when i got my 87 gt it had been sitting for 4 years and had 12000 miles on it , i got it for 1650 , when i started driving it home i could hear the power steering winning as i turned , what could it be ? its full of fluid and did i get a good deal?

 

Thats Ford for ya!

 

yes you got a good deal, where was it stored outside, inside, wet or dry? does it have 12,000 or 120,000 miles? either way chances are that it needs a good tune up and greasing of the chasis after sitting so long. There may be moisture in the power steering system.

 

word, I replaced the pump and it got quieter

 

will it stop if i get a new pump?

 

I actually have a brand new pump from autozone and I put it on (my 88GT) and it whinned so bad it was diguisting... they said they it needed to break in and it would sound like that for 500 miles....

I said screw it and I decided to go manual

 

88blueGT, what manual system did you go with (Flaming River, etc?) and how do you like it? Is it as bad as they say at low speeds?

Also, is the whining a sign that the pump is going bad, or just an annoyance?

 

they all whine, there fords. i have an 05 f450 work van at work and that thing whines! its a ford thing get a loud exhaust you will never pay attention to it!

 

Most "old" cars do that. Mine does it but it doesn't really bother me.

 

Not sure how you tell if the pump is winning or losing, but

My old P/S pump whined. Then I got a brand new oem one, and it also whines. I guess it's normal.