Looking at 2011 Routan SE (VW equivalent) with 148k miles and the 3.6l at auction and started it and heard a slight whine at idle and noticed no power steering and the power steering reservoir was empty. Do these have issues with hose leaks, power steering pumps or steering racks? I figured worst case is rack, is it a complicate R/R procedure?

Thanks

 

There are a number of places where the power steering system could leak.

- failed seals on the pump
- failed hydraulic hose
- loose fitting on hydraulic hose
- failed seal on rack and pinion (ps fluid will fill the inner tie rod boot)
- failed rack and pinion hydraulic transfer tube
- leaking reservoir

You need to identify where the leak is in order to formulate a plan. You can try re-filling the reservoir and running the engine to see if you can spot where it is leaking. The pump and rack and pinion are rather expensive parts if you want Mopar. These are also repairs that can be done at home but take time. The hydraulic hoses are reasonable in cost.

The power steering is difficult to get to because of the transverse mount engine.

LMHmedchem