Rack sloshing/Powersteering noise

[aluminum13]

It took me a while to finish this project because I left town for a while with the car not done.

I replaced a ripped boot on the rack and pinion and there is a small leak.

I also rebuilt the p/s pump. It stopped howling, and I didn't fix the rack.

Another thread i made with torque specs on p/s pump rebuild for future searchers:
http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=197011

So if your p/s pump howls, it's probably not the rack causing that. They seem to be separate problems.

[aluminum13]

BUT! to add to the diagnostic problem, my belts started to squeal, i thought maybe just humidity but as i tightened the belt the rumbling noise came back.

I don't know if these problems caused each other or they are separate, but my crankshaft accessory pulley is separating! It's about to come apart, I can tell. There's a rubber ring in there, apparently it's giving out.

Maybe that's the real cause of all this vibration groaning noise! (obviously the rack making noise is a separate issue)

One thing after another...sigh.

[aluminum13]

Well, I replaced the pulley/harmonic balancer, and the noise stopped!

For future searchers:
The harmonic balancer has a rubber bit in between the larger alternator pulley and smaller power steering on the outside. They can separate: this is a common problem (search for "honda separated pulley"), but in my case it didn't totally come apart. It just came apart enough that the larger pulley would intermittently wobble out against the power steering belt, creating a vibration and squeaking noise.

I think this solved the problem. Also, the car runs smoother. I didn't realize what a harmonic balancer is before this, but that pulley isn't just a pulley! Now I know.

When the car is running, look for a wobble on the alternator belt pulley and wear on the power steering belt edge. I think the vibration I felt in the p/s pump was just transmitted vibration from the belt.

I think this one is fixed.