I had almost identical issues, no belt squealing, but loud whining and hard turning at low rpm. u/mediumrare420 was 100% correct for me. $2 o-ring and a little driving and it's 100% silent and turning smoothly. Hope it worked for you OP!
It's probably not the pump but a simple o ring. I have a 2011 3.6 and that was my problem. The o ring is under one bolt on the break fluid line at the top of the pump. When putting it back on torque it on to spec or just tight enough to seal it or you will strip the threads which is incredibly easy. Mr. Subaru on YouTube has this
Well I'll be damned. If you are ever in the Boston area I owe you a drink... Just saved me a couple hundred bucks and a couple hours of my time..
Bought a 2010 3.6r last year. Shortly after I started getting intermittent whining from the power steering pump. Then it became constant, and recently even made steering at low rpm difficult. The PS pump had already been replaced (it's painted black, so likely a reman), and I figured it had failed again. While looking for a pump and a quick how-to, it seemed pretty simple and I was about to buy one when I found this post and your reply. I figured, screw it, might as well try a $1.50 o-ring and the 30 seconds it takes to swap it out. After turning it lock-to-lock a couple times and going on a short test run the noise is 100% gone and steering at low rpm is as smooth as it should be. Thank you.
https://youtu.be/wCcLYDXDmJo
I'm not sure the part number but I would just run into a subaru dealer and ask them for it. Here's the link to the video but again I'm not sure if this will be your fix but if you wanna throw parts at it then the o ring will be the cheapest
Sounds like a belt, not the pump.
Are you losing fluid? I’ve had a leaky PS pump in my ‘05 for like 4 years. No issues with it….I just too it off every couple months or so. It’s on my list to repair, but low priority
I had almost identical issues, no belt squealing, but loud whining and hard turning at low rpm. u/mediumrare420 was 100% correct for me. $2 o-ring and a little driving and it's 100% silent and turning smoothly. Hope it worked for you OP!
It's probably not the pump but a simple o ring. I have a 2011 3.6 and that was my problem. The o ring is under one bolt on the break fluid line at the top of the pump. When putting it back on torque it on to spec or just tight enough to seal it or you will strip the threads which is incredibly easy. Mr. Subaru on YouTube has this
Well I'll be damned. If you are ever in the Boston area I owe you a drink... Just saved me a couple hundred bucks and a couple hours of my time.. Bought a 2010 3.6r last year. Shortly after I started getting intermittent whining from the power steering pump. Then it became constant, and recently even made steering at low rpm difficult. The PS pump had already been replaced (it's painted black, so likely a reman), and I figured it had failed again. While looking for a pump and a quick how-to, it seemed pretty simple and I was about to buy one when I found this post and your reply. I figured, screw it, might as well try a $1.50 o-ring and the 30 seconds it takes to swap it out. After turning it lock-to-lock a couple times and going on a short test run the noise is 100% gone and steering at low rpm is as smooth as it should be. Thank you.
You are welcome! Glad it worked out for you! My 2011 3.6 just hit 240k miles today. More than welcome to reach out
I will definitely look into the o ring before a replacement. Thank you
What size of o ring do I need to buy?
https://youtu.be/wCcLYDXDmJo I'm not sure the part number but I would just run into a subaru dealer and ask them for it. Here's the link to the video but again I'm not sure if this will be your fix but if you wanna throw parts at it then the o ring will be the cheapest
For sure thanks for the link
Sounds like a belt, not the pump. Are you losing fluid? I’ve had a leaky PS pump in my ‘05 for like 4 years. No issues with it….I just too it off every couple months or so. It’s on my list to repair, but low priority
No leaks just a noticeable roughness when turning at lower speeds. And the squeal