ryetronics

In our 2001 Honda CRV, when turning the wheel to the far left or right, I get a loud speaking sound, or a chirp, if you will. Over the last 6 months it has started to make the sound earlier in the turn. I figured it just needed lube somewhere, or maybe a belt slipping?

Today, while parallel parked, I was turning the wheel while in Drive and at a stop, and the steering column started shuttering and I had a helluva time getting out from between the cars in front/behind me. I would turn the wheel, get a shutter, and it almost felt like something was slipping.

Could that be a sign of the power steering belt going bad? Maybe a transmission issue?

I'm not a DYI car mechanic, but I'd like to have some idea of what I'm looking at before I take it into the shop.

OneBadTurboCRV

There is a possibility it is just the belt slipping and needing adjustment or replaced. Honda power steering pumps are rather resilient and tend to last. The rack and pinions however, aren't as good, but are better than some.

With the engine off and preferably cold (safety reasons only), pop the hood and try to move the power steering belt up and down. The power steering is the upper most pulley right out in the open. It doesn't get much easier to find than that. If it has a decent amount of deflection (say more than 1/2" although the exact spec escapes me right now), then that is most likely your problem. The best part is it's free to check.

You can also have the car running and pop the hood open. Have someone turn the steering wheel until it locks and see if the belt / pulley slows down or the belt starts vibrating a bunch. If you aren't sure then post a video or come back and give a description.

While you are under the hood, check the power steering fluid level and verify it is still full. If it isn't full add some and keep an eye on it. If there is a level loss then check around the power steering pump for leaks. If there are none, then most likely the rack and pinion is leaking and needs to be replaced. There is a lot more details I could bore you with, but that should be enough to get you started.

Unfortunately, these car forums tend to require the question asker to do some homework on their end. Good luck! If you find a fix, please report back what it was. It may help someone else in the future.

ryetronics

Thanks for the response! After turning the wheel and watching the belt, I'm pretty certain it's causing the problem. It also has more give when pressing on it than the other belts.

If I were to replace the belt myself, is the bolt I've pointed at in the picture the only one needed to loosen to get the belt off? I'm not seeing another one that's obvious.

CRV power steering belt pic

OneBadTurboCRV

You are welcome! There are actually two bolts. I circled them in RED. You just need to loosen each one a couple turns. The piece I circled in blue is how you tension them. If you look from the exhaust manifold side there will be a square deprese. This is so you can put a wratchet in there to tension the bolt. Once you have tension then you tighten the bolts. It's rather simple actually.

The hard part is actually changing the belt, it is rather involved... I suggest trying to tighten it first before you try to change it. If I get time (and remember) I will post a pic from the FSM later.

OneBadTurboCRV

Here you go, hope this helps. (Hehe, my memory isn't too bad I guess... it's just over a 1/2")

ryetronics

Okay, so funny thing I just realized. See in my pic the bolt & washer sitting below the pump on the left? I'm pretty sure that's part #7 (the one on the left you circled) because there's nothing screwed into that crescent shaped space. No idea how that could have happened other than my mechanic being lazy or forgetful. Could that missing bolt be enough to loosen the belt?

I tried putting it back in that crescent shaped space but couldn't find where it would screw into.

OneBadTurboCRV

Yes, that is the bolt for sure. Yes, you absolutely need both bolts tightened or it will loosen up over time. I have actually tried doing it with the top bolt only (for a different reason) and it loosened up no matter how tight I got it. It almost sounds like he got the wrong belt on there and since time is money just tried to make it work. Who knows, but it's quite a few steps to replace that belt, no good way to do it with the A/C belt on.

You definitely should be able to losen the top bolt and swing the pump to get the bolt in. If need be take the belt off the top and verify where the hole is. That will tell you if the belt is too long or too short. At least you have the bolt I guess... maybe contact that mechanic and tell hims what's up?

dogbiscuit

I had a squeak like this before in my 99 civic but never had steering issues. my squeak was found to be the rubber boots over the inner tie rods falling apart.