[Squatcho]

I just finished replacing the timing belt on my 2002 Odyssey. The job went fairly smooth, and after I got everything together I started and ran great. The only issue - an odd one - is that now the power steering pump is whining. No issues before took things apart. The pump whines at idle and of course is worse when turning the wheel lock to lock.

The reservoir is full, and the only thing I notice is that there is foam in the reservoir after I shut off the engine. Is there something I may have missed when I put things back together?

 

[Squatcho]

I just took a second look, and if I set to rpms at 1500 and work the wheel from lock to lock the reservoir foams and overflows.

 

[dixonL2]

Just was doing research on a similar issue with mine - looks like the O-rings inside may be shot. Either rebuild (not too bad, according to the guy posting), or replace pump. Check to be sure you're not leaking fluid anywhere else though! Highly likely it's unrelated to the timing belt fix, by the way.

 

[Squatcho]

Thanks for the info. Oddly enough I found the same post through a google search (the forum search function works...um, not quite as good.

I agree that I will probably need a new pump. I prefer not to try a rebuild this week as I have a road trip coming up and I don't want find out that I really have a bad pump 600 miles from home

The only logical tie I can make to the timing belt project is that I must have put too much tension on the accessory belt when I put everything back together and damaged the pump on startup. I took the pump apart and the large o-ring was completely flattened so it couldn't be working very well anymore.

 

[j954sho]

Sucks that happened..I had the same problem after merely changing the alternator in my 02 Ody ....I ended up just changing the whole unit out :sicl:.

 

[Squatcho]

A follow up for anyone else that has this issue.

I purchased and installed a new power steering pump. After the install I followed the simple bleeding procedure and after a a few minutes at idle the pump quieted down completely. Attempting a quick test drive I found that the pump started getting noisy again as the RPM rose above 1500. In addition the

I removed the new pump and inspected the o-rings. Everything inside appeared to be new - no obvious issues. After a few days of frustration I settled on a plan. From the dealership I bought new o-rings for everything, a new reservoir, and a new inlet hose (between the reservoir and pump). I returned the new pump and replaced the o-rings in my original pump, including the o-rings on the inlet and outlet hoses. As I had seen mentioned in other posts the new Honda inlet o-ring is red and it seems likely that it is some sort of upgrade from the original.

I put everything back together - for good measure replacing the spring clamps with band clamps - and everything is working properly.

The moral of the story - replace the cheaper stuff first. If you still have a problem, replacing the seals in the pump is not difficult.

 

[01sport]

Can you post a link to the oring DIY?

 

[Pkharry]

i just had my timing belt, water pump and drive belt changed at a dealer and now the power steering pump is making a loud noise like whinning. I checked the drive belt by hand it does not seem to be too tight. No bubble in power steering fluid. The vehicle is a 2001 EX odyssey.

Does anyone have any idea on this?

 

[davedrivesody]

Whining is usually caused by air in the system. It's odd you don't see any bubbles in the PS reservoir. Try revving the engine and then check the reservoir for bubbles.

Since you had it done at the dealer, go back and point it out to them and get the problem logged. If you wait, the connection to the TB job will become less certain.

 

[Northwoodshyun]

i just had my timing belt, water pump and drive belt changed at a dealer and now the power steering pump is making a loud noise like whinning. I checked the drive belt by hand it does not seem to be too tight. No bubble in power steering fluid. The vehicle is a 2001 EX odyssey.
Does anyone have any idea on this?

Did the noise come later? You did not notice the noise at the time of pick up? Are you sure if the noise is coming from the power steering pump?
You can verify if the noise is truly coming from P/S by turning the steering wheel left and right with a slight gas while your car is parked. At minimum verify that the whinning noise increases as your turn the wheel left and right, otherwise your serpentine belt tensioner could be a suspect (my educated guess only since I cannot personally verify the culprit). You maybe able to ask for no labor charge for replacing the serpentine belt tensioner since you just had a TB job done. Keep us posted.

 

[tdale]

there is a bulletin on this from honda that says if you even disturb the connector at the power steering pump you are to replace the orings as it will suck air and whine. I have had this problem many times with customers vehicles after working on them and now if I am doing anything around the pump I replace the oring.

 

[mpais1]

FWIW in my 2000 I found if i simply filled it to the max line I had whine if I filled it another 1/4 inch or so it stopped.

 

[sizzlemp]

I just did the TB on my 03, I never disconnected any lines, I just moved the PS pump out of the way. Is that how the problems start, if you open the system? Just curious.

 

[SheaLaking1]

WHY would you remove the P/S pump to do the timing belt?! :huh: I just did the whole kit on mine a couple of months ago, including the water pump, idler and tensioner and I didn't need to remove the P/S pump. Doesn't tell you to remove it in the factory manual, either.

Good to know about those o-rings, though. Thanks for sharing that! :coolio:

Regards,
Shea

 

[davedrivesody]

I just did the TB on my 03, I never disconnected any lines, I just moved the PS pump out of the way. Is that how the problems start, if you open the system? Just curious.

Apparently just moving the PS pump puts stress on the connections and causes a leak. I suspect it's because the O-rings have hardened a little by the time the TB replacement is required and so have lost the flexibility needed to keep their seal.

 

[6-Speed]

Same thing happened to my 04 Ody. Had the timing belt replaced and a few weeks later the P.S. pump starts to whine while foam builds in the reservoir. The noise persisted after I rebuilt the pump with all new O-rings and even after I replaced it with a re-manufactured unit.

The noise finally stopped after I re-adjusted the two clamps on the inlet hose between the reservoir and the P.S. pump. I ended it up replacing the hose with a new one, which cost less than $5. The old hose was fairly brittle and probably failed to seal well. The P.S. pump has been operating noise free for over a year now.

 

[Motsyball]

Can you post a link to the oring DIY?

I too would appreciate a DIY link.

 

[raphael03]

Omg, I found a power steering leak looks like by passenger boot. The reservor is foaming right after I shut down the car. Is there a o-ring that can be change? Just had the TB and added trans cooler and THIS...

 

[6-Speed]

Omg, I found a power steering leak looks like by passenger boot. The reservor is foaming right after I shut down the car. Is there a o-ring that can be change? Just had the TB and added trans cooler and THIS...

This happened to my 2004 shortly after having the timing belt replaced by the dealer. I think they remove the PS pump while replacing the TB and end up compromising the inlet O-ring seal or the inlet hose seals. Replacing the inlet O-ring and even the PS pump didn't fix the problem for me. Finally fixed after replacing the inlet hose between the reservoir and pump; those hoses get brittle over time.

Here's where the O-ring is on the inlet elbow. The red O-ring is the new replacement.

 

[Squatcho]

I had abandoned this thread a while back and never saw any of the additional posts/questions. I spent several days fixing this issue with my van, and this is what I found out:

My pump started making noise after the timing belt change, and it was because of the proximity of the pump/system to the timing belt. You do not have to remove the pump to replace the timing belt, but the hoses and reservoir are often in the way and you will find yourself bumping them constantly while you work. In the end all of the work I did on the pump wasn't needed. Replacing the the rubber hoses and the reservoir is definitely what solved the problem.

Through my experience I did also learn that replacing the seals/o-rings in the pump is very simple. I don't have a link to a tutorial, but I can assure you that the process is very simple. If memory serves you remove four bolts to take off the cover plate, and all of the seals are visible. The only thing I recommend is that when you remove the cover plate make sure the unit is face up so that the few small parts do not fall out.