dude, had the exact same problem.

DONT DO ANYTHING until you do this. i can bet my left nut this will solve everything because it did for me.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ring-Noise-Fix


Your welcome!

 

thanks a lot man! i will try this and let you know what happens

 

I just replaced mine with Prestone..So far so good

 

Crono_87...you are the f'ing man!

Changed the brace and topped up the fluid and the mating whales sound is gone. A $2 fix for what sounds like a $1,000 problem.

Sweet!

 

OK, I have the exact issue but mine is a 1.8T? Is this the same fix for my engine?

 

I think so. They all gather water and air bubbles and than the noise starts. Just flush some fluid and add some fresh one or replace altogether. I do it 2Xper year.

 

I have the same issue as well. I'm going to tackle it this weekend. If I haven't said it before, I'll say it again. AudiForum.ca rocks!!!

 

+1 :thumbsup:

 

The link that cronos_87 posted is the issue. Same started to happen to my A6 3.0L a few years ago. The whining noise is Cavitation inside the Power Steering Pump due to air entering the system. Cavitation can damage the PS Pump if left too long so don't ignore this issue. Replace the clamp on the Power Steering Pump Return hose as it gets weak. In colder temps below 0C the fluid gets thicker and the weak clamps allows air to get sucked in the low pressure return line. If you are losing fluid, inspect Tie Rod to Steering Rack Boots for leaking fluid.

Also recommend to check color of your fluid. Brown is the original G2000 and Audi replaced it with G4000 which is green. If yours is brown with over 100K KMs then recommend replace with G4000.

 

in cold weather the power steering return hose located at the front top of the engine will have become brittle/porous, it becomes more porous in the cold temperatures and sucks more air into the power steering fluid causing the power steering pump to cavitate (whine or sometimes described as a groaning sound), the hose requires replacement, fairly inexpensive from the dealer, tricky to change on your own, but doable, good luck