2001 Outback LL Bean H6 3.0
I have been through most of the power steering related threads here, and I'm still stumped. Here's the rundown on what I've done:
Approx 6 months ago, power steering was whining and reservoir was bubbling/overflowing...replaced pump with salvage pump. Whining improved, but not 100%. Reservoir bubbling mostly subsided.
After a month or two, whining got worse, and eventually power steering went out completely. Mechanic said rack was bad. Replaced rack and pressure hose. Power steering worked again, but faint whine was still there.
Been about 3 months now, and power steering noise has progressively gotten worse, and is now the worst it's ever been. After sitting for several hours, it has more than a whine, it's a loud "groan" and at times a metal on metal rattling sound. After driving for 10 min or so the noise gets a little bit better but is still there. Mechanic now thinks the salvage pump is failing and wants to put in a new pump. Another mechanic says he's not sure. Reservoir is again bubbling and sometimes overflows.
Any ideas???
Thanks!