theultimatehero

95 240sx with original KA24de

When I bought the car I was told the steering rack had been replaced very recently. Which seems to be the case. It looks new and felt really good. Since then I have driven around 3000 Miles and recently I've been noticing my power steering have some problems.

Driving roughly straight and on freeways everything acts normal. When I put any more significant stress on the power steering it struggles. Performing a U-turn, any sharp 90s around corners, even when parking, I can hear the pump struggling and whining. At higher speeds when I take a sharp turn I can feel the wheel jarring/bumping as it seems like the pump is trying to keep up.

I assumed immediately it was the pump itself and I have a used one on the way as a replacement. Now as I do some research it seems possible that there other issues. Could this be due to using power steering fluid instead of ATF? The fluid looks like a dark red or maroon color. When the engine is running I can see the fluid splashing/circulating in the resevoir, does that indicate anything? I don't notice any bubbles in there, but the fluid is moving a whole lot.

I've done some searching, but yet to find anything that definitively tells me the problem.

Thanks for the help!