a couple problems, advice would be appreciated :)

99alerogirl · 04-16-2008, 02:33 AM

hey guys! i'm new to the site, and i've been searching for an hour now for solutions to my 2 problems, but have yet to find something. first of all i'll introduce my girl to you

... i have a 99 GLS coupe with the 3400 V6.. she's got almost 106k miles and i've had it since june of last year, and i'm very pleased so far

only have a couple questions for ya..

first of all, i have a noise coming from my passenger side.. i think the front tire. when i take off it's sort of like a rubbing noise, it's not like the constant humming i've seen described in other posts, it's squeaky and the noise becomes faster with higher speeds. it's almost like a rubbing noise i suppose.. also when my car was parked and turned off the other day, my boyfriend pushed the front right tire forward (rolled the car a little), and it made the squeaking noise...

second problem, i drove it down to my friends house (mostly an interstate drive, about 4 hours) about a month ago, and ended up having to get it towed back home because, after attempting to drive it back home for about 5 minutes, i realized the power steering was a little crazy. it works beautifully when my foot's on the gas pedal, but when i take it off the gas pedal, especially when i brake, it's like i hit the off switch with the power steering. even when sitting in park it's nearly impossible to turn (and it makes a groaning noise) unless you hit the gas and rev the engine, then it's fine. my car was also shaking really badly from that trip, but we found out that two of my tires needed replacing, which fixed the shaking, but i still have the power steering problem.

ha, sorry for writing a book, and sorry if it's a double post, but i just searched forever on here and couldn't find an exact match... if anyone can help with either of these problems it would be greatly appreciated!! thanks

adam337 · 04-16-2008, 02:52 AM

welcome to the forum. im to tired to read your questions. someone else will answer in the morning. that is all. good night. and clear your corners..

99alerogirl · 04-16-2008, 04:56 AM

haha thanks... i understand, i wouldn't wanna read it at this hour either haha... and i'm going to clear my corners as soon as i get the courage to mess with it!

99alerogirl · 04-16-2008, 05:09 AM

oh and also i forgot to mention, the power steering fluid is topped off, so that's not the problem...

nickbain · 04-16-2008, 06:55 AM

hello and welcome! Your first problem could be your brakes, have you checked them lately? The second problem sounds as though either you power steering pump or steering rack or both of them are fooked. That happened to me with my first alero, I just developed stronger arms before I traded her in. hope this helps

surreal_awakening · 04-16-2008, 08:07 AM

Welcome to the forum 99alerogirl. I have a 99 GLS Coupe also that I'm in the middle of overhauling. 245k miles. Take care of her and she'll take care of you!

Problem 1: A few things come to mind. Tire rubbing something it shouldn't, brake rotor rubbing something it shouldn't, or wheel bearing going bad, or as a last stretch, a CV axle going bad, but I doubt it. I would chock the rear wheels and set your parking brake, then jack up the front and put it in neutral and spin that right front wheel. Listen for the noise. Then remove the right front tire. Check the rotor for signs of rubbing, and spin the hub with the rotor on it. If no signs of rubbing, but it still makes the noise when you spin it, pull the caliper and rotor off and spin just the hub. If it still makes it at that point, I would guess the hub/bearing is bad. A failing CV axle will usually "clunk" more than squeak or hum.

Problem 2: As was already mentioned, it sounds like a steering pump or rack. As far as diagnosing which it is, someone else with more experience will probably have to chime in on that. Aside from swapping in a spare pump to test, which not everyone has access to obviously, I don't know how to go about testing.

Hope that helps some. Good luck!

cherrington17 · 04-16-2008, 08:47 AM

first one sounds very similar to when my bearings went. which is a VERY common issue on our cars.

lonnie · 04-16-2008, 09:24 AM

Welcome to the site, and these guys will narrow your problem down in no time just keep good info coming in. Good Luck!

Trickyslick · 04-16-2008, 10:48 AM

Welcome and have fun. Good luck with it all.

zzyzzx · 04-16-2008, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherrington17

first one sounds very similar to when my bearings went. which is a VERY common issue on our cars.

That's the first thing that came to my mind.

99alerogirl · 04-16-2008, 11:58 AM

thanks for the replies! yeah i got new brakes right when i got the car, then had to get new ones again in oh i don't know... maybe around november. knowing the brake problems i've heard of with this car i wouldn't be surprised if i needed new ones again. and i know the rotors could probably changed, but i'll definitely check on that! has anyone found a way to make the brake pads/rotors last a little longer? are there any certain brakes or rotors i should look for to help with the quick wear? ha, if there's any way to get around forking out the money for that stuff every 6 months or so i'm in!

oh and the bearings were one of the things i was told that could be wrong, but i was also told maybe the ball joints? i had 2 ball joints break on my last car and the wheels fell off while i was driving it (haha), but i don't remember my old car making this noise. also i saw in some other threads that if it's the bearings then it will make a sound when turning a certain way, depending on the bearing. i always thought it was the way my dad put on my brakes, but from the way it's looking that grinding sound when i turn left is probably not just the brakes...

thanks guys

cherrington17 · 04-16-2008, 12:10 PM

there are some decent performance brakes avail that everyone gets (forget the name) that seem to last a HELL of a lot longer then the OEMs. but if your rough on brakes, your gonna have to replace them every so many years anyway. (shouldn't be a couple a year... thats just redunkulous!)

alerored04 · 04-16-2008, 01:04 PM

Check out R1 concepts for rotors. I have had mine for two years with zero issues. I used full ceramic pads and just need to change them now, the rotors are still good. Since your brakes are new i would definately say that your front right bearing is toast. Second issue sounds identical to my power steering pump when it failed. Check the color and smell of the fluid. Is it green or brown? Does it smell burnt?

lonnie · 04-16-2008, 02:06 PM

...just to chime in here the brake problem I had was the brake pins on the caliper were seized causing extreme wear on the pads since that has been changes pad wear is normal...I also changed my rotors, I didn't get any performance rotors or anything and the cheap ones I got have been doing really well only like 30 a piece, and for that price if I have a problem in the future I will just change them.

99alerogirl · 04-16-2008, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alerored04

Check out R1 concepts for rotors. I have had mine for two years with zero issues. I used full ceramic pads and just need to change them now, the rotors are still good. Since your brakes are new i would definately say that your front right bearing is toast. Second issue sounds identical to my power steering pump when it failed. Check the color and smell of the fluid. Is it green or brown? Does it smell burnt?

when should i check if it smells burnt? when it's warm? or does it matter?

TheEdgeofSanity · 04-16-2008, 03:46 PM

I'd also have to say that your power steering pump is most likely failing. My car acts like that when its cold outside sometimes. Also, is your car idling right? my car has an idle issue every so often and when the idle gets really low, the power steering seems to die out below 800 rpm.

99alerogirl · 04-16-2008, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheEdgeofSanity

I'd also have to say that your power steering pump is most likely failing. My car acts like that when its cold outside sometimes. Also, is your car idling right? my car has an idle issue every so often and when the idle gets really low, the power steering seems to die out below 800 rpm.

nope it idles fine usually.. unless I have been ignoring the gas light (I'm a poor college student haha), but typically idles around 700 rpm. when its cold it idles a bit higher but either way the power steering acts the same

alerored04 · 04-16-2008, 05:15 PM

PS pump is on it's way out if the fluid is brown or smells burnt.

cherrington17 · 04-16-2008, 08:13 PM

you can test the fluid for smell/color anytime, warm or cold.

nickbain · 04-16-2008, 08:18 PM

a bad steering rack will cause the ps pump to go out, check em both.