Serpentine belt / ps pump whine...

god knows its been talked about i'm sure...

Just got a jeep (2000 Cherokee Sport XJ) and ive searched thoroughly this site for something similar.

I've been a import builder/tuner for some years now (hondas) so i'm pretty comfortable around motors. What has me worried is I used to own a 1986 Jeep Comanchee 2wd truck (first vehicle back in 96) and that thing went through 3 ps pumps and 3 clutches (hehe, i dogged that clutch)... but are teh jeep powersteering pumps inherently whiney? I just bought this vehicle w/ 86k miles from a dealership and ive double checked everything all fluids, belts, etc etc and they seem to have done their job before selling the vehicle. But i may be peranoid and used to the very not loud 4cyl honda motors... and I know the 6cyl's make more noise.

I just took off 3 bolts on the ps housing (2 on top and 1 cramped to the left underside) and then loosened the main bolt holding the tensioner on under the ps pump. I then turned the bolt on the left that appears to pull the tensioner pully up/down to tighten or loosen. I loosened the serpentine belt just a tad to see if it was the cause of the whine in the ps pump. Didnt change anything... are the jeep ps pumps just natually kinda whiney?

thats a long writeup for my first and for such a basic post. =]

btw hello and thanks,
Creighton

Idler pullies can be whiney, PS pump shouldn't. And, you're correct, it has been discussed. Hello!

Heh, ya I know they shouldn't =]

Ya, 100% certain it's the pump just not sure how whiney they are ya know... oh well. Take it to some place and have them take a listen.

Thanks.

My '98 had about 75,000 on it when my PS went out. It still worked, it just sounded like a turbine whine. The whine would vary with the throttle. It eventually got really loud. If you listen to the ps pump close up, it will almost sound like metal scraping, of sorts. I replaced my ps pump, and the whine went away.

If it is your ps pump, be careful with Napa reman ps pumps. The first one I got made near impossible to turn the wheel at a standing stop. The second one leaked really bad at the back of the pump. The third one seems to be holdling fine for now.

You'll need to pull the pulley and transfer it over to your replacement pump. You can rent a puller at your rental yard. It helps to have your pump with you if you can, so that they can match up a puller for you. The place I went to had about a dozen different varieties of ps pump pullers.

To install the pulley on your new pump, the pump itself should come with a bolt and washer that acts as a "press" of sorts. You just pass the bolt through the pully, then screw it onto the pump shaft, and you tighten/press it on. Just get the pulley flush with the face of the shaft.

As long as you're at it you might as well replace the idler pulley. They aren't that expensive. If you haven't already done so, it should be time to replace the serpintine belt as well. DON'T get the Napa ones. I tried 2, and they both stretched beyond the adjustment capabilities, and wound up screeching. Get the OEM one at the dealership. It's only $15 more, but it fits like it's suppose to.

Ivan

Actually, the jeep pumps are naturally kind of whiney, mine does it too. But not that loud, nothing you could hear with the windows up and the radio at a soft volume.

Jackhill442 said:

Actually, the jeep pumps are naturally kind of whiney, mine does it too. But not that loud, nothing you could hear with the windows up and the radio at a soft volume.

Click to expand...

ya, just rolling the window down drowns the whine out, as well as turning on the radio at a soft volume. Which was my reasoning for asking a XJ forum if they wern't commonly a bit louder.

Thanks for all the info! =]