Gather round for a cautionary tale...

As some know I have been struggling with a power steering whine, or so I thought.
See here https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/power-steering-will-not-bleed.582581/ for details.

I have been chasing this whine for the better part of 2 weeks and I am ashamed to say that I threw parts and $$ at an issue out of frustration. Long story, short I have been using the old mechanics trick of sticking a long metal object like a screw driver on the suspected location for the noise then to my ear to diag the issue. Doing so was telling me the power steering pump was the issue. During a moment of clarity just before pulling the freshly installed power steering pump to install another (convinced it was the culprit) I made way over to the alternator to have a listen...and...AH HA! The noise was clearly coming from the alternator. Proud of my shade tree diag skills I made way to the parts store for a brand new alternator. An hour later I fired up the truck and was quickly brought back to my sweet, sweet hell with the whine back and loud as ever. WTF??

Super pissed off now, adding up the cost of power steering pump, reservoir and now a fresh alternator. Never mind the countless hours...
What now? My mind swirling with visions of a bad rack and having to pull it back out, a water pump or worse!

After drinking about it for a few minutes I went back to listening with the ole mechanics stethoscope placing it here and there and listening to the whirling, whining tune that I have been hearing in my sleep for days. Lower Idler Pully is screaming through the screwdriver like Steven Tyler...noooooo shit?! Off to the good ole parts store again where they are by now calling me and my son by first names. Back to the house and 10 minutes later...fire up the truck. Better, but NOT 100%. What in the %$#@!*&!!. Back to the stethoscope to the upper drivers side idler pulley (mind you the passenger side had already been replaced last week) Yup Steven Tyler is serenading me there too. BACK to the f-ing store, and back home again, 10 minutes later, fingers crossed I fire her up, ready to drive into a river if Steven Tyler is still on stage and...whats that? Silence, pure sweet, sweet silence. Only the purr of the motor as everything should be!!


Soooo the lesson? One most all of us already know. Sometimes the most obvious and easy fix is the right one. Clearly hind sight is always 20/20. However, I should have known it wasn't the pump after exhausting every possible issue with it. The sound I was hearing wasn't Steven Tyler and it sure as $hit wasn't the power steering pump...or the alternator. It was the sound of 2 bad idler pulleys telegraphing the sound to those parts. At any rate, I spent an easy 400.00 + that I didn't need to spend. I make myself feel better by saying it was preventive maintenance, but thats BS and I know it.


Learn from me kids, and open your mind before your wallet.

 

A beautifully told story

 

turn up the radio volume, the whine will go away

 

It's a Christmas miracle!

 

If you have more free time... I got a rack and pinion that needs fixed/ swapped.

 

Think glass half full - now you have a spare alternator and ps pump on hand for when those issues really do come up!

 

Returned for core charge

 

https://media1.tenor.com/images/318e33e45eb9042b6ac3ce584bb3ce4d/tenor.gif?itemid=12407758

 

A sad tale but told very eloquently. Well done.

 

HA!

 

Ha! Long story short, I had a vibration in my Corolla a few years ago, after I installed new axle shafts, strut bearings and two engine mounts. When I was on the third engine mount, I found the heat shield that had broken loose and was wedged between the exhaust manifold and body of the car. Sooooo....... a few hundred dollars and several hours later, I pulled out the loose heat shield and my vibration was gone!
I justified it by saying I drive through East St. Louis every day and it was good preventive maintenance.

Carry on! By the way, I saw some Aerosmith socks in Marshall's in Maplewood today.

 

Preach on brotha...preach ON. Can I get an

 

http://equalitynowforrobotpethybrids.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/animation2-1.gif

 

So...let me see if I have this right.

You were hearing this whining from under your hood and spent more than $400 trying to fix it?

Ok. Now I only have one question:

At any time did your truck sound like this, or did you sound like this after finally fixing it?

 

It was more like...

 

I'm impressed that you can change idler pulleys start to finish in 10 minutes.

 

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I think we've all been there at least once. Haha!

 

Its all that practice replacing perfectly good parts...

 

Great story! A TW Times #1 best seller.

 

Ouch!!!