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Comments
Gina,
If you would read the entire forum on this problem with DGC, you would find out that a simple fix might be the replacement of the power steering reservoir. The part is only $25.00 or so and could be installed in less than an hour if you don't mind getting your hands dirty like me. The only hard part was the 10mm bolt behind the reservoir. I didn't know it was there until I thought I had all the bolts off and still it did not come out. The back bolt you just have to loosen it then it just comes off. The dealer quoted me $178.00 to fix it. Sure beats the $600+ to have the rack replaced and the loss of time waiting on the part to arrived at the dealer. Either way it's still cheaper than the rack job. The reservoir can be picked up the same day.
Only if it still makes noise would I go with bjss statement of getting the rack & pinion checked out or replaced.
There is a good chance that the replacement of the power steering reservoir will do the trick like it did for mine and a lot of others I've helped out.
I fixed my '03 DGC with 80,000+ miles on it by changing out the power steering reservoir over a year ago and no noise came back. Let me tell you mine was pretty bad and noisy before replacing it and the dealer also told me that the rack might need to be replaced. Then a mechanic there at the dealer told me it's the power steering reservoir without even hearing my van make any noise. He told me a lot of them have been replaced and fixed the whine.
Good luck and I'm putting my money on the reservoir being the culprit.
:shades:
Thanks so much for the info.. I will most definitly do that. When reading through the posts it sounds like a TON of DGC have had this prob...
Anyway thanks again..
Take Care,
Gina
PS.. That tip on the bolt will be a lifesavor!!!!
1. If your transmission doesn't seem to be working right, replace the fluid first and see if that makes any improvement. Of course, make sure you use the right tranny fluid when doing this. If it doesn't fix the problem, you're only out $25-$50 or so.
2. If your CEL is on and the code is indicating a bad catalytic converter, try replacing the O2 sensor(s) first. Even if you still end up needing the cat, you probably would have replaced the O2 sensors as part of the cat replacement so you have not thrown away any money here.
It took a small repair shop to accomplish the repair I needed by replacing a power steering hose with a longer one. They were to do so because they read Dodge's
Tech Bulletin bulletin number 19-006-05, dated August 4, 2005.
One visit to the small shop, one reading of a tech bulletin and a one time charge of about seventy five dollars resulted in my problem being resolved.
Amazing.
I drove it to Florida for my neice's wedding. I am planning on trying to get a power steering reservoir while I am here in St. Petersburg and put it on after I get back home. I will keep the old one as a spare and clean it out qith hot soapy water, etc.
wish me luck. I will let you all know if this corrects my Power steering problem.
is there anything we can do in the meantime to force them to honor their recall problem fixes which causes continuing problems?
I had the same problem. The DODGE DEALER told me it was either the rack and pinion or the power steering unit.
I took it to a two bay shop.
They found a Tech Bulletin covering the problem.
The Tech Bulletin is bulletin number 19-006-05, dated August 4, 2005.
SOLUTION: Small shop replaced one of the hoses with a longer one, as per Tech Bulletin.
Problem solved.
Good luck & Let me know if this resolves your problem.
By the way, I had the $ 150.00 flush job, which of course did not help. I did demand my money back for that, which they gave to me.
Dan
I've got a loud whine when I first start my 01 GC. It only lasts about 1 minute and then everything is quiet and I haven't had any problems with steering. Is this possibly related to the power steering issue?
Thanks
Scott
We also have a 2003 dodge grand caravan, that has been doing that for a few years, again the dealers said they couldn't do anything.
Had it to a small shop that replaced the rack and pinion and the noise was worse ever. They are trying to fix it, I don't think they know about the hose.
Thank you
Mel
I will not have access to my paperwork on the repair for a few days. My guess is that it was the return line, but I am not 100 % certain.
Tell your shop to read Dodge's Tech Bulletin bulletin number 19-006-05, dated August 4, 2005. That is what my guys used to determine the solution to the problem.
Also if they Google the bulletin they should be able to locate it, if they do not have other means to access it.
Mel let me know if they can not determine which hose to replace and I will check my records and find it for you.
Good luck and God Bless,
Dan
Tell the
Has anyone experienced this and/or does anyone have any suggestions?
I was about to replace the power steering pump just before reading this message thread. I had the same problem as many (grinding noise). I just finished replacing the reservoir and the grinding is gone.
Try that first!!!
Thank you all!
Within the last 2 months or so, the whining got louder and louder. Also, it would not go away like before. I checked the PS fluid level. It was low. I added fluid (did NOT overfill) and the noise went away - temporarily. The whining noise only happens now when the van is first started - just like a year ago.
Last week I brought my 02 DGC in to have this whining problem checked. The repair shop (not a dealership repair shop) told me that the rack and pinion is leaking, as well as the PS pump. Since I just had the PS pump replaced less than a year ago, it's still under warranty - I would just have to pay for the labor to replace it. The repair shop quoted me just over $900 to place the rack and pinion, exchange out the PS pump, an alignment, labor and tax.
After reading MANY, MANY posts in this forum, I am extremely hesitant to have the rack and pinion and PS pump replaced. The repair shop mentioned nothing about the PS reservoir or hoses. I already had the PS pump replaced once and it did not help. The rack and pinion is quite expensive and I wonder if it's really the problem here.
Do I really have a leaking rack and pinion and leaking PS pump, or could replacing the PS reservoir fix this?
Thanks in advance for any advice/help with the problem!!
$26 for the replacement power steering pump reservoir. It seems no one knew there is an internal filter in this little plastic reservoir. When the fluid comes into the top from the return line, it goes through this filter before the suction line can get any power steering fluid. So your power steering is noisy due to not getting the correct amount of power steering fluid back to the pump.
I cut my old reservoir apart to see what my problem was and I discovered that 2 out of 3 of the biggest section of this filter were plugged up.
After I replaced the reservoir our van is as quiet as a mouse.
I was like everyone else and ready to replace my rack and pinion or the power steering pump until I read up on this issue
I am very Thankful for these forums.
I replaced this reservior myself, there are 2 bolts you can see on top, and one bolt on the bottom that is difficult to get to. You will have to get all the fluid out of the reservoir or you will make a huge mess. You can take the return hose off slowly and catch a lot of it there and the same with the suction hose. Unless you have like a turkey baster you can suck the fluid out from the top. All you have to do is loosen the bottom bolt, not remove it. I had to take a 10 mm socket on an extension and just feel around for the bolt head, once I found it just loosen up.
Why don't the dealerships know about this issue?
Sorry to be so windy.
Good luck everyone,
Kenny in Ky
I said it was their fault, when they pushed the van with no power, that somehow they jeopardized the integrity of the power steering system...they're saying "not likely". They are holding on the fact that I drove the van for a while before returning it to be looked at. Do I have a leg to stand on? Would replacing the reservoir be enough? There was a bit of vibration happening when I returned it the last time, so I'm scared that my van is becoming unsafe. Any advice?
I sent a of letter to Dodge about this common problem about a month ago and no response yet.
Maybe we all should get a petition going for a recall on this so everybody gets some money back or get theirs fixed.
Thanks!
The system should bleed itself and remove the air from the lines. You still might have small air bubbles inside the lines but after a drive or two, they will go away. If not you need to check for leaks. Did you tighten all hoses correctly? If it leaks or draws in air, you might need to replace the clamps that hold the hoses or check if the hoses are bad.
Good luck and let me know what happens.
Thanks everyone, this message thread saved me about $800 as the mechanic wanted to switch out the rack, he said $800 was a great deal....
One day I'll go back and replace that hose because it should never be that way. The chemistry between the two components do not mix well I guess.
Good luck and let me know if the noise goes away.
:P
1. Is there a power steering belt on this thing?
2. Could the reservoir cause this?
3. How much is it going to cost to get a new pump and can i do it myself? :confuse: