I put on a reman power steering pump and changed the fluid a couple months ago on my 2004 fx4. I was in the middle of replacing timing parts and had it off so I replaced it for preventative maintenance since the original one had 190xxx miles on it. I replaced the fluid with Valvoline "power steering fluid"... Everything seemed fine up until about a week ago, now I am getting a significant whine when turning the wheels at idling RPMs (turning from a dead stop/pulling into a parking spot. It doesnt happen when the engine is reved up like if im turning at a higher speed.

Did I put wrong fluid in, is it supposed to be some sort of trans fluid? Or is the pump shot and should be replaced under warranty? I believe it came with a 1 year replacement warranty

 

My 10 takes mercon v as a power steering fluid. Kindof sure yours does too.

 

Yeah I think mine takes Mercon V as well. I will do a flush and refill with fresh Mercon V and hopefully that will help. If not, looks like I will be swapping the pump!

 

That or you bought a cheap pump...

 

I sucked out all the fluid I could out of the fill bottle, and then pulled off both hoses to the small radiator and drained all that I could. The fluid that came out was a dark burgundy color... The stuff I put in previously (about 1 quart) was a clearish/yellow color fluid lol so obviously it was the wrong fluid. So I refilled it with fresh Mercon V, let the truck run and turned the wheel back and forth to bleed the air, topped off the bottle and all is well. No more whine! Thanks for the help fellas

 

I spoke too soon. It is definetely a lot better than it was before changing the fluid, but it still has a whine when pulling into a parking spot at a slow speed...

I am thinking about trying a bottle of the Lucas Power Steering Fix Fluid or whatever its called. I know I dont have any leaks but it sounds like it works pretty good for whines/leaks/hard steering. What do you guys think? Worth a shot for a $10 bottle compared to the hassle of pulling the pump

 

If it were my truck... I would swap the pump.