So here's the story..I have a 99 xj sport with about 268000. I have been hearing every once in a while a weird whining sound coming from the front of the jeep. It would happen when I would turn sharp at an angle or just turn slow at an angle some times. It was kinda worrying me and I new I had to figure out what was wrong. Its been doing this for who know's how long but since I actually started to pay attention about 2 months. It always seemed to have something to do with me turning. Well today I made a real sharp turn going a little to fast and it made this noise not just for a second like it normally would but during the turn and after it was making the noise. Anytime I would turn the wheels at all it would make the noise. So knowing that there had to be something messed up I went home and let it sit while I went to work. I figured I would tackle the issue afterwards. When I got home I went back out side and when I started up the jeep the noise was gone and I even went around the parking lot making turns and so forth, no noise.. So this was probably a really stupid idea but I wanted to have video of this noise so that you could see where I was coming from, so I took a sharp right turn going maybe 15 mph maybe.. And right after that the noise was back and making me more nervous than ever. I believe it has to be something with the steering box, because even the slightest movement of the steering wheel would change the noise and the noise would happen no matter if I was moving or just idling. Any ideas on what it could be and what I should do to fix it?

Also is it possible to upload sound or video? I can't find a way to make it work.

 

Sounds more like a power steering pump..... near as i can tell from your description.
Check the p.s. fluid level and belt tension first. Start it up and give a listen around the engine bay (once you get it making the noise) Pinpoint where its coming from.....go from there.

 

Definitely sounds more like the pump. Check your fluid level first before you decide to replace it. If you install a new pump make sure you put an inline filter on the return line so you don't chance ruining it.

 

x3 on PS Pump is the place to start looking. The steering box would not be making a noise like that.

 

As others have said, check the fluid level first. Standing at the front of the Jeep with the hood open, the power steering pump will be on your right. It has a cap on top. When you remove that cap, the cap itself will have a plastic rod sticking out of the bottom. That rod has marks on it for full and low. If it's low, add some power steering fluid. If it's really low, you'll want to bleed the system by turning the wheels back and forth several times to work any air out of it. That's best done with the front end jacked up, but you can do it on the ground in a pinch.

If it's low, the fluid is going somewhere, but you can usually nurse along a leaking steering system for a long time by just keeping an eye on the level and making sure you keep it filled. If it's draining out fairly quickly, you'll want to try to track down the leak and fix it. It's not an overly complicated system.

Mine leaked for years. I replaced the hoses and got rid of the leak for a few years. Now it's leaking again. Meh.

 

ok awesome thanks for the help! I'm going to do what you said and start with what extrashaky said about the fluid, I checked it and it is below low. I see right by that area its wet so its probably leaking. I'll try and tackle it this week and let you know how it turns out.

 

Also as I try and find the right power steering fluid, I've been looking at some past posts to see what they used and I found that some have just used transmission fluid. Does that work? I just recently replaced my transmission so I have some extra fluid does this kind work? If not what kind should I buy? I want to make sure and do everything right the first time.

 

Quick trail fix the tranny fluid will get you home. If your already home, save your tranny fluid for the tranny, a small 1/2 liter of PS fluid will top you up. If you have a weeping line, carry the balance of the fluid as spare. If your hi pressure supply line is the weeper, then it needs to be fixed asap! It will get worse to failure. If the low pressure return line is the weeper, it's more nusance than critical. If it leaks more than a weep, then a fix is required.

 

Use power steering fluid.