FAILURE IN HYDRAULIC ADDRESS GRAN CARAVAN 96

Hi everyone,
I'd like to know if anyone can help me with a problem my 1996 Grand Caravan started having yesterday. The steering wheel got stiff, and when I opened the hood, I noticed that the power steering fluid was leaking from the reservoir, specifically from the cap. It leaked quite a bit, and the pressure was lost. I got to my destination, checked the level, and it was at the minimum, so I didn't add any. When I started the car, it worked perfectly, smooth and quiet. The thing is, I went to run some errands, and it started making noise again. Then, as I was getting home, I noticed it was getting stiff again. The problem is, if you leave it for a while, it works fine, and then after about an hour, it starts acting up again.
If anyone knows anything about this problem, please don't leave me hanging with an answer.
Thanks in advance.

Hello, it turns out that after driving my truck for about an hour, the steering gets stiff, there's a whining noise, and it's leaking oil from the reservoir, to the point where the steering locks up. I have to stop and turn off the engine. When I remove the reservoir cap, I can see it bubbling, and the problem suddenly goes away, but only momentarily. This usually happens when the engine is hot and when taking a sharp turn. I would appreciate your comments, thank you.

focebden wrote: Hi everyone,
I'd like to know if anyone can help me with a problem my 1996 Grand Caravan started having yesterday. The steering wheel got stiff, and when I opened the hood, I noticed that the power steering fluid was leaking from the reservoir, specifically from the cap. It leaked quite a bit, and the pressure was lost. I got to my destination, checked the level, and it was at the minimum. I didn't add any, and when I started the car, it worked perfectly fine, without any noise, and smoothly. The thing is, I went to run some errands, and it started making noise again. Then, as I was getting home, I noticed it was getting stiff again. The problem is, if you leave it for a while, it works fine, and then after about an hour, it starts acting up again.
If anyone knows anything about this problem, please don't leave me hanging with an answer.
Thanks in advance.

It's possible the power steering pump is about to fail due to a leak or age, since it's usually the only thing that makes noise and causes the steering wheel to become stiff. As long as the fluid level is above the minimum, it shouldn't make noise or become stiff; these problems only occur when the hydraulic pump fails.

The noise comes from pump cavitation, which is basically bursting air bubbles. The pump can cavitate for two reasons: either internal leaks or damage to the suction hose (the one that runs from the reservoir to the pump, which has a larger diameter). Make sure this hose is in good condition; it might be dry and not leaking, yet still allow air to enter. Air could also be entering through the pump shaft seal. In short, check these things, top up the reservoir, and turn the steering wheel fully in both directions until the system is bled.