Here are opinions and answers from contributors:

• Tires out of balance or the "bushings" (not sure the technical term) are worn in the steering system.

• It could be faulty steering dampers. This is a shock that crosses from left to right connecting to tie rod ends. The shock is very firm and you will not be able to actuate it by hand if working properly. usually causes left to right steering oscillation at low to mid speeds.

• Warped brake rotors for cars with front disk brakes. The rotor hits the caliper every tire rotation causing a small bump in the steering wheel each time.

• Your tires might need to be rotated and balanced.

• In my "94" Intrepid it was worn out rubber isolaters which the bolts on the rack & pinion steering mounted through on the firewall. It was noticed at speeds over 35mph & resulted in feeling a violent shaking of the front tires felt through the steering wheel.

• Check tires should be balanced, alingned or probably a bent front tire.

• Most of the time its only bad front tires now the one guy was right it can be bad brake rotors but what he didnt tell you is there is 2 things for that 1 is the steering wheel shaking when you are braking if so then you have warped rotors another thing when you brake does the car pull to the right or the left if so that will determine what rotor is bad and for but if it doesnt shake while braking that could mean your tires are cupped in the front or there not balanced properly.

• Depends when the wheel shakes. If it is during braking then your rotors are warped. If it is durinig normal driving then yes it could be bent rim, loose/worn suspension components. A balance problem is usually indicated by vibration in the vehicle not usually a shaky steering wheel. It may also be that the steering gear is badly worn which causes greater than normal spaces between the meshing parts.

• Out of balance wheels, bent rim, shifted belt in tire or other defect in tire including irregular wear (tire rotation under these conditions will on move the vibration felt), loose lug nuts, worn inner tie rod end bushings like mentioned on Chrysler product above, loose mounted or internal play in the rack and pinion steering gear. Wheel Alignment or Front end Alignment will not cause a vibration.

• CV joint could cause this.

• Or a bent rim, which balancing will not fix.

• Check the lug nuts on all your tires. That did it for me.

• Shaking could also occur from camber being ofset as well as all! The other answers given above.

• Just had the same thing and it turned out to be worn struts which had caused my tire to wear unevenly (flattening one side of the tire). That caused shimmy at higher speeds.

• Also try new CV boots or a driveshaft replacement

Here are more opinions and answers from other contributors:

• Your front brake rotors are probably warped. You can either replace the rotors, or, if the rotors are only slightly warped, and there is enough material left on them, the mechanic may be able to be cut them down with a machine. Cutting them down should even the rotors out. The same thing was going on with my steering wheel as yours when I applied my brakes at high speeds, and even lower speeds. I didn't tell the dealer that I was experiencing this problem. They simply inspected my brakes one day while my car was in for an oil change and told me I needed new brake pads and to have my brake rotors cut. Since I had about 80,000 miles on that set of brake pads (yes ... 80,000 miles) I took their word for it that I needed a brake job. Luckily I didn't destroy my rotors with my nearly worn out brake pads. If you don't need new rotors, installing front brake pads and cutting the rotors should cost you a about $130 at the dealer, and maybe a little less at your local mechanic. I've noticed absolutely zero shaking of the steering wheel when I apply the brakes since the brake job. I have a Toyota Camry with 120,000 miles on it and the car now brakes beautifully. So before you spend money on an alignment, and trying to figure out if your wheel rims are bent, check those brakes.

• Try taking the car to the problem speed and while pulling the e-brake release lever, apply the ebrakes. No vibration - problem is in the fronts (typical). Buy new rotors (pads are a good idea at the same time as is adjusting the rear brakes). Rarely can you machine rotors and have a permanent solution. The rotors are not dissapating the heat well, by cutting them they will warp easier. Check your tire balance. (Have you ever put fix a flat in?) Toyotas are sometimes an exception to brakes that go for more than 35,000 miles.

• You need to balance your tires.

• I have found that my problem stems from rear axle placement. A factory installation defect that is only covered under the first 12,000 miles and only if the dealer deems it to be out of spec. For all you Ford Ranger owners alot of the 2000 models have feathered tire issues which would make you think it is simply tire balance (right front wears and pulls right, some F150's have this problem as well). Located an alignment shop to verify proper axle placement.

• Have your tie rods checked to be sure they don't need replacing.

• Have you had your rear brakes adjusted ever since changed: warped rotors in my 95 cavalier made the whole car wobble at high speed stops and the pedal pressure changes during slow light stopping also

• The wobbling or pulsating steering happens when I apply the brakes when trying to slow down after accelerating to a reasonably height speed like 50 to 60 miles an hour. My mechanic found that my rotors were warped and some of the steering mechanisims (parts ) were badly worn which was very unusual because the vehicle has only 11,000 miles on it. Hopefully this will be all taken care of because it's under warranty.

• Brakes warped, tie rod ends bad, tires screwed, upper and or lower ball joints shot, in front wheel drives, check cv shaft/joints... and theres one I experienced on an old ford pick up... never would have guessed, under braking conditions the steering wheel was shaking bad.... turned out to be in the rear end... the rear wheel bearings were shot.... it only was bad while braking.

• If it is a vibration in your steering wheel at higher speeds you might need new ball joints. This is a serious problem if that is what's wrong. So have your car looked at and soon.

• There is also the possibility that your shocks and struts are in need of replacing. Sometimes just replacing the ball joints doesn't fix the problem. If that is affected then there is most likely something else affected. In this case I had multiple problems with my 1993 Grand Am and it was bent rims, worn shocks and struts along with worn ball joints. Once I had them all replaced the shaking steering wheel at any speed is gone. Plus your tires could be separating so check that as well that could be a cause as well.

the front wheel bearing for the windstar comes as a complete hub assembly. you have to remove the brake caliper,rotor,and axel. then remove the 3 12mm 12 point bolts holding the assembly on the spindle. beat the old hub and bearing out with a hammer and install the new one !

Note: Not all bearing have that 3-bolt connect. If yours DOES, consider yourself lucky! If it doesn't, you'll likely have to take the knuckle to a machine shop and have them press it out & in.

Note: Had trouble with hub after being pressed,as axle would not tighten up enough to hold in place...Suggest replacing half-axle (easy and cheap) if hub does not tighten down and stay tight. Had to have my hub pressed TWICE before I caught on.

The trans axle must be removed from the steering knuckle. Loosen trans axle nut and remove wheel. Remove brake caliper and disc. Disconnect the stabilizer bar link at top or bottom. Disconnect lower ball joint steering knuckle at pinch bolt and pry lower arm down out of joint. Remove the trans axle nut. A puller is required to push the trans axle through the hub. Remove wheel hub from bearing by prying at the front and hammer and punch from the rear. Clean and remove the bearing"C" clip at rear. Punch the bearing out towards the engine. Install new bearing in the reverse order. Note: A torch may be required to remove bearing from steering knuckle. Most difficult parts are removing hub and removing bearing.

I did mine without punching or torch by using a regular machine shop press. Just remove the hub assembly off the vehicle (one additional bolt IIRC)to remove from the previous comment in this thread, and setup on said press, use a round dummy of right size and old one slides out, new one slides in. Ben

They changed the design on this at some time. Your may press in, or it may use a 3 bolt system. Either way, you DO have to take the knuckle off. If you're not mechancially inclined, or you don't have significant upper-body strength (you, not the car), take it to a pro.

First one I did, took about 4 hours. Had the Ford dealer machine shop press it out & in (took them 30 minutes - they said sometimes they stick pretty bad). After $30 to the shop, and $50 for a new bearing, total cost $80. They said they'd do the whole thing for $150.

So the NEXT time one went (different Windstar, what can I say, I like 'em), I said to myself "No way I'm laying on the garage floor, screwing with that knuckle, etc, for a lousy $70" I took it to the dealer and let them fight with it. Best $70 I ever spent!!!!

The fronts are pressed into the hub assembly and better off to use a mechanic shop for that. The rears are very easy on that model - 2 piece bearing + seal, grease and torque to stop then back off till turn easy... install new cotter pin.

This is not easy . Get a manual on your car and it will have pictures and everything.

The step-by-step procedures are detailed & illustrated in Autozone.com's free online Chiltons repair guide - See "Related Links" below.

Notes:

• the steering knuckle needs to be completely removed from the vehicle - overall not such a bad under-taking.
• The new bearing needs to be pressed into the steering knuckle - be sure to check the auto parts stores if they'll be able to handle that part of the process for you.
• This is a good time to check the condition of the axle; CV joint boots; tie rod ends; lower ball joints; control arm bushings; stabilizer bar links; brake pads, etc. Since it's completely apart, easy enough to put it back together with new parts & save lots of time & effort in future repairs.

Yes the front wheel bearing for your ford winstar is pressed in with a hydraulic press.

• The bigger question is why do you need to add fluid? After you locate and fix that leak, you can address the whine. If it is a Ford, it may be somewhat normal. Like Drazi said, "It may be air trapped in the line." Or the pump may be damaged from running it dry, or there is bilge in the line, starving the pump. Let's assume you have kept up on the maintenance and have flushed the fluid when it was dirty. Let's also assume that the pump is not damaged and you have found and fixed any leaks. Try this: pull the fluid out of the reservior and add one bottle of Lucas brand power steering additive, and top with power steering fluid. I have found this stuff pretty good at resolving many power steering problems. I'm not a big supporter of "Snake Oil", but have had good luck with it.

• If it's a Ford, it's because they use plastic parts in their casings, though most other car companies do the same. If that's not the case, then your pump is receiving too much stress from turning. Try lubing up the chassis and changing the fluid completely. It wouldn't hurt to check your lines either. Sometimes blockage can cause too much stress on the pump too.

• First thing is why are you adding fluid. If it has a leak, then I would address that problem first. A pump will not bleed air out of the system if it is leaking. If everything seems to be okay and your pump still whines, then replace the pump, preferably with a new one from the dealer. The so-called rebuilt pumps that you can buy from places like Autozone, O'Reilly, etc. are cheaply rebuilt, especially if it's a Ford. They don't bleed out air properly, resulting in improper pump pressures. A good pump will bleed out almost immediately, with the turn of the wheel a few times. If it doesn't, then your pump will more than likely never completely bleed out. Buy a new pump from the dealer--it costs more, but if you're like me and don't like the noise, then it's worth it.

• You probably have air trapped in the power steering fluid system. Bleed the air out by revving the engine to about 1500-2000 rpms and turning the steering wheel almost all the way from one side to the other a few times. This should bleed out the air and take care of your problem.

• If the noise is similar to that of a dry bearing, then the problem is probably the power steering pump itself. If the noise you hear has a "click, click, click" to it when you make turns in your vehicle, then the problem is more-than-likely your CV joints. If the noise is screeching, check your belt for wear-and-tear and proper tension (see owner's manual), and the pulleys that the belt turns, including the air conditioning compressor motor and its clutch/pulley.

I just wanted to add another two cents about the topic of bleeding or burping the power steering system:

1. Know what type of power steering fluid is needed for your car. Some power steering pumps can use automatic transmission fluid, others have specific power steering fluid for each car, i.e. Honda requires and suggests that you use Honda's brand of power steering fluid (see owner's manual). Make sure you know, or the warranty from the dealership or from the parts store may be voided.

2. Before attaching the power steering belt, fill pump with required amount and type of fluid (see owner's manual), and then turn the pulley wheel by hand a few times. This helps cut down on dry turns before they can happen. If more power steering fluid is needed, fill accordingly.

3. Attach the power steering belt with proper amount of tension (see owner's manual).

4. Turn vehicle on and proceed to turn the steering wheel all the way right and left 3-4 times.

5. Turn the vehicle off, and examine that the belt tension is acceptable, and again check the level of fluid and fill accordingly.

6. Always, always check your owner's manual before performing any maintenance on your vehicle. An educated car owner is a safe car owner!

www.powerbrakeandsteering.co.za

I too experienced very loud whining noise from my 93 Ranger 3.0's power steering pump at idle, and even louder when turning the steering wheel even a little bit in either direction. I changed the fluid but there was no change in noise. I read in a Ranger forum that if you add some STP oil treatment (yes, STP OIL TREATMENT), not the whole can, it would help. I decided to give it a try and sure enough it has reduced the noise greatly. It didn't completely eliminate it but people no longer stare at my vehicle at red lights because of the noisy pump. That was embarrassing! Ford's pump must be partly to blame since the problem is so rampant among all their various models.

By the way, Mercury is supposed to begin being phased out (discontinued) beginning in 2010 and completely gone by 2012. Only Ford and Lincoln will remain. Just thought ya'll might want to know that since your Mercury's value will likely plummet as that kill-off nears. However, those of you who have a stiffy for Mercs may get a good deal on one before they are gone. I personally don't think they are "all that". Fords in general are pretty low market in build and longevity. I used to favor GM but switched to Honda products in the 90s, they are very long-lived. My latest is a Jaguar and I'm quite happy with it. Yes I know they were owned by Ford and now by Tata Motors but the design is all Jag.

There is a tsb on the stabilizer bar links. Actually there are 2 the first one is if there is play in the link, try tightening it and the second is replace them if I remember right. Although not as profitable as a rack, it should be checked first before replacing that rack.

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=S001&UserAction=viewSimpleDiagInfo&Parameters=info

answer answer the bearings inside steering column,(behind steering wheel) are worn out. replace them soon or you will have to replace the steering shaft in column. bearing replacement will cost you about 60 bucks in a shop. shaft replacement will cost about 250 bucks just to buy the shaft, so don't let this problem get any worse

Noises can be difficult to pin point ---it is usually nesessary to hear them yourself---but another possibility is the bearing in the top of the strut mount could be worn out or dry so when you turn the steering wheel --while standing still--the strutt assembly moves eratically rather then smothly making a clicking sound--Put your hand on the strut tower while turning the wheel and see if you can feel it

checking for abnormal play or movement.

Drivers use the tape as a marker for the steering wheel. A couple examples for the use are as follows: When checking for the alignment after a wreck or damage, they line up the tape and check for drifting to ensure the car still drives straight. If the steering wheel ever comes off(wreck, relief driver, etc) they use the tape to determine where it goes back. Some use it as a marker for how far to turn the wheel into a turn. Watching a few NASCAR races will also help answer your question

To go a little deeper in the previous answer, as far as handling issues. A driver can use that as a gauge, if the car starts pushing, he can tell how much it changed by how much farther he has to turn the wheel. And after a wreck, if the tape isn't centered when the car is going straight, he knows that the front end alignment has been affected. Then by passing that info on to the crew chief, along with how the car is now handling, they can make a plan of action for the next pit stop on what to do to fix the car.