hotrozz

The power steering pump squeaks, definitely not a belt squeal, but a loud squeak when turning the wheel at low speeds or stopped.
I don't know what to think of this, I've never heard a P/S pump squeak before. It works fine, seems to have plenty of pressure to turn the wheels, but man is it embarrassing in a parking lot.
I guess I'll just have to replace the pump, anyone else ever experience this?

ZWilson07

idk if this will fix the problem but i had the same problem on my 03 lincoln ls v8. there was a tsb out on mine and adding motorcraft xl-3 friction modifier in with my fluid was supposed to fix it or quiet it down. i would look into that and see if theres a similar type of thing for it esp beens its a ford tsb and many parts on all the cars and trucks are based on the same principles. i just did it to my lincoln the other day and it has seemed to help some but i think when it warms back up that might help it alil too. if something like that doesnt work even after flushing out the system and adding new fluid and a friction modifier type of deal then id say if the sound bothers you that bad then ud have to get a new one. but for me being in college and 2 jobs i dont really have the money to buy a new ps pump so id look into something like I was saying before replacing it with a new one. fords are notorious aswell as some others for squeeky power steering pumps which is why mine had a tsb on it. hope this helps, Zach.

ZWilson07

i actually just looked it up for your truck, i had to search all your post to find what truck you have beens its not filled out in your profile lol but there is a tsb out on it for the whine the problem is most places wont let you read how to fix it unless you pay a certain fee but you could try the friction modifier and see if that helps some. it will prolly get to the point esp if your truck has higher miles that it will need to be replaced and like many have said before even ones that aren't old squeek its just one of those things but hopes this helps. maybe you can find a good deal on here or thru someone for a brand new one if youd like to go that route. Zach

hotrozz

Sorry, I forgot to mention it's a 97 4x2 5.4l.
I managed to find a list of all the TSB's for that truck but didn't see anything regarding a squeaking P/S pump.

ZWilson07

im pretty sure the number is 17731. its a whine. heres a link to one the sites showing tsb's/ its almost impossible for them to just tell you how to fix it because all the websites want you to pay some money first but heres the tsb for your year. but like i said thats just a ford ps pump for you. look into what i was saying and ask around or worse comes to worse you can replace it with a new one. http://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/tsb.p...y-1997/t-17731

hotrozz

It's funny, all the complaints and TSB's I read about P/S noises are described as a whining, whirling, or squealing sounds.
The sound I here is a squeak, a rubber on metal type of squeak like sway bar bushings or something like that. But I'm 99% sure it's coming from the pump.
I expect to hear the sound when bouncing the front end op and down, but t only does it while turning.

Broncomanjoe

I had a bad squeak on my 97 and it was actually the pitman arm causing the squeak, your problem sounds exactly like mine, but if you're positive its from the pump.. If not what i did was I got a needle attachment for my grease gun and injected grease into the pitman arm rubber bushing and that cured the squeak, I had this problem on multiple 97's ... I did end up replacing the pitman arm later on when i did the rest of the front end parts.. but its worth a few bucks and one minute of your time..

hotrozz

Well, I did say I was 99% sure it's the pump, but there's always that other 1%.LOL
I sprayed all the rubber boots with lube and it still did it, but I never actually greased up under the rubber boot.
Your talking about the boot where the pitman arm connects to the drag link, or the gear end of the pitman arm?

chad.durnal

i have an '01 5.4. a while ago my p/s pump would squeek/click when i turned. it was kind of a soft squeel like what you were describing with a louder clicking sound over it. i ended up ignoring it and my p/s pump seized while i was driving. that was fun. ended up getting a new one and replacing it for like $35 and it fixed everything.

hotrozz

I owe you a beer. Turns out it was a dry pitman arm joint. I'd never heard a PS pump make a noise like that, but it just sounded like the noise originated from the pump.
Anyway I did the same thing, used a needle greaser and packed that joint full of grease.
Nothing but silence from the steering after that.
Thanks to everyone else for the input after I led you on a wild goose chase.