Power steering pump squeals

[The_Handier_Man1]

From: connie  (Original Message)
Sent: 2/2/2003 11:53 PM

I put a new power steering pump on my 82 Winnebago 6.2L Diesel Brave and it is still not working properly. The pulley stops and the belt starts to squel when I turn the steering wheel.  Any suggestions ? Thank you, willie



From: denison
Sent: 2/3/2003 6:46 AM

   The usual reason the pump pulley stops is because its belt is either not tight enough, or is old - damaged by oil, wear, glazed the heat from slipping.  When the new pump was put on it should have gotten a new belt - doing which is not easy.  On mine that belt is the one closest to the motor on the crankshaft pulley, so the fan belts have to be loosened and removed before the p.s.pump belt can be changed.  Good time to replace the fan belts too!  I don't know the topography at the front of your motor, but there probably isn't much clearance.  You have to work from underneath as well as inside with the doghouse removed, but it can be done.  If whoever replaced the pump didn't replace the belt, I would do so now.  If it was replaced and still squeals, maybe the bolts keeping the pump pivoted so as to tighten the belt werent torqued down, or the bracket holding the pump could be bent or cracked - this happened on mine.   If the pump pulley has two grooves, then either you should have two belts on it, or the pump has the wrong pulley on it.   Look for a corresponding empty groove on the other pulleys at the front of the motor.   Also, the pulleys the belts run over should all lie in the same plane - i.e. should line up with each other accurately, so the belt is pulled down into the pulley grooves evenly, not to one side or the other.   In which case the belt would wear out quickly.  A belt should last at least 30k  miles, though it may need resnugging after about 1000 miles.     Good Luck              denison 



From: denison
Sent: 2/3/2003 6:49 AM

By the way, that horrible screeching noise isn't hurting anything - except extra wear on the belt.  If the alternator belt was loose enough it would screech as bad right after you started the motor each time.         denison 



From: skypilot
Sent: 2/3/2003 9:54 AM

Connie,.
      I haven't been on many of the discussions lately but I've been having trouble with my PSP but it was just that the former owner had the belt on out of line with the drive pulley on the motor.  I sounds like you have a bad pump, the pistons that actually turn the front wheels.
                                           Skypilot
A man is no fool who gives up the things he cannot keep to gain the things he cannot lose



From: UluzYarx
Sent: 2/17/2004 8:37 AM

Loose belt?