Steering noise

[chuckster]

I am getting a groaning noise on full turns when cold or cool, as in the morning when turning out of the driveway. Any suggestions on what to begin looking for? Thanks
Chuck

[Yii]

I had the same thing, Does it do that only when you turn almost to max by any chance? or just groans louder as you approach max? My Power Steering was the caues of this because it was failing. =/

[chuckster]

Not what I was wanting to hear. The groaning noise happens when the turn is about to get tight. Not maxed out but almost turned to the max.

[chuckster]

What was the outcome of your failing power steering?

[Yii]

Yeah mine did that exactly. It Didn't completely failed but was becoming more and more apparent. My Cuz opened the hood and took a look at it while i was Turnning the wheel left and right. Originally the groan wasn't that often or loud and only happened once in a while. but over a year span i believe it just got worse. Steering though i didnt notice any difference, except once when i did do a turn it locked and was very hard to turn. Had to brake turn off the car and restart before the steering wheel worked fine. Besides the Sound and that one incident i am not sure what other symptoms that can help determine if it is the Power Steering. Maybe someone here at the board can help more with that.

[RyanE53]

So, I've been a long time lurker, but I also have the groaning sound when making full turns. It seems only to happen when I do them slowly (i.e. in a parking lot or backing out from the driveway) I'm not sure if its happening when I'm doing U-turns. I don't notice any steering problems except for the sound, so I'm wondering if it is a power steering problem.

[X-Rated]

Having the same issue on my 2001 3.0. Groans as i turn left. Groan is steady. I looked in the engine compartment as my wife turned the wheel and it seemed the pump was working hard. The steering knuckle seemed noisy. Not sure as I'm no mechanic. We jsut had new CV boots installed less than 5K miles ago. Mechanic said joints looked good.

[anthonytexas]

Man, I have these groans too! Especially noticeable when the engine is cool (ie. early morning or after parking for a while.) Seems that when the engine warms up from driving, the noises become less obvious.