Ask a harder question..

Likely nothing wrong with original pump..

Your system is returning oil faster than it can flow through screen in the resevoir bottle (restriction),, thus the lack of oil to feed the P/S hyraulic pump is slow, hence the pump whine

Remove the bottle, and flush it both directions with brake clean spray to wash the fine nylon screen, and use air to carefully blow it out.. re-install bottle and try it again..

Worst case, replace bottle per TSB..

 

It's funny, I Googled the issue after the second pump change didn't work, and found info on the reservoir screen possibly causing the leak, so I mentioned it to the mechanic. He said when they flushed it the first time, the filter looked fine, and didn't seem to think that was it. But at this point, I'd be happier if they at least gave it a shot.

Any chance it could be a rack & pinion issue, or is that unlikely to cause a leak out of the reservoir cap?

Thanks for replying.

 

Following up: Mechanic said he's still stumped, so I told him about the TSB mentioned above. I looked it up and gave him the TSB number and the exact instructions listed above.

He said they actually knew about that TSB and looked at the filter... said the several times they've flushed it haven't yielded any sign of a blockage anywhere in the system, and the filter inside the reservoir looks fine other than appearing to have a tear in it. Doesn't sound like they attempted to clean it or replace it, but he was ready to give up on it and send me to Hyundai.

I asked him to please replace the reservoir... given this TSB, I'd feel better if he did that first. Even if it doesn't help, I'd rather rule it out than do something drastic like replace the rack & pinion, if the cause may be the reservoir itself.

He said it's possible something in the rack could be causing it, but again, he reiterated that there are no signs of a blockage when they flush it.

 

Update:

-- Mechanic flushed the PS system with greater force ("flushed the **** out of it" in his words) and got some brown gunk out from the cooler. After that, no more leaks BUT the PS system whines & groans loudly after its heated up, especially when turning or accelerating.

-- At my request, mechanic put a brand new reservoir in today. Still no leaks, but it didn't fix the loud whining... in fact, it now happens when the system is cold, too. It used to only happen after the car had been driven for 15 minutes or so.

Any ideas? I'm completely stressed at this point. Mechanic says its gotta be "sucking in air from somewhere" ... is it that, an undiscovered blockage, or ??

New PS pump, new reservoir, new pressure hoses and new clamps so far.

 

and got some brown gunk out from the cooler

He may have gotten some stuff out of it, but it sounds like I'd be looking into a new oil cooler. You HAVE a restriction, and now that they blew out the cooler, they probably dislodged something and it's causing a bigger restriction than before. The cooler should be cheaper to replace than the rack.

 

Definitely seems like there is air or "gunk" someplace that is either not flushing out, or if its air, re-entering somehow. So frustrating, because it feels like one of those needle-in-haystack issues where replacing parts may not help. Not many left to replace at this point.

Thanks for the suggestion. I mentioned it to the mechanic.

 

This appears to be resolved finally...

The mechanic had filled the new reservoir to just UNDER the minimum fill line, and that appears (so far) to have been the reason for the pump whine on a cold start. It had stopped whining/moaning while hot after the new reservoir was installed. Once they brought the fluid level up a bit more, it no longer makes excessive noise on a cold start either.

Glad it apparently wasn't the rack, but sort of wish the mechanic had changed the reservoir first. Might've saved me shelling out for a new pump. Oh well.

 

WHERE did your guys find a NEW reservoir? I have been dealing with some PS issues on my 01 SF and was trying to get a new res. but it was unavailable online....went to the parts store, the guy called the Hyundai parts house and according to them, the reservoirs are no longer available....
Thought PS pump was failing, had a line leaking (fixed), installed used pump, whine still there.....pretty sure it's the alternator.

 

P/S bottle still available as service part.. dealer can order part from their region PDC

 

I had the same exact problem. Replaced Power steering pump and problem did not go away. After reading this thread I decided to get the Reservoir. I bought it on Amazon for $40 and FREE shipping. When it arrived my son immediately said the cap was much tighter on the new reservoir. He said he did not think we needed to replace anything but the cap. Sure enough he was right. Actually you may only need a new inside seal. We have not had a problem
a week later. We did have problems every time we drove the car. Funny 2 mechanics were stumped. Could not figure out what our problem was. Thank you for posting your problem. Hopefully I can help someone else.

 

fluid coming out of reservoir

did any one find this to work where you cleaned or changed the reservoir and it worked mine is doing same thing im getting a new reservoir in mail soon wondering if this worked thanks a lot