The belt in my 01 Dodge Dakota squeals badly. Started when I had my power steering pump replaced. I tried changing the belt and the tensioner, but still squeals. Is it possible the pulley on the power steering pump was reattached incorrectly? It looks fine and I see no vibration. The squeal seems to be from the tensioner side, opposite side from the power steering pump
Cars & Trucks - Dodge - Dakota - 2001 Dodge Dakota
Answers & Comments
Excess mechanical drag from the pump can cause the belt to slip and squeal, but before focusing on the pump I'd check the condition, tension and alignment of the belt. I might even try cleaning all the pulleys with an aerosol brake cleaner and install a new belt, particularly if the current one has more than 50,000 miles on it. It might be that the squeal is coming from or caused by a different belt-driven accessory.
A more typical noise from a power-steering pump is a high-pitched whine, not a squeal. Usually, if the steering wheel is stationary, meaning that the steering rack is not "asking" for assistance from the high-pressure fluid from the pump, there's little or no noise