Power steering pump issue?

[MountaineerTom]

I thought I had a belt tensioner making some noise, but it turns out it wasn’t the tensioner. Took the belt off last night after work. Alternator, idler, water pump and A/C compressor all felt smooth and didn’t make any unusual noises when spinning them as fast as I could by hand. The power steering pulley has some noise when moving it back and forth rotationally. I don’t feel any movement up and down on the pulley or in and out. When driving, the steering feels the same as it always does. I couldn’t look at it any more last night because I needed to get up at 6am for work, so it will have to wait until Monday or Tuesday.

Is this normal for a power steering pump? It doesn’t seem like it should be to me.

 

[Feralkid]

They will make noise when they start to wear out. I would just swap it out with a new one and keep that one for a spare. It's not a big job at all.

 

[MountaineerTom]

Ehh, it turns out it was the belt. Put my spare on and it’s quiet as ever. Gates belt looked fine, no cracks or anything. Only 2 years and 2 months old.

 

[Feralkid]

Maybe it stretched and was slipping

 

[MountaineerTom]

Maybe it stretched and was slipping

It may have. The gates belt did it with the old tensioner and the new one. When I get my new belt I’ll compare my spare to the gates belt.