2005 Ford 500 Power Steering Groan Noise

RSARD92

MEMBER
2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED
3.0L
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
125,000 MILES

Hi there, so every time I turn my steering wheel, there is a groaning and sometimes clunking noise(especially when in idle). Its been happening for about 4 months now, I always fill up on power steering fluid but ill admit that its not the recommended fluid by ford. Something interesting though, I live in Florida and its always hot, but lately its been between 65 to 75 degrees, and when its this cool, the groaning noise is almost completely gone. So if its hot outside, the sound is VERY present, especially at low speeds. Ive also always had to fill up with fluid quite frequently because the fluid level constantly dropped very quickly. Which leads me to believe there is a leak somewhere. The next steps I think I should take is to flush the system and then purge it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

1 Reply

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

You should always use recommended fluid from manufacturer or comparable. Not using correct fluid can make noises appear. It does sound like you have a leak so see if you can find it and fix it. Also there is a tsb on the noise in front suspension which only happens below 10mph. It doesn't say a clunk though which the problem is the strut top and it needs to be replaced with an updated unit. There is a clunk under tsb's on the rear lower control arm bushing. Which replacement is the cure for that.