CANNOT get rid of the whine in my 4.7, now the dealer is telling me oh yeah that's just normal noise for the 4.7.....why didn't they tell me that when they first brought it in $600 and 3 weeks ago.

It's over there again right now getting the 3rd pump put in. Replaced the high pressure line and rack too.....still sounds like a circular saw cutting through plywood when I turn, and high pitch whine when just going straight down the road too.

This may lead me to get rid of this truck which would suck, but I cannot drive it like this.

Is this dealer full of it or what?? I know a couple of people with the 4.7 and they have zero whine, am I just lucky or what?

I asked if they ever vacuum bleed the p/s systems and they said no, but I found this TSB that says basically all Chrysler vehicles should be vacuum bled and talked to another mechanic I know and he said he ALWAYS vacuum bleeds Chrysler's no matter what kind.

Here's the TSB, it doesn't specifically mention this procedure for an '04 Dakota, but it lists a lot of other vehicles and I'm at the end of my rope with this p/s system. The tool is like $20, the dealer told me they would try it after I asked and referenced the TSB, but who knows if they really will.

http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2005/19-008-05.htm

 

No, that sure does not sound like normal p/s operation to me. It sounds like they either did not bleed the p/s system at all, or they did it half-way and you have air in the system. Noise and hard power steering are both caused by air in the system. It is normal to have some hissing type noise when making turns at low speeds but if you have noise even when driving straight down the road, there is a problem in the system some where.

When you get the truck back before you go to the trouble and expense of vacuum bleeding the p/s, you can easily bleed it yourself at home. All you have to do is jack the front end up off the ground, put it up on jack stands, turn the ignition key on but don't start the engine. Remove the p/s cap and then turn the steering wheel all the way from lock to lock about 20 times. Turn it nice and slow, not too fast. Check the fluid in the p/s reservoir for air bubbles. Use a screwdriver or something to pop the air bubbles you can see. Then turn the wheel again, lock to lock about 20 times and check for bubbles again. The key to this is patience, it might take 100 turns of the wheel to work the air out of the system. When you get most or nearly all of the bubbles out of the p/s fluid, then start the engine and do the same thing, turn the wheel lock to lock about 20 times and check for bubbles. Do it again if needed. Do not hold the wheel in the all the way lock position in either direction. Just turn it till it hits the bump stop, then turn it back the other way quickly.

Patience is the key here. I just went through my own p/s ordeal about a month ago. Proper bleeding usually takes care of pretty much all kinds of p/s noise and steering problems. If you bleed it and still have noise, then the pump may not be flowing enough fluid. That can cause noise too, and you would need to replace the p/s pump.

Jimmy

 

Mine never whined before it blew a seal, but it has whined ever since it was replaced. It only whines when I turn though and not when the steering wheel is straight. I'm guess air is in the system and will try to bleed it like you explained Jimmy.

 

I am on my 3rd pump and have tried that bleeding technique until I have almost gone mad and it made no difference. I can only assume the dealer is doing the same bleeding technique although I have no idea why, considering the vacuum bleeding is a million times easier and quicker and the tool costs $20.

I will wait and see what happens after the dealer puts this 3rd pump in. They are re-manned Mopar pumps. If it still whines I am gonna buy the bleed tool myself, I already have a hand vacuum pump, and just bleed it under vacuum a bunch of times, maybe leave it overnight under vacuum, as has been suggested to me.

The TSB clearly states that vacuum bleeding is necessary so I cannot understand why a dealer wouldn't just do it right from the start instead of having me back in their face 8 times.

 

Please tell me they're replacing it at no cost to you. If they replaced it once and it wasn't right it's up to them to make it right. If they're replacing it for free, then yeah, I don't know why they wouldn't bleed it correctly. If they take the time to bleed it right, then they wouldn't need to keep replacing it.

 

Yeah no cost...but that's for this pump. I paid for the first one, but they didn't charge me labor. First they claimed the high pressure line was leaking and causing the whine, I told them to replace it. Then after they did that my pump completely crapped out and there was no power steering unless you gave it some RPM like up to 1500, so they put a pump in. Then they claimed the rack was bad and leaking internally and causing the whine. Gave me a re-manned Mopar rack and charged me 3hrs labor, that alone was $500.

Then when I picked it up and it still sounded EXACTLY the same as when I first came in. They told me that it would work itself out just by driving, and that the whine is basically normal for a 4.7. Which I knew was BS and called them on it. I drove it for like 75 miles and it never got any better, took it back today and was like WTF! I told them about the TSB on vacuum bleeding, said I wanted a new pump and the system vacuum bled.

They told me no problem, got me another pump and are putting it in, but I have NO confidence that they will actually vacuum bleed it, which boggles my mind, since it is SO easy and quick. This has been going on for almost a month.

The TSB which I linked above, warns to not start the vehicle at all until it's been vacuum bled to avoid pump damage caused by air. A mechanic I know said that for some reason late model Chrysler vehicles hold air in strange places within the system and vacuum bleeding is the ONLY way to get it out, he vacuum bleeds EVERY Chrysler he does any p/s work on. How does a dealer not know this??

 

My PS pump just died on me but I replaced it with a used pump from a salvage place the guy claimed it was from a truck with only 45K miles on it that thing looked new from the factory so I believe him.

This thing runs like it did new no problems at all same noise when it was new. I have the 2.5 engine and they have way different pumps than the V6 or V8 with an external fluid tank makes flushing the system easy just pop a line off and drain.

The pump was clean inside my pump died because my main bearing dried up and started to seize up on me but the pump its self was still good inside.

Used pump $35

 

When you say "same noise as when it was new" do you mean that your p/s always made noise, or that the new/used pump you bought is as quiet as your original one was?

 

My Dakota new always had a low kind of growl to the pump but not loud and on hard turns it was nosier but it never bothered me just sounds like a truck.

I got lucky with that pump it looked new out of the box and MOPAR not aftermarket rebuilt trustworthy used parts place out of Tucson AZ ship fast to me and will send pic,s of any part I want before I buy it.

Pump sound never bothered me.

 

Any part now is a crap shoot as all parts are from China so quality is hit and miss.

Rebuilt always sucks for dependability they will burn up fast life expectancy is short compared to new but now new is China so?

One guy said buy used and you may be better off because they were built in the good times but who knows if that rings true or not.