alright i went on a trip today and came back and took my truck out for spin. i noticed a weird little higher pitched noise from under the hood. so i popped it open and looked around and believe its coming from the power steering pump



its a tad dark of a picture i know but i THINK its from the pulley just below my intake tubes

 

sounds like one of the pulleys bearings is going out, try spraying WD40 on 1 at a time to see if it disappears. also check for some play.

 

ill spray the one i think it is. do i spray to get under the belt or just front and back of the pulley?

 

try to keep as much as possible off the belt or it will start slipping and whining. just some on the bolt front and back. thats how i found a bad bearing, didn't realize how bad it was till i replaced it.

 

Take the belt off and check each individual pulley by hand if you aren't sure.

 

will do boys. thanks! now if it is the bearings do i just replace rhe pulley and be golden? ill probably just get a new belt too

 

Depends on what it is. An idler would be a quick replacement, but if it were the actual p/s pump, you have to replace the whole pump. Or rip it apart and replace the pump bearings.

 

If you need to replace the power steering pump, the "Saginaw" pump swap is recommended. The stock pump for these trucks like to whine a lot, the stock pump that comes on E-series are different and usually bolt right up with the only modification being hand bending a hydraulic line just a little bit. Much more quiet.

 

im not completely sure yet which one it is. using the wd40 at the moment.



my ac/ idler pulley
and just below that is my p/s pulley



i cant move either of them by hand so i cant distinguish which is making the noise.
on an unrelated note this is my cat correct?

 

A mechanics stethescope or a pry bar will work. Press tip of pry bar on the housing close to each pulley,with the truck running (use caution), and you should hear one bearing way louder than the rest