Radiator fan hitting power steering pulley

The 2.7l does not have a timing belt and instead the water pump is driven by the accessory belt. So in this case, the pump failing and taking out the belt (let alone the fan) would be very bad.

 

Inspect it for any hints of metal.. if you find any, flush out the system best as you can and hope to hell the rack is ok

 

Okay, I found the point of failure. The bearing is beyond toast, it’s pretty much disintegrated.

 

As to metal in the system….I replaced the fluid last summer as it was overdue and making noise when I started it cold, although the noisiness would abate once it was warm. The new fluid helped quite a bit with the noise, but it was obviously on the march towards failure. When I cracked the housing open the fluid looked clean and new. I didn’t see any hints of metal on the fluid side of the oil seal. I’m hoping this means it’s unlikely I have a metal fragment problem. I’m having a difficult time imagining how any fragments could get past the oil seal.

 

When I removed the vane pump shaft it came right out, but the bearing had separated leaving the inner part (race?) on the pump shaft and the outer part still in the housing.



Also, I expected to find a snap ring holding the shaft in place. The schematic shows a third snap ring that didn’t appear to be there. In fact, I didn’t even see a spot for a snap ring where they show the third one (in between the vane pump rotor and cam ring). Without the third snap ring it seems like it would be up to the bearing and its two snap rings to hold it in place.

@Empty_Lord …..I recognize your handle from Tundras.com

 

The repair manual says the shaft needs to be pressed out of the bearing, so I suspected earlier that the bearing had failed since the shaft was so loose.