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Pulley wheel on passenger side of engine block struggling
I own a 2008 Acura TL (Navigation model). Can someone tell me what this pulley is called on the passenger side of the engine? It is making a very loud sound as if a bearing has gone bad. The belt (shown in the picture) is the same belt that drives the alternator. I'm trying to decide if I should dare drive the car 2 miles to the repair shop, or have it towed. It has 90K mi. on it and I'm afraid the noise could be due to issues with the timing belt wearing out, but I'm not knowledgable enough to say. Thanks.
Thanks for the insight. I know it's "drive at your own risk", but do you have any idea if its dangerous to drive the car if there is a bad bearing or that pulley is loose?
I could be completely wrong but I'm going to make some assumptions here, because you didn't give us a ton of info.
That pulley you are pointing at is related to power steering pump. I've never really heard of the pulley needing to be replaced, but, it is common for a rubber gasket in the power steering pump to go, giving you a nasty sound. The gasket is like a few dollars from Acura and takes 10 minutes to replace.
How did you determine the pulley bearing is bad? Is it just the noise?
You can easily take that belt off and manually move the pulley back and forth to see how it turns. All you need is a socket wrench to compress the belt tensioner and that's it. There are step by step instructions on how to do it in the Acura factory service manual, which you can find here on AZ
you are likely fine to drive a few miles.. I again don't thInk your issue is the pulley.
also, that isn't the timing belt in the picture. That's the accessory belt that drives the power steering pump, AC, alternator and whatever else. Your engine can run just fine without that belt, you just won't have some of the important stuff like power steering,.. Though without the alternator, you are on borrowed time... but could still likely go 30 miles without it.
The lack of detail is due to my ignorance. One notable point... I had to replace the power steering pump at the end of 2017/beginning of 2018 due to a leak that prevented the car from passing inspection. Not sure if its related but seems like a remarkable coincidence.
The lack of detail is due to my ignorance. One notable point... I had to replace the power steering pump at the end of 2017/beginning of 2018 due to a leak that prevented the car from passing inspection. Not sure if its related but seems like a remarkable coincidence.
It's very, very coincidental. Are you returning it to the same Shop, that replaced the pump, late last year. It would be quite odd, for the pulley, to be the problem, unless, the shop that installed the new pump, bent, or damaged it, during the transfer from the old pump, to the new one. If you could post a video, of the sound, it may be easier to determine, if indeed, it appears safe, to drive.
I still don't understand how you diagnosed the pulley on your own.
The gasket im talking about is on the inlet hose going into the PS pump. There's a good chance they could have reused the
Original gasket and it has now detiorated to the point of making sound. What happens is that air gets drawn in past the gasket and into the pump, in turn making this awful sound.
It's a three dollar replacement part and takes ten minutes to do. I'd start there before anything else.
My 'diagnosis' came from me opening the hood while the car was running and listening. The noise sounds like its coming from that pulley, but I could be wrong. I'll try to pinpoint that gasket this evening. I'm going to hedge my bets and make an appointment to take the car in tomorrow morning. Thanks.
did you visually inspect the power steering pump for leaks? is their fluid everywhere? what is the fluid level in the power steering reservoir? Is the fluid foaming in that reservoir?
My 'diagnosis' came from me opening the hood while the car was running and listening. The noise sounds like its coming from that pulley, but I could be wrong. I'll try to pinpoint that gasket this evening. I'm going to hedge my bets and make an appointment to take the car in tomorrow morning. Thanks.
The lack of detail is due to my ignorance. One notable point... I had to replace the power steering pump at the end of 2017/beginning of 2018 due to a leak that prevented the car from passing inspection. Not sure if its related but seems like a remarkable coincidence.
he replaced the pump, not the gasket, which can stay on the hose that goes into the pump.
Plus... if it's an aftermarket pump, it might have supbar seals in it.
I dunno.. it's a $3 potential fix... why not eliminate the known culprit that makes the pump sound awful, before accusing mechanics of doing poor work? All he needs is a 10mm wrench and 10 minutes of time. And some paper towel.
dmox_tl said, in his original post, " a very loud sound as if a bearing has gone bad.", and your video sure displays it. Thanks for posting. If mine ever made that mutch racket, I would be reluctant, to stand next to it.
I don't think it's a matter, of no one listening to you,TacoBello, it's more that, in his original post,dmox_tl described, " a very loud sound as if a bearing has gone bad. ", with no mention, of a fluid loss issue.
dmox_tl said, in his original post, " a very loud sound as if a bearing has gone bad.", and your video sure displays it. Thanks for posting. If mine ever made that mutch racket, I would be reluctant, to stand next to it.
dmox_tl didn't post a video. No way to determine if they are hearing a power steering pump whine or some sort of bearing noise without some evidence.
Originally Posted by frankjnjr
I don't think it's a matter, of no one listening to you,TacoBello, it's more that, in his original post,dmox_tl described, " a very loud sound as if a bearing has gone bad. ", with no mention, of a fluid loss issue.
dmox_tl didn't even know that they were pointing at the power steering pump. He/she never actually told us if they checked the reservoir. Can't determine fluid loss without actually checking... The reservoir could be empty for all we know.
I don't think it's a matter, of no one listening to you,TacoBello, it's more that, in his original post,dmox_tl described, " a very loud sound as if a bearing has gone bad. ", with no mention, of a fluid loss issue.
If the gasket is bad, you won't lose fluid. It just allows air to seep into the pump.
actually, that reminds me- there's a simple way to check if it's the gasket (actually it's a rubber o ring but whatever). Anyway, pop the hood, start the car, remove the cap from the power steering reservoir and see if you can see bubbles coming to the top. If yes, replace seal. If not, well... on to the next one
TacoBello, I ran the car for a minute, and then checked in the power steering resevoir (specifically, I popped off that red top you can see in the video), and it damn near looks like foam inside. I'll review the link that someone provided about the relevant seal.
Thanks for posting the video, dmox_tl. Two things: (1.) The noise, both, when the pump is loaded, and unloaded, does not sound like a bearing issue. It sounds more like a low fluid, or air in the system problem. (2.) Possibly, incorrect power steering fluid was used, when the pump was replaced. Honda power steering systems, are sensitive, and operate best, on Honda only, power steering fluid. Check the fluid level. If the fluid level is correct, start the car, remove the power steering reservoir cap, and check for small air bubbles, in the fluid itself. Air in the system, can cause this type noise. Even a very small leak, which may not cause fluid loss, but will allow air to be introduced into the system, is an issue. As long as the fluid level is correct, you should be fine, returning the car to the shop, two miles away, for diagnosis and correction of the problem. Since the P/S pump replacement, was done so recently, the shop should diagnose the cause, without charge. Once the cause is determined, they may, or may not accept responsibility, for the necessary repair.
TacoBello, I ran the car for a minute, and then checked in the power steering resevoir (specifically, I popped off that red top you can see in the video), and it damn near looks like foam inside. I'll review the link that someone provided about the relevant seal.
I would check both on either side of the pump. if the shop didn't replace one, they may not have replaced the other. on mine there was caked on oil all around those connections that indicated that the seals were bad. I didn't even have to undo the lines as it was that obvious.
if the seals are hard and square shaped, then they need to be replaced. They should be relatively soft to create a seal.
Just to close the loop on this thread, I went to a couple of auto parts stores trying to find the gaskets for the power steering pump and came up empty handed. I went back to the shop that put the pump in at the end of December. Told them what I had gathered from this thread. The pump was still under warranty, so they replaced the whole thing, no charge. I didn't press them for an explanation of what exactly was wrong with the pump, but the guy (who was not the mechanic) mumbled something about a gasket. Its entirely possible they just never replaced the gaskets from the first pump, but at this point, I'll never know for sure. Thank you for everyone's help. It was good to go in there with a solid idea of what was wrong. Thanks again.
05-27-2018, 08:00 PM
