Power steering whinning

[explorer4]

the power steering is making some louder than usuall lately. i just noticed it this morning. does this mean my steering pump is going. also my oil pressure gauge is moving more than usuall, it it mostly right in the middle all the time but now goes down to the N or
0 in normal on the guage. it does this all the time when first started and when im going easy, when i get on it it usually goes up to the middle. any one ever have these problems, thanks

 

[Jason_25]

Your oil pump may be going, or it could be that some trash is lodged in the filter screen. If your pump is whining more than normal, put some fluid in it and see what happens.

 

[Ross-N-Chicago]

For the ps pump Lucas makes a product that can help eliminate most of the noise. I had a really loud whine, I used a baster and removed as much fluid as I could and replaced with a bottle of the Lucas stuff ($8) and some new fluid and it has really quieted down.

 

[explorer4]

Where is the filter screen and how do i clean it

 

[Jon_Herr]

Oil gauge

The oil gauge in Explorers is just a glorified idiot light.

The switch can get dirty and allow your meter to move around (down).

If you suspect low oil pressure you have to connect a mechanical gauge to the port and check it.

The screen is inside the oil pan, there are a couple of threads about cleaning it. One is a reverse flow system that Subaru uses, the others involve scraping and flushing using the oil level sensor hole.

Your best bet is to check the oil pressure with a known good gauge.

The steering noise sounds like a pump on it's way out.

Good luck,
Jon