power steering help!

[MLMLML]

my 02 wrx with 60k miles has this squealing noise when its cold and at start up, but goes away when the car warms up. the steering does not get harder nor does it get stiff. is this just a loose belt that i can tighten? or is it a bad power steering pump? i also noticed that the power steering fluid is dark brown and inbetween the max and min line.

[SD_GR]

Possibly a belt or roller. I haven't found tightening them to work; I replaced them instead with authentic Subaru belts. Much quieter now.

[MLMLML]

will belts from autozone or oriellys work fine? or does it have to be subaru oem?

[SD_GR]

Subaru OEM for me.

[MLMLML]

how can i tell if the pump is still good?

[SD_GR]

Steering feel and/or noise and/or leaks. Since you didn't mention feel problems or leaks, that leaves noise, and checking the belts and rollers will eliminate that anyway. Since the noise goes away after startup, that would make me hope/suspect a belt instead of the pump (much cheaper).

[MLMLML]

the power steering fluid is a dark brown and i was told it should be a clear color? does that matter?

[SD_GR]

I can't see the pump generating a squeal. A hiss, thunk, vibration, or heavy steering OK, but not a squeal. If you are concerned about the fluid, change it. My bet though is that the belt or a roller are generating the noise.

[teflon_jones]

An easy way to tell if it's power steering is if the squeal gets louder when you turn the wheel hard. If the noise gets louder, it's power steering related. If the noise stays constant, it's something else. So which is it?

[MLMLML]

oh i know its power steering for sure just wanted to double check if its the pump or i could just replace the belt