mike93civic
02-13-2011, 08:08 PM
Was driving home the other night and upon going to make my turn, had very heavy steering. I made it home, and went to check under the hood. Upon inspection I noticed that my power steering belt was split down one of the ribs. I did notice a very faint chirp/squeak while out and about. I just had my belts replaced barely a year ago. I did go ahead and cut the belt off for fear that it would snap and take out the accessory belt while driving, and cause a much bigger issue. I can deal with not having power steering for a while, that's not a big deal. I did go up to the parts store to order a new belt, and while talking to him he suggested checking for any play in the pulley itself. When I got home I checked it and sure enough there is a few mm of play in the pulley. I'm now looking at possible PS pump replacement, which I do not want to do. Has anyone had this issue with their car? Anyone have any other possible problems it could be other than the obvious loose/over tightened belt? The xB has 108,000 on the clock. Oh and one last question. If I forego replacing the belt, and just deal with no power steering, with that put added stress/increased wear on the steering rack itself? Sorry for being so long winded, this really isn't an area I'm well versed in. Thanks in advance for any help.