I have a 2011 XC 90 with 3.2 L I6 R-Design fwd with 147K miles. Had an issue with power steering pump two years ago with about 136 K miles and replaced the steering pump then. I has worked fine since until now. The power steering has gone "intermittent" on me. The pump has a light whine but when steering at any speed, the pump will "scream" at me intermittently ( I believe it is the belt, but I am not sure at this point). It will drive but periodically the assist will cut out and in. When it happens, which is most of the time, it seems to come in intervals of a second working then a second not working. This is happening at any speed. The fluid is slightly grey and murky. No leakage is seen nor is any fluid missing. Any clues as to what is going on? Any tips will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any help on this matter.

 

the pump should not make any noises (except perhaps when you are doing a full lock turn). When the replacement pump was installed did they flush the fluid? You can do this yourself using a turkey baster to pull the fluid out of the reservoir, refill, start the car and turn lock to lock then turn off and repeat. Do this 3-4 cycles which should use about 1 quart of fluid. If you suspect the drive belt, you probably want to inspect and replace the belt and tensioner. Again check if this was done when the pump was replaced. Do you have any road "feel" issues when turning (ie harder to turn the wheel for certain position etc)?

 

Thanks for the tip! Honestly, I don't believe that the mechanic "flushed the system" when he replaced the pump. When I pulled out of his shop, the steering seemed to be fine. When I accellerated sharply, it started doing the intermittent thing, which I promptly took back to the mechanic within ten minutes of leaving. (This was two years ago). He did pretty much as you just described and I haven't had any issues until now. I'll try your method and see what happens. To answer your other questions, I'm not sure if he checked the belt and tensioner when it was replaced, but not having any problems for two years and 10K miles, I assume that the belt and alignment was satisfactory. As for the road feel, when the pump is active, it seems normal as usual, lots of assist when going at slow speeds, more feel and less assist at speeds above 35-40 mph. No certain position seems to be stiffer than others, just an intermittent "on-off" as the steering wheel is turned, particularly @ slower speeds, 10-25 mph. At highway speeds (above 40 or so), I haven't tried to turn abruptly because of the risk of an accident, but it seems to be fine and less intermittent. Sometimes I can turn the wheel full lock without an issue, then when I turn it the other way, it starts cutting in and out. A question I have as to your method of flushing; should I put the front of the car on blocks and turn the wheel freely after putting new fluid in.
Again, any input would be greatly appreciated.