June 19, 200718 yr There is a very annoying but also somewhat quiet rattle coming from the engine. The noise goes away at idle, and because its not too loud I don't hear it at speed or fast idle (engine/road too loud) but giving it the rpms needed definately makes it show up. It sounds like it is in the area of the alternator, but lower and more back towards the firewall. All fluids are where they are supposed to be, and this is a new problem for me. Any ideas? I do know that my vacuum lines had been recently bumped and a couple dislodged, perhaps one I missed?
June 20, 200718 yr La-la-la-la-la-la-la-lie... La-la-la-la-la-la-la-lie... (sorry, just singing to the death rattle there.) first guess (just from the subject line) is an exhaust heat shield.. the heat shields that cover the catalytic converter often work loose, many cars are lacking the bottom half but not the top, etc... Very common spot for an unidentified rattle to originate from. Given your post, and your comments regarding the seeming location of the noise, it could be a bad bearing in any of the accessories or idlers turned by the drivebelts, or even a timing belt idler or tensioner going bad. If it is a rattle I doubt it has anything to do with a vacuum leak. Hope this helps, good luck. (BTW I give ten points to anyone else who picks up on the tool reference)
June 20, 200718 yr Author ok, well, what about changing the oil? It is almost due as it is. Its coming from the same approximate area as my recently cured ToD. Is it also possible that my recent change in climate (dryer, hotter) has anything to do with it? if nothing else, i hope its cheap to fix.
June 25, 200718 yr Author Good news: found the rattle Bad news: can't seem to make it go away. Rattle was from Power Steering Pump & Res. It was low. But now that it is not so low, it still rattles, took most of a bottle of PS fluid to fill, and I think that I could have added more without worry. Would this warrant a PS pump swap/rebuild, or should I just keep fillin it with fluid? I do not see any place where there is an obvious leak, but still... If its just a refill job then I'll just add some stop leak to that and see what happens. Czar "At least its simpler than it could have been" Mohab.
June 25, 200718 yr If the pump is still rattling and the reservoir is near full, then you most likely cavitated the pump so bad its worn out. Try adding fluid, and see if it stops. Else, replace.
June 26, 200718 yr Author the power steering pump takes ATF not power steering fluid..... ha ha ha ha ... um... ok ... tad late for that. didn't see anywhere written that it was that way, so... So with PS fluid vice ATF, what can I expect to happen? and assuming, say, a small leak at a later date, would ATF with stopleak in it be as effective as say PSF with stop leak? on a similar note, prolly gunna just replace the thing anyway. Kinda tired of all the "original equipment" failing. But I guess thats age for you...
June 26, 200718 yr ha ha ha ha ... um... ok ... tad late for that. didn't see anywhere written that it was that way, so... So with PS fluid vice ATF, what can I expect to happen? and assuming, say, a small leak at a later date, would ATF with stopleak in it be as effective as say PSF with stop leak? on a similar note, prolly gunna just replace the thing anyway. Kinda tired of all the "original equipment" failing. But I guess thats age for you... The cap for the resevior should have a sticker on it that says to use Dexron ATF. Sticker sometimes gets lost. I use a paint pen to write ATF real big on old ones without the sticker before I sell em. New pumps are ussually only about $45 bucks. Worth the investment. You'll likely have to swap the resevior onto the new pump. It takes 1 or 2 O-rings for that IIRC.
June 26, 200718 yr Author The cap for the resevior should have a sticker on it that says to use Dexron ATF. Ha ha ha ha... yeah there's a sticker there. yeah I *should* have read that. And deep in the forgotten first chapter of the Hayne's manual, right there in B&W, use Dexron II ATF for the PS fluid. Now since I did put the wrong stuff in, is that going to be detrimental, or is it going to be ok (for the system, the pump I realize is prolly toast either way)? Will the system need flushing out or can I keep it as is? I'm assuming flush, but I have not the time to do such things right now.
June 27, 200718 yr The cap for the resevior should have a sticker on it that says to use Dexron ATF. Sticker sometimes gets lost. I use a paint pen to write ATF real big on old ones without the sticker before I sell em. New pumps are ussually only about $45 bucks. Worth the investment. You'll likely have to swap the resevior onto the new pump. It takes 1 or 2 O-rings for that IIRC. THREADJACK I see to have a steering fluid leak originating near the back, bottom side of the reservoir. Somewhere in that vicinity anyhow. How likely is it that these O-rings might be the culprit? how much of a job is it to change them? Just take a hose off, drain the system, unscrew, replace, re assemble, refill and maybe some sort of airbleed by turning the wheels lock to lock and then topping the reservoir off? (in case you cant tell, I have NEVER done any power steering work. simple enough, I know hydraulics well, just looking for any unforeseen hangups.) /THREADJACK
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