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by Justin Stobb

We have had a lot of Questions from all over the country on this subject so I thought I would provide some information. This issue is typically found on the 2000 to 2004 Subaru Outback and Subaru Legacy. There will be pictures up next week to help illustrate what is going on.

Here is the usual situation someone replaces the belts, or the timing belt or the alternator and almost instantly the power steering pump starts to make noise and the car can be hard to steer. Well here is what happens. The top bolt for the alternator and power steering fan belt shroud is secured to the power steering return line tube/bracket through a rubber grommet in the top of the shroud. If there isn’t enough slack in the shroud when the top bolt is tightened the shroud will pull onto the tube (towards the drivers side) allowing air into the power steering system thus causing the fluid to become aerated. The other end of this shroud is slotted at the alternator pivot bolt. The rubber grommet is there, to give a little instead of pulling the tube under load. Once the tube is pulled it is necessary to reset it in the power steering pump to make sure it isn’t still being pulled in one direction after this the shroud will need to be installed properly ( with slack). From there the aerated fluid must be replaced with fresh fluid and the problem is solved.

I have received over 100 phone calls from people as far away as Jamaica (you know who you are and thanks for the gift card) so I figured someone should post some help as I have received calls from frustrated Technicians and Drivers a like . I had a post on Allexperts.com, that includes our shops phone number and I would say it has been one or two calls a week.

 I am always happy to help out my fellow Technicians who just want to take care of their customers. I also have heard the other end of the spectrum where after the belts were replaced on their Subaru Outback and the noise showed up they have been charged a lot of money to replace parts that did not need to be replaced. Quite a few times a frustrated vehicle owner has sought out help on the Internet and found me.

 To the Automotive Professionals out there, help each other first of all and use the Internet to seek out those who no more about the subject than you do. Also while we are all human and do make mistakes and there is always a lot of pressure to be perfect, at least exhaust all of your resources prior to guessing. If some can find the answer to the problem online then we all can. 

I have personal experience with this issue.  I know Subaru’s so well, and one thing they are not prone for is power steering aeration, with that knowledge,  I was able to  problem solve my way to the fix.  Subaru Owners, if this has or does happen to you. Most likely no one is trying to defraud you; they just haven’t experienced the issue before and are now forced to learn.

Thank you for reading.

Justin Stobb

Your Independent Subaru Specialist

  Here is the fan belt shroud in question.

  This is the upper alternator/ power steering belt  shroud retaining bolt. 

   This is the power steering return line bracket going into the pump.

  Here is the alternator pivot bolt that must be loosened to put the “slack” back into the shroud.

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21 Responses to “Why Is The Power Steering Making Noise on My Subaru Outback?”

1. Dan Hanks Says:
   February 5th, 2008 at 9:29 pm

   I recently had my alternator go out on my 2000 Outback which required a tow to the local repair shop and an alternator replacement. Since the shop had to remove the old alternator I had them replace the serpentine belts at the same time. The shop called me to tell me the repairs had been completed but the power steering pump was making noise and overflowing the reservoir and they were wondering if it had been doing that. I informed them that it was fine before they worked on it. They told me that it may have just gotten some air in the system and it may settle overnight but if it didn’t quit making noise to bring it back and they would replace the power steering pump at around $500.00 Needless to say the noise did not quit, but I was so upset with the repair shop because they had charged me $100.00 more than originally quoted to replace the alternator, (another story entirely) that I will never take a vehicle back to them. So I did some research on the internet and ran across Justin at All Wheel Drive Auto and read a blog he had about the very problem I was experiencing. I called Justin and told him what happened and he told me over the phone how to fix the problem. Basically I adjusted the shroud and the noise quit instantly. The power steering pump is working normally and silently. Thank you Justin not only did you save me a bundle of money, but you are very pleasant and helpful. I have relatives in Washington and I will recommend you to everyone I know. Thanks again, Dan Hanks Boise, ID.

2. Joshua Hufford Says:
   April 3rd, 2008 at 11:23 pm

   THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! After two weeks of trying to figure out what was causing this noise after having work done at the dealer on my 00 outback, I was one day away from replacing the power steering pump, just had ordered it. I’ve only drove around the block once, but so far the pump sounds PERFECT! THANKS!

3. Lomita Says:
   April 4th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

   Pics?

4. wagner Says:
   June 8th, 2008 at 4:09 pm

   Does this shroud problemn also relate to the 3.0 h6 as well. I am having the same issue with the fluid getting areated and loud whining noise

5. Justin Stobb Says:
   June 9th, 2008 at 9:31 pm

   Hey Wagner,

   The H6 uses an automatic tensioner, so it is different than the H4.

   But you could have a similar problem in regards to air entering the system.

6. Craig Phillips Says:
   June 25th, 2008 at 8:25 pm

   Even with resetting the tube mine leaked air into the tube fitting. The two o-rings on the tube were dry due to the fact the air leaks into the tube and not fluid out. I just greased them up with a little silicon grease and no more groan!!! GREAT JOB

7. Manny Says:
   January 9th, 2009 at 1:58 am

   Would this same problem happen on a 99′ 2.5 RS? and does it always start making the noises almost immediately after getting serviced?

   -Thanks

   ~Manny

   Dublin, CA

8. Justin Stobb Says:
   January 10th, 2009 at 5:18 pm

   On the RS if it has the type of power steering pump in the pictures in this article then yes, but I am thinking the 1999 RS has the reservoir mounted directly on top of the pump. I dont have one here today but if one comes in the next couple of days I will update this post.

   Justin

9. Mike Says:
   February 2nd, 2009 at 12:50 am

   Justin, thanks so much for the article on this. I just replaced my belts and had this problem happen immediately. I am very new to working on car/auto stuff.

   I had two quick questions for you.

   1. When you say to reset the line, are you talking about the insulated line with the tensioner around it as seen in picture 2 of your guide? I looked at mine and it does not appear to have shifted, but I do understand that it takes very little movement for air to get into the system.

   Do I just loosen the tensioner and push the line on further to reset it?

   3. Will I need to replace the fluid, or can I let it sit for a while? Also, what is the most straight forward way to replace the fluid if need be.

   Thanks,

   Mike
   2002 Legacy L Wagon

10. Justin Stobb Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 3:05 am

    Hey Mike

    To reset the line, remove the belt shroud, loosen the line retaining bolt, and then re tighten it.

    If the line has shifted in the pump housing it won’t be by much but as you correctly pointed out it won’t take much.

    It is possible if you let the vehicle sit that the fluid may rest and the air can dissipate out of the fluid.

    For a home gamer the best way would be to just drain out the reservoir, put fresh fluid in it and repeat as needed.

    Justin

11. Frank from AZ Says:
    March 7th, 2009 at 7:56 pm

    Thank you Justin….I consider myself very fortunate to have found your article! You saved me tons of aggravation and $$$.

    A shop replaced the alternator on my 2001 Outback yesterday. Upon leaving, my power steering immediately starting making noise. The shop owner didn’t know why…..chalked it up to a coincidence. Although I believe in coincidences, something didn’t seem right to me. The internet is great…I did some googling and found Justin’s article.

    I called Justin this morning to ensure I understood how to make the fix (I’m not a car guy). I was very fortunate that he answered since it’s the weekend. After speaking with Justin, I realized I didn’t have a tool that was needed so I brought my car and Justin’s article to the mechanic. I explained the article to the mechanic/owner but he didn’t believe it was possible for air to get into the system. I called Justin back and asked if he would mind explaining this to the mechanic. Justin agreed to but the mechanic backed-off and said he would make the adjustments.

    It took the mechanic about 5 minutes to make the adjustments. Once done, he started the car and turned the wheel….no noise. The mechanic was flawed. The mechanic did acknowledge that the tube must have moved but he didn’t think that air was the issue. He thinks the fluid flow became disrupted. Since the noise stopped, I didn’t push to have him change-out the fluid. I only drove a few miles so far but I’m hopeful the issue doesn’t resurface.

    Justin….thank you again for sharing this article and taking my calls…very unselfish of you. If I ever move to Washington, I would absolutely bring my Subaru to your shop.

    Quick question….I moved from Phoenix to Northern AZ a couple of years ago. When it gets below 30 degrees or so, I often get a fuel smell in and around my car. I did some googling and found this to be a common problem with early 2000 Subarus. Unfortunately, I got mixed ifnormation about what the cause is. Called the local dealer but they were no help. Your thoughts would be appreciated!

    Sincerely,
    Frank from Arizona

12. Justin Stobb Says:
    March 8th, 2009 at 12:58 am

    Thanks for the feedback Frank!

    The stainless steel fuel line clamps expand at a different rate than the rubber fuel lines and end up loose, if you go around with a long phillips screw driver and tighten all of the fuel lines you can find around the intake manifold you should be ok.

    Justin

13. Scott Says:
    March 12th, 2009 at 1:54 am

    Hi Justin

    I have read the above article and it makes sense. However, I ahve an ‘01 Outback with 200k on the clock and recently the power steering has started clunking from 1/2 to full lock, obviously at low speeds. It feels like the system is low in fluid (which it isnt) or air in the system.

    I am planning to bleed the system as it likely hasnt been changed for some time. But I really need to know if there is another likely issue I need to consider (like pump failure or other…?)

    Any suggestions appreciated.

    Cheers Scott

14. michael Says:
    March 30th, 2009 at 11:57 pm

    Hi Justin, The 2002 Outback LL Bean H6 100k + miles, power steering pump howled for the first 10 minutes when started from cold,then noise went away, only to repeat next day. The fix for me was the O ring where the line from the reservoir enters the pump. Subaru part # 34439AE020. A ten minute job, the savings,$$$
    Thanks for your site, Michael

15. Jeff Says:
    May 16th, 2009 at 2:32 pm

    Thanks for the assistance. We were on the cusp of replacing the pump on our 2003 Outback Wagon when I read your remedy and within minutes the noise was eliminated.

16. anne lovett Says:
    May 16th, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    Thank you! I nearly spent $400.00 for a new pump that the dealership said I needed!!!You are a life saver! Thank you so much for posting this!

17. minsk Says:
    May 24th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    THANK YOU!!!! After fixing a squeaky, loose belt I over-tightened that pivot bolt and created a terrible whining sound. Saved me $ and time. Thanks again.

18. Bob @ Master auto poway CA Says:
    May 28th, 2009 at 8:34 pm

    Thanks for the tip just fixed someone’s problem child also had to replace o-rings wore hard and brittle. Might mention that had no signs of fluid leakage just pulling small amount of air

19. mitch Says:
    May 29th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    hi there I am a freelance mechanic and i am having trouble getting the air out of the power steering system. what is the best way to do this on a 2001 legacy 2.5? instead of just a noise this is making a slight shutter/shake when turning. it has to be on the ground running in order to do the shake. it is not necessarily at any specific degree of turn. just when it feel likes it. it was in a pretty serious fron end collission and i rebuilt it completely, this is my only problem. the suspension and all ball joints, etc are in good shape. this is why i think air in the steering. i just haven’t really dealt with this before. any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks.

20. Justin Stobb Says:
    June 1st, 2009 at 4:13 pm

    Hey Mitch,

    If there is air in the system the fluid will be aerated it has no choice.

    Justin

21. Ann Says:
    June 20th, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    Thank you! We had just replaced the alternator & belts and immediately had this exact problem with p/s noise. Adjusting the shroud as described completely corrected it. Thanks for making my day!

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