I have a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan with 137,000 miles. Sometimes when I am backing out of a parking space, the steering wheel is almost impossible to turn. When I put the gear shift into drive, the problem continues. Then, the problem goes away and the car steers normally. The lot where this usually occurs is on a small incline. I don't know if that would matter. This has been going on for about six months. I asked a mechanic if he thought I needed a new power steering pump but he didn't think that was it. He mentioned a possible air bubble in the line but didn't explain what to do about it. Please help!

 

Welcome to DF
The most likey cause would be the power steering pump and the power steering reservoir.

 

Besides trying just a fluid change, a new reservoir would be a good first move. It has a fine mesh filter built into it that can get clogged and restrict fluid flow. Cold fluid compounds the problem.

 

I had same problem with 2003 GC... power steering pump cavitating (insufficient fluid on supply side) causing whining and hard steering. Removed and replaced PS reservoir to solve problem. Fine mesh filter in reservoir restricts flow due to contamination & increased fluid viscosity during cold weather.

 

hi , i have a 2002 dodge grand caravan, wen im on parking position and i turn the weels side to side it makes that whierd noise , but the steering weel is not hard it all, it turns smooth but i have that noisy shaking thing wen i turn the weels side to side or wen i turn arround the corner, wen im on high speed ther is no noise it all or if i turn arround the corner little fast there is no noise, what that can be, maybe a pressure switch? or the fluid reservoir maybe? i dont know what it is, im also have a mazda 626 with the same problem, . can somebody helpme pleaseee.. thanks a lot, this probably helpme to fix the other car too,. thankssss again...

 

Yeah the pwr steering reservoir has creeped up on the forum as the source of problem you are experiencing. I have included a link to watch that will help you change in case you're a visual learning like me. I think the reservoir is about 30 bucks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx1w2...eature=related

 

Hey thanks scotty5, im going to try that, i let you know how everything goes.... thanks....

 

hey guys, I noticed my engine was making a whining noise which increased when I turned the steering wheel, even when my Caravan was stationary at a junction. It seemed particularly evident when the weather was cold or icy but after the car got to normal working temperature the noise all but dis-appeared. The fluid in the steering reservoir was black and smelt burnt. I live in the UK and parts are very difficult to obtain and buying through a Chrysler dealer here costs a small fortune. buying parts online is now out of the question, most car part suppliers in the USA won't mail anything to the UK. places like O'Reillys and AutoZone stock the cap but not the reservoir?? how dumb is that. I skyped my brother in Georgia and he purchased a reservoir at eBay and mailed it to me. I followed the youtube video posted here and fitted the new reservoir flushing fresh fluid through 3 times to clear all the black fluid from the system and now everything is fine.

pestiepete