Hi All,
today I drove my 70 Cuda for the first time this year today. I have had som problems with the fan belt running the power steering pump squeaking.

Today I tightened the belt some. I had to losen it again due to a noise sounding like a bad bearing.

Can one tighten it too much? If it is too lose it squeaks. Maybe I need to restore the pump?

Thanks for any input.

The seal and bushing kit from Edelmann is around $15 bucks. Very easy to rebuild/reseal the Saginaw style pump. There are no bearings inside, just an Oilite bushing.

Be careful removing the pully. I bent mine trying to get it off

Thanks for your replies. How do I determine which kind of pump I have. I believe it is the original one. It has a pulley with spokes, it is not the solid type. Saginaw?

The pulley was a bit shot when I bought the car five years ago. I fixed it but if I take out the whole pump I would like to replace the pulley. How is this done? I believe it is pressed on.

Thanks,

You can drop it off at autozone and for $50.00 they will send it off for a rebuild. They remove the pulley and reinstall it. Tim

I really would like to drop it off at Autozone. Unfortunately I'm in Sweden, northern Europe.

Steer and gear, also Firm feel is another option. They rebuild and pressure check them. Tim

I really appreciate your help but as said I'm located in Sweden. And no problems buying stuff from US. I have had good business with steer and gear before. But if I'll go that route I want to determine if there is a problem with my pump. What I would like to know before that is:

1) Can one tighten the belt too much causing it to give a grinding noise? Or is this a sign that the pump needs rebuilding.

2) Can I easily replace the pulley. It is the pressed on type.

I have no leaks or malfunctions apart from this whatsoever.

Thanks for any input,

Yes you can overtighten the belt and it is possible to damage the pump. Yes an overtightened belt can cause a pump to grind but I would think it would not happen overnight. If the pump is grinding then loosen the belt and see what happens. In any event your pump is probably shot

Pullys can be a real pain to remove. Some come off easy and some do not. As I said before I bent my pully trying to remove it from the pump. (69 GTX with Saginau pump. If the pully has been on the shaft for a long time (10 years or so) it may be stuck on pretty good. In hindsight I should have soaked mine in penatrating oil for a couple of days.

I think it is less likely to damage the pump with a tight belt; you would have to use a pry bar to really get the belt that tight and there would most likely be no play in the belt. You should have a half inch or so when you squeeze the belt with your fingers.