For the last 2 weeks or so, my Escape's been making a buzzing noise from the engine bay when the temps dropped below freezing. It would only last a few second and then go away when I first started it in the morning. Early last week it was really cold one day and the noise lasted about 10 minutes so I took it to a mechanic near my office. Unfortunately, it went away before I could get it there and they were short handed so I made an appointment.
Last Friday I took it to the mechanic and told him the noise was coming from the engine bay around the belts. He said it could be the belts and asked if I wanted them changed. I've always had a different issue with the belts so I told him to change them. It seemed OK initially but Sunday morning I heard the noise again.
Today, in the middle of a funeral procession, the pump "gave up the ghost". Lots of noise initially, then I could feel the power steering kick on and off for the next 5 minutes or so and then it was gone. The noise went way down to a light buzz after about 5 minutes. I didn't see any fluid on the ground initially but after the post-funeral dinner I did see a small puddle.
I had the steering system power flushed at the dealership about a year ago just before they went out of business. The coldest it's been is about 20 degrees and that was the one day where it was noisy for 10 minutes. It's not like it's crazy cold. Most of the time its been in the 40's or 50's.
What surprised me is how difficult the Escape is to steer without power steering. I've driven vehicles with manual steering before and while they were difficult to steer at low speed, once you got going it was fine. The Escape reaaaaaaally doesn't want to turn without the power steering at any speed. Anyway... I'm hoping to get it fixed for good tomorrow. Hopefully this is the last issue for a long while.
Last Friday I took it to the mechanic and told him the noise was coming from the engine bay around the belts. He said it could be the belts and asked if I wanted them changed. I've always had a different issue with the belts so I told him to change them. It seemed OK initially but Sunday morning I heard the noise again.
Today, in the middle of a funeral procession, the pump "gave up the ghost". Lots of noise initially, then I could feel the power steering kick on and off for the next 5 minutes or so and then it was gone. The noise went way down to a light buzz after about 5 minutes. I didn't see any fluid on the ground initially but after the post-funeral dinner I did see a small puddle.
I had the steering system power flushed at the dealership about a year ago just before they went out of business. The coldest it's been is about 20 degrees and that was the one day where it was noisy for 10 minutes. It's not like it's crazy cold. Most of the time its been in the 40's or 50's.
What surprised me is how difficult the Escape is to steer without power steering. I've driven vehicles with manual steering before and while they were difficult to steer at low speed, once you got going it was fine. The Escape reaaaaaaally doesn't want to turn without the power steering at any speed. Anyway... I'm hoping to get it fixed for good tomorrow. Hopefully this is the last issue for a long while.
Replaced the whole shebang (pump, hoses, and reservoir) at $556. Now my idle is a little inconsistent... 
