power steering pump question

[jeff32111]

Hi i have a 1989 park avenue.It has the 3.8 liter engine.I belive my power steering pump is busted cause i hear the worst sounding noise from it when i am idling.After going down the road it doesnt make the noise until i slow down or stop.My question is what all will i have to remove to take the pump off for r & r.It looks like just the serpentine belt but is there more?Thanks for any help in advanced.
Jeff

[Alibi]

Are you absolutely sure that it is the power steering? Generally, a pulley that whines at idle is a bad harmonic balancer.

If it is, then I think you would be best to just get one from a junkyard. I personally haven't heard of many issues with the power steering pumps on the 3800 so you would probably be OK with a salvage one.

Edit: To pull the PS pump: remove belt, remove 2 13mm bolts, remove 2 fluid lines (10mm I think). I think thats it...

[wrightz28]

If it sounds like somebody droped a box of ball bearings in the motor, it would be the water pump.

[HotZ28]

If it makes a clanging or hammering noise at idle, check the harmonic balancer.

[Loekee75]

Another neat (but somewhat dangerous) trick is start the engine and while it is idling, CAREFULLY use an oil can with a long spoit and squeeze a couple drops of oil behind all the pulleys until you hear a difference. Hopefully the noise will stop, or at least quiet down a bit. This will narrow down the problem componen. At one time I too thought my pwr steering was going out and when I did this oil trick I found that the noise was simply a worn alternator bearing.

[wrightz28]

Originally Posted by Loekee75

Another neat (but somewhat dangerous) .

i can see the headlines now,

"Man has surgery to remove a embedded oil can from skull after engine eats it, then spits it back out"

[Loekee75]

Originally Posted by wrightz28

i can see the headlines now,

"Man has surgery to remove a embedded oil can from skull after engine eats it, then spits it back out"

well actually I was thinking dangerous more in the lines of catching a serpentine belt idling at 6-700 rpms, but hey, that oil can incident could happen too....well maybe not the "embedded" part...

[jeff32111]

Well i did take off the serpetine belt and the noise stopped.Wouldnt that rule out the harmonic balancer?The water pump was replaced last year and i wiggled the pulley on the waterpump and it was solid and didnt make any noise.I couldnt get the pulley to the powersteering to make any noise either manually rotating it so i am thinking something inside the pump has let loose even though the power steering is still working?

[Alibi]

Originally Posted by jeff32111

Well i did take off the serpetine belt and the noise stopped.Wouldnt that rule out the harmonic balancer?The water pump was replaced last year and i wiggled the pulley on the waterpump and it was solid and didnt make any noise.I couldnt get the pulley to the powersteering to make any noise either manually rotating it so i am thinking something inside the pump has let loose even though the power steering is still working?

Yes, the lack of noise from the HB without the serpintine is a good indicator that it is still good. One more check would be to try to wiggle the HB. If it has any slop then that is your problem. It shouldn't move back and forth at all and if it does that means that the rubber holding the sections together is deteriorating.

The water pump is probably OK if it is newish, but new parts can still go bad or even be bad before it is ever taken out of the box.

How about the tensioner pulley? That is somewhat common. Or worn bushings in the alternator?

Assuming the power steering pump is faulty, I would think that you would have noticed a difference in operation, but I suppose it is possible that it is just on its last leg.

Any engine codes, btw?

[jeff32111]

Well i figured out the problem today when i went to start my car back and it wouldnt start.Its the alternator making all the noise.I guess cause the power steering pump is so close to the alternator i thought it was the pump.I had the alternator rebuilt like 2 years ago and thought it wouldnt go out that soon.But thanks for the information and i am so glad there is a website like this one with great people to help out shady mechanics like me.

[Alibi]

Lemme guess, loud screeching noise? Heh...I have two spare (almost new) alternators in my garage just for such occasions.

[jeff32111]

Actually no its a loud clanking or pinging noise.Like a waterpump sounds when it goes bad.

[Alibi]

Originally Posted by jeff32111

Actually no its a loud clanking or pinging noise.Like a waterpump sounds when it goes bad.

Really? I've never heard one do that on me before...but then again I haven't owned enough cars long enough for it to happen. I've had alternators die on me before, but of elecrical-related failures instead of mechanical-related failures.