I have a 2005 Subaru Outback Xt Limited Wagon. It has 176000 miles in it. Its steering pump was leaking steering fluid and therefore I replaced it at a mechanic shop.
However, after changing the steering pump a bunch of new problems arises. They are:
1) Car Overheats: The mechanic shop was only a couple of miles from my place. However, within driving 2 miles I started to get weird smells. After opening the hood I saw steam is coming out from the engine. Although the heating gauge was indicating at the middle position.
2) Whining noise while I move the steering wheel. Also, the steering wheel became tighter than the previous.
3) Car backlight front indicator lights and rear number plate viewing lights are not turning off even after I am turning off and locking the car.
I am completely lost after facing such issues just after changing a steering pump. even I am not feeling comfortable taking the car again to that mechanic who made this.
Scotty, could you please explain what might happen? How overheating and lights are related to the steering pump. How could I fix that?
Thanks in advance.
Are you loosing coolant? They may have forgotten to tighten the clamp on a hose that needed to be moved out of the way, or maybe they damaged a hose.
If that car still has its original head it could also be experiencing head gasket failure. (At that mileage it is overdue for the gaskets to fail.)
The whining sound you are hearing when moving the steering wheel is probably the power steering pump. Does it have sufficient fluid? Did the shop install an OEM pump? Rebuilt? New? Used?
It's hard to see though how the work they did would affect the rear lights unless maybe they disturbed some wiring while working.
Although I hate to judge before all the facts are in, at first blush it appears the shop did a sloppy job.
Thanks, Chuck for such a detailed comment.
A mechanic from Duteau Subaru suggested sealing the entire engine. That means to change all gaskets of the engine. However, they will charge $7800 for that. As it is more than double of the car's actual buy price I was not interested to do it. The mechanic said my coolant smeels like combustion gas.
After driving a couple of mins I put on some coolant and still the same problem. Also, I did not lose any coolant after refilling it. However, I have to check more about this.
The steering pump is a remanufactured pump from napa.com. I checked the fluid level and it is at full.
Anyways, thanks again for your comprehensive comment.
Unfortunately it is very likely the head gaskets have failed on that engine. (Combustion gases in the coolant can be verified with one of those test kits that Scotty has demonstrated.) As you note the cost to repair exceeds the value of the car. An independent mechanic would be able to do it for less money than a stealership but still not worth it. Also I strongly suspect the rebuilt pump from NAPA is defective. Even in this crazy market I would not throw good money after bad with this car id the head gaskets are shot. You'd really be better off looking for another vehicle.
Thanks, Chuck. I am also thinking the same.