Cranking the wheel yields massive Whining

[Zerstorung]

My 2000 2wd Explorer has been sitting for the last three weeks, dead, in our driveway. I ended up going outside yesterday and fixing the car by cleaning out the IAC valve. Afterwards, I started the car up and there was a power steering whine, and when you cranked the wheel left or right in or out of gear while stopped, the power steering would stutter, and almost jerk.

So I ended up replacing the power steering pump today, and tried my best to bleed it. When I started it up, it was absolutely silent, until I turned the wheel, which yielded this massive buzz-saw sound everytime the wheel is turned. The steering works perfectly fine now, however, with no stuttering.

Anyways, i'm wondering what the ---- is wrong with my explorer. The car turns fine now, just a buzz-saw sound when the wheel is cranked while stopped or at very slow speeds. Once you start going faster, the sound disappears while turning. Did I not bleed the car correctly? The fluid is also pretty dirty just after I put in the new pump, so I'm probably going to flush it a couple of times.

 

[Rooster-Alpha]

Good luck.

I'm on my third p/s pump trying to get rid of that noise.

When you re-filled the pump did you use p/s fluid or ATF. Your supposed to use ATF now not p/s fluid anymore.

 

[Zerstorung]

Flushed the pump a couple times with fresh fluid, it's getting less dirty, but no quieter. I guess i'll just drive it for a few days and see if it might just be air?

I used Power Steering Fluid, not ATF.

Could the steering rack be a problem? It controls fine, just the buzz-saw sound is ridiculously loud. I have a 79' Chevy Blazer that has a noisy power steering pump, but the loudness of the whining/grinding when the wheels are turned on my explorer is ridiculous.

 

[Rooster-Alpha]

I don't think it will solve your problem but I would really flush the power steering fluid out and put in ATF. Some people say it's all the same but it is whats supposed to be in there.

As for what might quiet it down, a mechanic friend of mine told me to put a gob of STP oil treatment in it and it would quiet down. Me being on my third pump trying to solve this problem I haven't been brave enough to try something that sounds so homebrew in fear of having to buy yet another p/s pump. He says he does it all the time in the ambulances he works on if their p/s pumps start to whine and it works great. As for me though, the power steering works just fine so i think I'm just gonna put up with the noise. I'm starting to get used to cutting the X off when I go through drivethru's