Obd II port

Okay, I sent a request for Ken or Renee to contact you.

Roy

Okay cool. Thank you Roy.

Hey Roy, just want to let you know hooked everything up like you said and hid wires real good and taped them up and switch works great. Thank you so much! Just curious on the ignition part I see there are four wires which one would you tap into there just for info purposes? It appears the route I went was more ideal. Thanks again.
Michael

Hello Roy, I have a power steering question. I am having a screeching noise coming from the power steering system when I turn the wheels especially noticed it today more predominately. A mechanic recommended a power steering flush about a month ago which I did today and it has new serpentine belts with a gates brand on the power steering pulley. Do you think maybe its the pump itself? Please let me know, thanks.

Michael

Good morning.

squealing usually is an indication of a loose belt. Whining is an indication of a pump.

Make sure the belt is tight. The tension-er's wear out on the serpentine belts and if the tension is not correct, it will squeal.

If it is whining, run about a gallon of fluid through the system while running to flush it. If it still happens, replace the pump.

Roy

Hey Roy, thanks for responding as this has been an issue for me for some time now. So I found out when I had the serpentine belts replaced the tension-er was not and so I am thinking since you said the tension-er's on the serpentine belts wear out this may be the problem as they have adjusted it a few times and it comes back. I am not so sure about a whining sound but there is definitely a squeal or screeching sound that is loud high pitched when turning wheels. Would the bearings inside the power steering pump that the pulley rides on have anything to do with this by chance?
Thanks again Roy!

No to the bearings. If they were bad, you would hear grinding.

Roy

You are the best Roy! Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay Roy, I had the car taken to the mechanic yesterday and it is still there because he needed another guy to help him while he had it on the lift but did not have time. Anyway he said it could be the harmonic balancer that attaches to other serpentine belt that connects to the power steering, idler pulley, and A/C. Could this cause the problem we discussed before with the high pitched squeal? Thanks again Roy,

Michael.

Yes, it could. Have them tell you the exact issue. Do not let them guess. You are paying for a diagnostic so they need to be correct.

Roy

Okay, yeah he said he was not sure, but they were going to look more at it today as he just wanted to let me know that another mechanic there had a similar issue with another car so he will let me know today what is really going on. Thanks for the quick response as I like to have another professional input such as yourself. I wish I had the tools to work on it as I am limited to what I can do myself. Thank you again and I will let you know the outcome Roy!

You are welcome.

Keep us updated.

Roy

Good afternoon Roy, just to update you they mentioned the power assist was not working intermittently and needs to be replaced. He will also check the harmonic balancer as I did notice some vibrations when I reach high speeds close to eighty miles an hour at times, but that could be due to an alignment issue and tire balancing. I suggested as I read about how the wrong belt or tension could stress the harmonic balancer and cause an issue, but he said the belt would have just snapped if it was too tight anyway. Let me know your input. Thanks again Roy.

Okay, if it is too tight, then yes it would damage the belt.

The balancer can fail. When it does, he will or will be able to feel it when he grabs the balancer. There is rubber in the center and if it wears out, it will turn on itself.

Roy

Okay Roy, thank you. I will inform you on the outcome. Thank you so much!

your welcome

Hey Roy, it seems they are having difficulty pinpointing the issue exactly but He did recommend changing the harmonic balancer along with the idler pulley that is in line with the power steering pump. I told him what to check regarding the balancer about the seal but he said he could not tell by looking at it but all it has to do is be off a fraction and can throw things off. We were going to do the pulley on the pump as well just to be safe but cannot find it and even the dealer discontinued it, crazy. Anyway they should let me know in the morning how things go when parts arrive. Let me know what you think. Thanks Roy.
Michael

Okay. Tell them if it does not fix the issue, you will not pay for it. They diagnosed it and they have to stand behind it.

This is not a difficult issue at all. It is a basic problem.

Roy

Hello Roy, I do not exactly know why it is so difficult for them maybe because he said he would not charge me to look at it to see what the problem is, so he did not put much effort. I do not know but the mechanic that has been working on my car is a master tech according the manager but they should not have to guess by just putting on new parts. If putting on a new pump, idler pulley and balancer does not fix it, should I just not pay for something that did not fix it or were you talking about the diagnosing fee? Thanks again Roy.

I was talking about the repair. If he is a master tech then he should be able to pinpoint the exact issue.

Sounds like you need a new shop.

Roy

Yeah I hear ya Roy, well I received the car back today and no issues so far as we test drove it together with the mechanic. They put a new pump, idler pulley, and crankshaft pulley or harmonic balancer and flushed the lines and put new power steering fluid. So we shall see.

Keep me updated.

Okay, will do, thanks so much Roy!

Roy is one of our best!

Use 2CarPros anytime, we are here to help. Please tell a friend.

Cheers, Ken

Hey Roy, it has been awhile hope all is well. I have a question, I discovered a small oil leak under oil pan but do not know where it is coming from. So for now I added an STP oil additive for leaks, but I see a small amount of oil that got on the belt that drives the alternator. Is there anything I can use to remove the oil like break out or simple green without removing the belt? Please let me know and much is appreciated. Thanks again Roy,
Michael

Hello again.

You can use Brake Kleen to dissolve the oil off the belt. It works very well.

By the way, there is no such thing as a sealer for the oil. That stuff never works. The additive in that stuff actually deteriorates the seals and gaskets and causes leaks over time. Try to stay away for all those sealers.

Roy

Okay Roy, yeah so I have heard. Can I use Brake Kleen directly on the belt with it on or have to remove the belt first? Thanks again.

You can spray it on the belt directly with it on the car. No worries with that.

Roy

Thank you Roy.

You are welcome again. Feel free to follow up for any other questions.

Roy

Thanks Roy. I just picked up some Brake Kleen. Now can I spray it on the belt while the engine is turning?

No, engine needs to off. If you spray while running you will be wearing it, LOL.

Roy

I get that Roy, lol. But how will it get over the whole length of the belt as it may be elsewhere on the belt where I cannot see?

Spray it down as much as you can. Then roll over the motor and get the rest.

Roy

That is what I was thinking and I just finished doing just that. Thank you Roy. Going to have to address that leak soon.

Hey Roy, I noticed an oily area located on the bottom part of the timing belt cover. I am thinking an oil pump seal but it is just below the drive belt that runs the alternator yet it appears oil keeps getting on it and sometimes causes a noise.. Any idea why? Thanks for your help Roy.
Michael

That is the front crankshaft seal.

Picture below.

Roy

Oh okay, I figured that too but is not the oil pump sprocket and seal just beside it? Also, how is oil getting on the alternator drive belt because it is up a little higher? Thanks again Roy!

Never mind Roy, I was able to discover why the oil is going there. Thank you though. Michael