Extremely Strange Belt/Pulley Noise Issue

I am having a very weird situation with my 14 Tundra Limited 4x4 with a 3/2 leveling kit and the truck has 131,000 miles. I recently had the steering rack replaced and when I got it back the truck developed a "pulley noise". So I thought since I had just had the rack replaced, my first thought was that I damaged the power steering pump limping it to the shop. So I had that replaced and it still has the same noise, so it wasn't the power steering pump pulley.

The weird part about this noise is that it only does it at idle, if I turn the steering wheel slightly the noise completely goes away. The noise does occur when I am both in park and in drive. My thinking is that by moving the wheel I am putting tension on the belt due to the power steering pump engaging. I changed the belt a couple years ago (90,000 miles) to a Gates belt. I have looked all over the internet and have not seen anyone describe the problem that I am having.

From my investigation the bulk of the noise is coming from the drivers side wheel well. Could it be the compressor clutch/pulley bearing? The noise does not appear to be affected by if the a/c is running or not. I also don't think it is coming from the idler pulley, but I have also not pulled the belt and checked that pulley yet. The belt tensioner pulley does not appear to be making noise either, but I don't know if it is holding proper tension on the belt.

Sorry if the story and examples are hard to follow, I have been researching like crazy and am extremely frustrated. Again, the weirdest part is that the noise goes away when I move the steering wheel. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I would like to avoid spending even more money on things are not going to fix the problem. Right now it seems like I am just guessing at solutions at this point.

-Brandon

 

No one has any ideas?

 

Get yourself a mechanics stethoscope and see if you can pinpoint what its coming from by putting it on various areas of the engine (safely!!)

Does it eventually go away after you drive the truck for a few miles or is it always there?

You COULD take the belt off and start it for a few seconds and see if the noise is gone...that would narrow it down to something running off the belt. Don't run it very long though.

I don't want you to keep throwing parts at it though, try and diagnose or take it to a shop who can properly diagnose what is causing the noise.

 

Same shop do your rack and ps pump? Noise goes away above idle or if the wheel is slightly turn.... have you checked your ps fluid level?
Bring it back and have them diagnos/fix the noise

 

I found this video on a previous thread and mine is doing the exact same thing. The reservoir is actually overfilled so I am hoping that has something to do with it. I am taking the truck to the shop that did the rack and pump today.

In terms of the video below, you can clearly hear a hissing noise that goes away when he moves the wheel. The OP of that thread won't take private messages and he did not post a resolution.

https://youtu.be/PeMIosnB_JY

 

I can't hear anything on that video but the usual 3UR engine noise.

Can you post a video of your problem? There can be some "hissing" of power steering system when you turn the wheels. It's simply the sound of PS fluid being pumped through the hoses. That hissing is normal, starting when you start turning the wheels, stopping when you stop turning.

You might try some of the spray-on belt dressing at the PS pump pulley to see if it stops when you apply the dressing. You might be ready for a new accessory drive belt or tensioner.

 

Thanks for the reply. The problem is that my problem is opposite of what you are describing. The hissing goes away as I turn the wheel and immediately comes back once I stop turning.

 

If you have not done it yet, try the basic bleed procedure of putting a couple layers (or more) of cardboard under the front wheels and slowly turning from left lock to right lock a few times (engine running !), this is supposed to force any air out of the system and move all the fluid in the rack. Also, pop off the ps reservoir cap and look for air bubbles when it is and is not making the sound ( and while you lock to lock bleed it ). You may need to replace the cap with plastic wrap to prevent a fluid party and still be able to see in. its a two person job if you want to watch the reservoir.
Sounds like air being sucked into the low pressure return - if so, you should be able to see it easy as cavitated fluid or actual bubbles rising in the reservoir.

 

Fyi, I just did this test on my rig. No bubbles and zero evidence of cavitation. No need to use plastic, just take the cap off, small hole to look into, but good enough.

 

That completely makes sense and I am glad someone else could hear the noise on the video! I will definitely go through that process tomorrow. Do I bleed the system after the truck is warm? Do I open the power steering cap throughout the whole process as well?

I also that my power steering fluid reservoir is quite a bit over the max fill line. Would that be air being caught in the low pressure return line be the cause of this? Again, thank you for the suggestion and I will try my best to do this correctly.

 

Leave the cap off during your tests, overfill will fix itself then ( messy ) but I don't think that is related to your issue ( wrap the area with some towels to prevent a mess). If fluid is pulsing out with the cap off then that is certainly an indicator of a problem too. I saw no change in PS reservoir fluid during my left / right tests (my fluid was dark, but I don't what they put in it at the factory).
You had your rack and pump replaced. There are a bunch of seals that have to be installed properly, and the system has to be bleed properly to get it right. You might consider just doing some google searches, as general PS / Rack issues span all make / models.
Make sure you don't have leaks that are being masked by a skid plate ...

fyi, the reason for the cardboard is to allow the PS pump / rack to work with minimum effort - not necessary in a pinch but helpful if you're trying to debug and remove variables.

I used to work on fords - the worst vehicles for PS systems.
Let me know if you want more tests run on my working 2018.

 

Well I did the procedure described above and unfortunately not change. When I left the cap off not a single drop of fluid came out. I unfortunately did not have anyone with me, but I did hang something on the steering wheel to make the noise go away. I did not see any cavitation and air bubbles in the reservoir when the noise was not there. I also did not see any cavitation or bubbles when the car had the wheel straight and not making noise.

The only thing I need to do is see if air bubbles or cavitation occurs as the actual wheel is being moved side to side. The noise only occurs when no movement or pressure is being applied to the steering wheel. I'm going to drive it some more, do the procedure again and see if it gets any better.

 

I just wanted to close this out by saying it was a bad power steering rack. I had it replaced again and the issue has completely gone away. Thank you to everyone that responded.