Power steering fluid service at your home in Kansas City, Kansas

In a hydraulic power steering system, fluid under pressure does most of the work of turning the front wheels. You turn the wheel a little, the fluid pushes, and the car turns without you wrestling it. On most cars with this setup, the system is driven off the engine by the serpentine belt.

The fluid also keeps the moving parts lubricated and carries away heat. Over time it gets dirty, breaks down and can pick up air. When that happens, the steering tells you.

Most power steering trouble comes on slowly, so it is easy to get used to it. These are the things to watch and listen for.

• A whine or groan when you turn the wheel, loudest when parking
• Steering that feels heavier than it used to, or heavy and then light
• A squeal when you turn the wheel all the way, which can be the belt
• Fluid in the reservoir that looks dark, dirty or foamy
• Reddish or amber drips near the front of the car
• A level that keeps going down between checks

Many newer cars use electric power steering. An electric motor does the work instead of fluid, and there is no reservoir to check. Some cars use a mix of the two. If you open the hood and can't find a power steering reservoir, your car may not have one.

If you aren't sure which kind your car has, check your owner's manual or ask Josh when you call. He will tell you whether there is fluid to service at all before anything goes on a quote.

On cars with a belt-driven system, the steering only works as well as the belt that turns it. A belt that is worn, glazed or loose can slip when you turn hard, and you hear it as a squeal and feel it as heavy steering. A weak tensioner or a bad pulley can do the same.

So when Josh looks at the steering, he looks at the belt, the tensioner and the pulleys too. Serpentine belts, pulleys and tensioners are all on his repair list. If one of them is the real problem, you get a clear quote for that.

Power steering systems aren't all built for the same fluid. Some take a specific power steering fluid, and some take a type of transmission fluid. The owner's manual says which, and often the reservoir cap does too. Topping off with the wrong fluid can cause problems with the seals over time.

And a system that keeps needing fluid is leaking somewhere. Adding more buys time, but it doesn't fix it.

Kansas City winters are when a lot of steering whines show up. Cold fluid is thicker, and a weak belt or tired fluid is more likely to complain on a frozen morning. Then in summer, parking lot turns on hot pavement work the system hard and heat breaks fluid down. A fall or spring check catches a lot of it.

If the steering ever gets very heavy all at once while you are driving, slow down and pull over somewhere safe. It is often the belt, and a broken belt can take other things with it, like charging and, on many engines, cooling.

Call or text Josh at (913) 256-5056 with the year, make and model and what the steering is doing. A short video of the whine while you turn the wheel in the driveway helps a lot. You get a clear quote before any work starts, and Josh does it at your house.

If the leak or the noise turns out to be something beyond fluid and belts, Josh will say so and tell you what he thinks it is.