Low power steering fluid level and whine/whurr

[upholsterit]

I drove my 2013 Custom a few days ago and immediately noticed a strange noise. Today it really got me thinking and listening.

It whines/whirrrs in line with revs so I think it's on the aux belt.

It's not the engine.

Noticed the power steering fluid very low when I checked under bonnet, but no message on dash. So Ibthink they must be connected.

Not had chance to get under it yet, but could the pump bearings be shot?

Only done 20k miles!

[upholsterit]

It's the rack that's wet!

Ideas on fault?

[blue estate]

Are you still und warranty as your rack or a hose is leaking , needs fixing as its mot failure

[upholsterit]

No I'm out of warranty!

Is the rack knackered or can it be repaired where it's leaking?

Why is it noticeably noisy?

[blue estate]

Because of the low fluid level letting air in to system

[upholsterit]

Yeah just read up about it. I'll get some oil first thing tomorrow then look at the leak.

I cannot believe there is not a low level sensor on the reservoir to alert you on the dash!

Thanks for the reply.

Hopefully I can repair the leak and no major damage has occured.

[upholsterit]

One side of the pipework is totally rotten and leaking. Other side seems fine!

Three and a half years old!

Good news is that it should be fairly easy and cheap to fix.

Not using it until I get the correct oil and top it up.

[moley551]

Have you tried the Dealer, customer care. That's a safety issue make some noise bang a few desks etc.....20k and 3.5 years for pipe to fail is a quality issue...good luck

[upholsterit]

Yeah I'm going to get the oil topped up and keep an eye on it so I can drive it again. Then contact the dealer and get them to look at it with a view of trying to get Ford to pay for the whole fix.

[blue estate]

Those lecy pumps are not cheap if they go the one on the Focus is £500

[upholsterit]

The pump on the transit runs from the aux belt and can be had for £95.

[upholsterit]

So I contacted Ford direct and dropped the van off at Stoneacre in York.

Chap on the service desk said he had "seen that before" when I showed him an image of the completely rotten pipe!

Will update once I have it back and know if Ford are covering the fix.

[upholsterit]

So Ford declined to help, even though the part has been superseded and is now a green colour. Stoneacre are doing loads of these pipes, so if you have a Custom, have a look at the pipe as it will be rotting.

Stoneacre at York were good though and got my bill to £34.

Paid up and went home, only to hear a whine again, checked level and it's low again!

Turns out it's now leaking worse than ever from the other old metal pipe where it's clamped to the rack. So the mechanic has obviously damaged the pipe during the job!

Not surprised but angry about it. More hassle to get it resolved.

[sparker000]

Clearly clamped up with brute force and no common sense. Where do they train/find these so called technicians. Good job you have a before photo showing no damage or they would probably want to bill you for that as well.

£34 was a good price I guess, if they hadn't mucked it up.

Looking at the size of the split I would be surprised if you could drive your van to the end of your road before it dumped all the oil and squealed fill me up, let alone to a Ford garage (unless you live next door to one that is).

Good luck.

I'm going to look under mine and see what colour my pipe is - brown or green.

Cheers

[upholsterit]

Stoneacre at York had the van collected, fixed it by fitting another new pipe, and returned it at no charge.

Exceptional service, and I live about 25 miles from their premises.