I've had a groaning noise in my '86 syncro's power steering ever since I bought it. The location of the noise was hard to find, wasn't the pump, seemed like the metal pipes, where they go forward out of the engine compartment. I just lived with it, got used to it. I did flush the system for fun more than anything.

Today I listened to the pump again and noted (using screwdriver stethoscope) that the pump was making a noise like a bad bearing. I have a spare used one, so I swapped it in. It is so easy to make the swap in the van, almost a pleasure. After the swap the "bearing noise" was gone, but the groaning remains.

Apart from the noise, the system works fine. I now have to try some rubber wedges or the like to see if I can dampen any steel line vibrations.

Not a very informative post, so it goes.

alistair