Hey Everyone!

a new problem with my truck... Really burnt smell, kind of sweet (not cooland), whining pully/ belt sound. I think my power steering pump is burning up. What do you guys think? Anything else I should think about?

 

I would think that maybe any one of the pulley bearings could be too blame, but I think I've heard that the power steering ones go more often than others. Didn't you have some issue with it before, too?

I don't know what it would smell like when they're burning up so I can't help there. If I ever get around to installing my power steering maybe I'll find out! I don't have my FSM on me but I wonder if there's a method for checking the pulley bearing other than just replacing it...

 

I did have some issues before... I had the horrible sound starting on really cold days... and I had a pully squeek for a while. I see what you are saying about any pully. The one thing I know for sure is that something is really heating some fluid. My truck STINKS like burnt fluid. The PS fluid seems to be the source, it has a strong burnt smell.I think the P.O. put the wrong fluid in the PS pump too, it doesn't look like ATF. I have been meaning to change it for a while. I also noticed that maxing out the steering alters the idle.

What is wierd to me though, the steering doesn't feel much different. I may have noticed in the last couple of months a mild wierdness on sharp turns, but it didn't stike me as being that unusual.

Thanks 83! I would be stoked on any info about the bearing.

 

Yeah I'll bet you're right about it being the power steering. I think the steering gearbox itself is fine with either ATF or GL5, but it's the pump for the power steering that needs ATF, so that could be it.

Anybody know: is the pulley bearing in contact with the ATF? Or is it it's own sealed-pre-lubricated unit? Could be your issue is the pump itself? Hopefully somebody who's had something similar happen will speak up.

 

Whoaa! So I drive home ready to change the PS fluid and low and behold, my alternater was on FIRE! Funny thing is, my voltimeter showed a normal voltage the entire time... and the PS fluid is brown, not pink as it should be. I think I had two seperate issues here, I think I just had bad PS fluid for a while, not relating to this whole noise/ smell thing.

 

Yikes!! On fire? I hope it didn't damage any other parts? I'll be sure to check my alternator if I smell something burning.

 

Yeah On FIRE! very unexpected. So sweet rubbery burning smell + whining could = alternator. I think anything else was damaged, luckily.

 

Good. Another good reason to carry a fire extinguisher. I have one...but that's because I stole it from my house so now my house doesn't have one. I need to do something about that.

 

development: leaking PS fluid could have burned up/ caught the Alternator on fire- may have two issue from 1 bad PS pump. Bummers- the alternator is a pita to change in my truck, I have this mount welded to my frame for a snow plow and it really has made this difficult

 

Yeah, I could see that. That's too bad about the plow mount!