February 10, 200719 yr with only 45,000mi on the P/S pump, and now that the colder weather is apon us(-15F)..the P/S pump makes a slightly high pitched sound that is more like a "whining" ...the colder the weather is, the longer it takes for the sound to disappear until the motor is somewhat warmed up...when the outside temp is at freezing(32F), the "whinning sound" will last just for 3-5 seconds...it is definitely not the belt makeing the noise (no slippage)...maybe the bearing??, ..concerning the bearing, I don't hear a definite grinding sound that i experienced with a water pump, and when completely warmed up, the noises sound normal even with a stethoscope when comparing sounds between the alternator and P/S pump
February 10, 200719 yr I forgot what year is your Subaru petersubaru (or does it have the resoviour mounted on the pump or does it have the separate resoviour near the ABS unit?) In the service manual there is a test that has to do with wrapping a string around the pulley and pulling it to see if there is any noise then; I forget the exact details. On my '00obw I had a sound like what you describe except it was there almost all the time in cold weather. So I replaced the pump with new OE and the sound went away.
February 10, 200719 yr Author I do have a service manual mailed on the way for me and the car is a '01 Outback with a "detached" resoviour... I forgot what year is your Subaru petersubaru (or does it have the resoviour mounted on the pump or does it have the separate resoviour near the ABS unit?) In the service manual there is a test that has to do with wrapping a string around the pulley and pulling it to see if there is any noise then; I forget the exact details. On my '00obw I had a sound like what you describe except it was there almost all the time in cold weather. So I replaced the pump with new OE and the sound went away.
February 10, 200719 yr Author I don't know if it is possible, but I was told that the P/S pump could be worn inside (not the bearings) that would cause the fluid to "churn-up" thus producing air bubbles which in turn makes the whinning noise ( who knows?)........................................... On my '00obw I had a sound like what you describe except it was there almost all the time in cold weather. So I replaced the pump with new OE and the sound went away.
February 10, 200719 yr Considering how trouble free the PS is normally, i would replace the pump. Sounds like something is wrong inside it nipper
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