My wife's 03 Escape has made an odd sound or two when idling and you barely turn the wheel. This morning it was a constant, loud whine and sounded like the steering pump. Fluid is perfect, no leaks. I think there's 60k miles on the vehicle.
I'm going to do a fluid change tonight. Anything to help stop the noise or is this pump about to die?

 

The pumps are pretty hard to kill unless you run them low on fluid. They may make more noise if the slippers get damaged. Even after that they will work but not as quietly. It will not likely fail on you without a lot more warning, and you may get tired of the vehicle before anything significant happens.
There is nothing to do to lessen the noise except replace the pump. Certainly trying a fluid change cannot hurt, but don't get a lot of air entrained in the fluid or you'll be fighting to get the level right without bubbling back through the reservoir when you turn off the engine.
tom

 

I sucked the fluid out of the reservoir and put new fluid in. I'll do this a few times to get it all changed out. Probably time to change it anyway.

 

I don't think it is on the list of services recommended, but think that if it stinks from being overheated for whatever reason, it should be changed or the old part diluted as you are proposing. The fluid itself is the lube for the pump, bearings at both ends of the shaft, and lube for the slippers, whether they be vanes or rollers. Some of the pumps I have re-sealed have had wear marks on the slippers and the inside diameter of the pump, almost as if they had been filed. I think some of that is normal, but if it gets too bad the pump whine becomes significant, and the pressure doesn't build as much at lower speeds as it did when new, making the assist less when parallel parking. The slippers don't seal as well when damaged, reducing peak pressure, and raising the rpm's necessary to get the pressure/volume needed.
tom