I have a 2004 R50 with 90K miles. The power steering is pretty loud when turning at lower speeds. It's a high pitched squeal that grows depending how much the steering wheel is turned. Based on my research, it's normal, although honestly I don't know if it should be this loud. I haven't had any issues with the power steering itself, so there's nothing besides the sound that could indicate that it was in need of replacement. Is there anything I can do to silence/quiet it or will that require replacement of the entire pump? Is noise ever an indication of pending failure?

 

starting in 2005 the ps pump was redesigned....it was said to have been made more quiet,,,it is backward compatible, so when the time comes for a new one, it WILL be more quiet.