I am a driver of (father's van) a 2003 grand caravan. Its got approx 130,000KM on it. At a stand still, when turning the wheel, there is a major vibration all through the dash..and I can feel its quite strong through the steering wheel. To my knowledge, i believe its done this since day 1 (however...never really looked into it) Also, most commonly after being on the highway for a bit (only a few minutes), there is a huge whine coming from the front end. Initially i thought it was the tranny, however the pitch of the whine changes when turning the wheel...leading me to believe its the power steering pump. I know the van is not leaking p/s fluid, though havent checked the fluid level as theres not really any other way for it to lose fluid. After shutting off the vehicle for 5 or 10min, let everything cool off somewhat, the whine is gone. Anybody have any suggestions on what this is? Again, there is no loss of fluid, and i never lose the power sttering. Thanks in advance

 

Possibly you have 2 separate problems. I can only guess. The vibration at standstill sounds like binding somewhere. Has it been greased lately? I guess if it's done it a long time, it's not such a big deal, but if it was a new problem, I wouldn't drive it anymore until it was checked.

If you're lucky, the power steering system may have air in it. A possible fix would be to jack up both front wheels and turn the steering lock to lock several times to get the air out.

However, I put a rebuilt power steering pump in my 82 Merc. Capri and it whined up to the day I sold it.

 

I have an 01 with a similar vibration. I haven't come up with a solution yet.

 

I just came from the dealership with the same problem and apparently there is a bulletin out on this issue. The dealership tells me the fix is to replace the PS return line with a longer one and that will help vibration. It has something to do with pressure in the line. They also tell me that it has a 70% success rate when changing, which tells me that it may not always be the problem. They quoted me $100CAD to replace the hose.