it's been raining here quite a bit and this problem is freaking me out .... if i drive through a big puddle that puts a lot of resistance on the power steering, i all of a sudden lose complete power steering .... takes about 20-30 seconds to regain power steering control .... i'm wondering what's causing this and worried that it may cause an accident soon ...

ideas of mine ....

thought fluid may be low so i checked it to no avail but the idea behind that was that when i hit the water the pump sucks up a lot of fluid to compensate for the resistance and drains the resevoir

checked for leaks ... nothing

friend thinks the belt could be slipping when it gets wet and doesn't regain traction until the water is burned off ... idea behind that was once and only once as we were testing to make sure i could duplicate the problem, after three consecutive isntances of this problem we heard a squeak that lasted only about 2 seconds


i'm out of ideas and don't want to take it to a mechanic who's gonna experiment until he finds the problem ... so if i could go into that situation with a little knowledge of what the problem may be that'd be great!

Thanks!

 

If a belt is slipping, does it always squeak? I say it would always make a noise if it was slipping, but maybe not. That seems like the only thing that could be affected by splashing water.

 

i've noticed that it has to be a decent puddle and i have to be going atleast 30 mph or so for it to happen ... like i said ... i don't think the belt looks worn but someone else mentioned to me just now that it may be stretched ... does that happen??? it's a rubber belt

 

Yes, a rubber belt will stretch. You failed to mention what year your truck is, but I'll assume it's new enough to have a serpentine (flat with ribs) drive belt and a tensioner to keep it tight. How many miles are on your truck? Have you ever replaced the belt? If not, you're only gonna have to spend about $25 max. for a new one. Even if you put it on and it doesn't cure the problem, you'll at least have a new belt and a spare (assuming you put the old one under your seat).

I'd bet a 12 pack of your favorite brand the belt is what's causing your problem. If you're hitting a big enough puddle to get water on the belt, it begins slipping (mostly unheard)-- as the water is thrown off and the belt dries, it regains "traction" on the pulleys and your power steering comes back to normal.

Another possibility is the tensioner could be getting worn out. Sometimes the tensioner spring will get weak and not keep the belt as tight as it should. Just another possibility to think about in case the belt isn't the problem.

 

truck is a 2003 ... had 38k when i bought it and i've put on maybe 3k more ... i've never replaced but i've only had it a few months ... well the consensus seems to be that it's a belt issue so i'll try that first ... you're the second person to mention the tensioner issue so i'll look into that as well .... what would that cost me?? ... is the belt replacement easy to do yourself?

 

I don't have a clue what the tensioner would cost - probably around $50 - $75.

The belt should be a snap to change, I haven't looked at my '05, but most vehicles only require one wrench (or ratchet) on the tensioner to release it, pop the old belt off, put the new one on and make sure it tracks in all the grooves properly when you start the engine.

 

I normally change out the belts around 50K, but yours could be alittle worn. I'd take it off and look for cracks and glazing (hard and shiny rubber). I'd bet that it is the belt. To test the tensioner, push down on the longest segment of the belt and see how much you can push it in. A little is normal as the belt is not super duper tight on there. There shoudl also be room to stick a 3/8 inch ratchet into, just be sure to have it to where you can take the tension off the belt. If it is hard to do, the tensioner is fine, if it moves super duper easy, it is shot. I've only seen a couple of tensioners go bad and that was on really high mileage trucks. So that being said, take off the belt, inspect and presumably replace it. That should take care of the problem.