hello,

my 96 pathfinder, with 115,000 miles has started making an awful scraping or churning sound when i turn the wheel. it doesn't matter how fast or how sharp the turn, the noise persists. even when going straight it sometimes makes this noise. to best describe the noise, it sounds like something is scraping when the whell turns. like a vroom vroom but dull and slow. it is pretty unsettling and i dont want to drive the car anymore with this noise. does anyone know what this noise is from? how can i fix it? is this a common problem? if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. thanks.

gwon

The problem could be your power steering rack (or gear box, whichever this particular vehicle has), or it could be your power steering pump. One thing to do that isn't going to harm anything even if it isn't the problem is siphon out what's in the power steering reservoir, and replace it with either new fluid or with a power steering additive (I recommend Lucas products). You can check out your local dealership for service, and/or price out parts if need be. The 1991 Century I still have has a whine when I turn from the power steering pump. It's been doing that since about 130k (it's now at 177). The power steering rack starting showing signs of notable wear at about 130k also. The steering wheel would pulse as I turned the wheel. Using the additive extended its life some 40,000 miles.