for a short period of time. Is this something I need to worry about?

 

I think if it was your power steering pump, it would whine when you turn the wheel. You would also feel the stiffness in turning the wheel as well. Might be stiffer when its cold out and get better as it warms up.

 

Yeah no stiffness in the wheel, response is normal. Service Advisor just said that noise was not normal at all.

 

I bet the noise is your brake vacuum pump. It is located just below the airbox, towards the engine. you can unplug from underneath and turn the key to Pos II and if there is no sound, then thats what it is. MAKE SURE TO PLUG IT BACK IN AFTER. Noise is normal from that, its kind of a whining noise, normal pump sound.

it looks this

 

Would it throw off a code if it was going bad?

 

If it was not working it would be hard to stop when the intake is pressurized from the turbo and I am sure it would throw a code. Just because it makes noise doesn't mean its bad. If you want to ensure the noise is the brake vacuum pump, refer to my previous response. It will at least let you know where the noise is coming from.

 

Thanks for the heads-up. The noise seems to be coming from the opposite side of the brake pump but that is a relatively easy fix.

 

Hello, there may be several reasons. This is the ingress of air into the power steering system; not sealed system (the working fluid may leak out); the incorrect amount of working fluid; the noise of the power steering on an unheated car; ingress of dirt into the working fluid; failure of individual components of the power steering system; hum in the power steering with a full turn of the steering wheel. I advise you to check everything. I just recently repaired the power steering and put new seats on my jeep, I found Most Comfortable Jeep JK Aftermarket Seats cool options here https://boostyourengine.com/most-com...rmarket-seats/, now the ride has become more comfortable

 

It turns out it's actually the alternator that is making that winding noise. Now I'm wondering if I should have the PS pump replaced while I am at it since it will have to be partially removed to replace the alternator....