02 Sonata Power Steering problem
 

I have a 2002 Sonata GLS with a 2.7l V6. The power steering is not working at all. I haven't gotten under the hood to examine but, I'm thinking its just the ps pump. Don't know if the reservoir or pulleys are messed up. I'm wondering, is there any troubleshooting methods, short of spinning the pulley to see if it's locked up, that I should know about before I get in there to take a look. Also, is there a tech manual available for this model and year vehicle? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

RE: 02 Sonata Power Steering problem
 

Hi!! I too have a 2002 hyundai Sonata, my pwr steering was also acting up, making strange noises when I tried to turn, and very difficult to turn the wheel! we found it wasleaking the power steering fluid, don't know if urs is...My guy went under and found it was leak in the hose and he took it out and went to home depot and bought a piece of a hose and two clamps and that did the trick... All he spent was 4.89! And they were charging me 169.00 to repair that! Glad I gotta handy man! Hope ur issue is just as simple!

RE: 02 Sonata Power Steering problem
 

First thing to do is look at the fluid level.
You have a leak somewhere that ran the pump dry and damaged the internals of it.
The 2.7 Tiburon had a small problem with the pressure hose that goes from the pump to the rack & pinion.

RE: 02 Sonata Power Steering problem
 

Just wanted to thank you both for your replies. It was a leak from the pressure side of the pump. The hose had developed a leak. To princess, I'm glad you have a handy man and that it was fixed costing you little or nothing. But, as a former submarine repairman, I could not bring myself to take the same route that your handymand did. I used to work in the pipe shop/flex hose shop and have constructed many, many hoses similar to the ones being used on our steering pumps. Anytime hydraulics are being considered, I always err to the side of caution and I purchase or build something of OEM standards or better. So, I dished out the cash, in this case, for the original parts, paid a lot more than your man did and fixed them. It works like new, now. In a pinch or on the roadside, I would have done what your man did (like I have done many, many times on my 73 VW Beetle), but, I would only use it as a temporary fix until I had the money to do it correctly. Steering is an EXTREMELY important part of the car and can be very dangerous to my wife, children and other drivers on the road if it fails. I hope yours holds up or that you eventually put an OEM hose back in place. Good luck and thanks for your ingenuity.