97 passat glx

whining/squeeling/grinding sound when turning steering wheel either direction
steering tight at end of radius and when driving slow, as in descelerating around corners
seems to be fine at higher speeds but of course i couldnt hear noise anyway
can actually "feel" the sound through the steering wheel
also frond end squeeks like bedsprings
belt needs to be replaced and will be in next couple days
fluid is old but full
drives straight and smooth
i know what a bad p/s pump or air sounds like and it doesnt sound like this
more like a squeeky metal joint sort of sound
when the car is moving at 10+ or so the steering is smooth and responsive but i can actually feel it stiffen up considerably as i scome to a stop and when fully stopped hardly feels like power assisted at all
could this just be the belt?
not familiar with vws
dont want to walk into a shop and say "hi, id like to be raped, please"

Hi! I have the 97 GLX passat also and have the sqeekie grinding noise when turning steering wheel either direction, did you ever find a solution to your Issue? The nosie is driving me nuts.

TIA,
Chuck

97 passat glx

whining/squeeling/grinding sound when turning steering wheel either direction
steering tight at end of radius and when driving slow, as in descelerating around corners
seems to be fine at higher speeds but of course i couldnt hear noise anyway
can actually "feel" the sound through the steering wheel
also frond end squeeks like bedsprings
belt needs to be replaced and will be in next couple days
fluid is old but full
drives straight and smooth
i know what a bad p/s pump or air sounds like and it doesnt sound like this
more like a squeeky metal joint sort of sound
when the car is moving at 10+ or so the steering is smooth and responsive but i can actually feel it stiffen up considerably as i scome to a stop and when fully stopped hardly feels like power assisted at all
could this just be the belt?
not familiar with vws
dont want to walk into a shop and say "hi, id like to be raped, please"