Ive had a bearing whine for a while now and pretty sure I have it narrowed down to the power steering pump, all my idler pulleys are new and no noise when I spin them. So I’m looking to replace the pump and looking for opinions. Should I just go with a Motorcraft from RiffRaff, a Saginaw p pump setup or a motorcraft with a hydro assist ram? My gear box is tapped for hydro assist and I’m running 35s currently and plan to for a long time. Steering definitely can be a bear from time to time and since I use the truck for everything I want a quality setup. Any experience from anyone here using the Saginaw pump setup or is a motorcraft rebuild going to suffice, with or without a ram.

 

As in the kit from PSC? All the reviews I've read have been glowing. It's just a lot of coin.

 

I replaced mine with Motorcraft last year and am very happy with it. One thing I learned is that when installing the pulley do not press it on too far, it should be flush with the shaft it resides on. Just be careful because you can press it on further but you will end up with a misalignment of your belt which causes the belt with start to chirp when its cold, just food for thought.

 

That would be the kit, FTN. I know if I go that route I’d have to tweak it a little since it might occupy some of the same space as my upper radiator hose, I haven’t seen an installed pic to confirm this though.

 

Here are my thoughts on the power steering pump, take them as they are...

The Motorcraft pump has done great for a long time on a lot of trucks. But, so have a lot of other parts that we as DIY'rs choose to upgrade or change out.

The ram assist is nice, but it comes at a price and cost vs. benefit is not in my favor after I analyzed the choices. Others feel differently and enjoy their ram assist, but for me, my money is better spent other places that they may feel are ridiculous.

The PSC pump is nice, but without looking at the link or price, I seem to remember it being on the golden nugget level of expensive. You will probably never have to replace that Saginaw pump ever again though. But, at 255,000 miles on my original Motorcraft pump, I don't think I would have to replace another Motorcraft ever again either.

It is all what you want to do with your time and money in an effort to get your truck up to where you have confidence in it. I still have a leaking POS AutoZone steering gear, but I am about to take the truck on a 7,500+ mile cross country trip towing the 5th wheel. Is that a mistake, maybe... I just don't have the cash to purchase a BlueTop gear right now and if I need to do a roadside repair (how I ended up with the POS AZ gear in the first place), I will get'r'dun and drink some beer when I am done.

Perhaps I will need to replace it as I roll into Alvarado TX and park the camper at AKCooper9's place... Perhaps it will be at Wes444's place in OK... Perhaps this POS AZ gear will last until next winter when I can get to it.

 

The PSC setup is 725 or so with everything, fluid included, to install. A similar Lee setup is over 900. The rebuilt motorcraft with clay is 122 or so without shipping. So there is definitely a large price difference so it definitely comes down to am I willing to spend the money for the higher pressure setup. I’m waiting on installed pics from either someone online or the company, PSC but I’m not holding my breath with PSC being able to answer my questions. It looks like so far I will have to alter the install since I will be keeping my radiator hose that goes outside the belt.

 

Did you also spin the power steering pump pulley like you did the idler pulleys? Did you hear noise when hand spinning the power steering pump pulley? If yes, what did the noise sound like? If no, how did you narrow the bearing whine to the power steering pump?

Here are a couple of resources to see photos of the Lee setup in a 7.3L Powerstroke:

LEE Power Steering Pump Upgrade

LEE Excursion / Super Duty Power Steering

 

I tried to spin it as well but it wouldnt spin free like the idlers or alternator. It also has shaft play front to back of the truck some. And while
not very direct testing, when I hosed down that portion of the truck to clean it off then fired it up it mad a terrible squeal for a little. I’ll give those threads a look, the biggest difference I saw from the lee vs PSC, other than price, was the canister

 

I installed a RAM after this happened. Pushing 35s across the deer lease Akcooper9 and others helped me piece my current set up.

WTOR Redneck Ram hydraulic assist steering

My clapped out OEM PS pump can turn the 35s with a pinky now at a stand still. I went with West Texas Off Road after talking to them. Excellent customer service and I believe a bit cheaper than PSC. Check em out if you elect to go hydroassist.

My X is stock and 2wd, so no RAM. Just a new MC PS reman pump from RR and no complaints with it either.

 

A reman pump from RR with a ram kit from somewhere would definitely be cheaper than the Saginaw pump by itself. Turning just sucks at times and I’m tired of the whine all the time. Not that it would make a big difference, I think, but the axle and gearbox are from an 06 350.

 

Ouch. I'm running 37s and the possibility of this had not even occurred to me. One more project added to the queue.

 

I’ll be thoroughly checking the truck in the next couple days to confirm, or not, that it is the power steering pump squeaking so I can get t fixed and get stuff lined up for the hydro assist. Part of me still wants to put 37s on the truck do all the more reason for the ram assist

 

I'm very interested in hearing this "whine".

Can you post a video?

At first, I thought you were trying to resolve what you described as "bearing whine" in the original post, originating from the front end accessory drive (FEAD) system, which you first tried to resolve by replacing idler pulleys.

But in posts since, including the post quoted above, you've said only "whine", while describing turning effort. So at this juncture, it is now unclear if you are describing hydraulic system whine or FEAD bearing/belt noise.

That's why I think a video might help.

The power steering pulley will naturally not spin freely like an idler pulley or an alternator pulley, because neither the idler nor the alternator has to create a partial vacuum at the inlet, which causes atmospheric pressure to force fluid into the pump, which then has to push this fluid through the hydraulic system. Even if there wasn't any fluid in the reservoir, there would still be the resistance of seals that create the vacuum to draw fluid in, and that assure that the fluid pushed at elevated pressures goes where directed rather than any ol place.

Idlers have no other duty but to spin. Comparing the power steering pump pulley with a free spinning idler would unfairly condemn the power steering pump pulley, as it is doing more work while being hand turned.

The axial play observed when pushing and pulling the power steering pump pulley in and out with the shaft is normal in the Ford CII pump.

Therefore, it seems that there isn't enough evidence or information described thus far to suspect a problem with the power steering pump pulley bearing. That isn't to say that a problem doesn't exist, it is just to say that the diagnostics as currently presented is not definitive enough to arrive at that conclusion.

Maybe a video would help?

 

Ill try to get a video if stumped, it definetly is a bearing whine though, I just didn't type it out every time. I assumed the rotational force wouldn't be like the other pulleys since it actually does something/ moves something that is good to know about shaft movement though the fluid was flushed recently when I changed the gear box for the newer one the bearing whine has been off and on for a while but the last 2-3 weeks it has been any time the truck is running.