I think the answer is NO. I will try to give you a reason to read on if I can.

I would not use that description to describe a power steering pump noise.

They tend to rattle more. Like a ball bearing on a stick that is being clacked around in a can. The pump has several thin slats like vanes mounted in a solid rotor. As they spin outwards, some will become sticky with time and tired/dirty fluid and they do not continually follow the housing, thus the clacking sound.

If it is not leaking, it might be a good time to do a flush and maybe add cleaner or an oil modifier. You may want to make up for some wearing and provide fresh lubricity. Rebuilt pumps are cleaned pumps and another oil grooved bearing.

WARNING!
The following are things I have noticed over the years and are only my observations so take it or leave it, as they are only my humble opinions.

You did not say where you put the WD-40 but that is something better left in a can unless you want to clean something off or out. That stuff is not a “mechanic in a can” even though it smells better than most of us!

The pulley on the shaft is thin and shaped like an audio speaker and makes any sounds attached more pronounced. A glazed belt will make a squishy sound and that one belt can sound like several bad belts just because of that thin pulley shape.

A tired (older) stiffened or glazed V-belt can make you over tighten it which then can lead to early sleeve bushing failures.

Power steering pumps do not use anti-friction bearings and the plain bearing is only on the front end. You cannot tighten them the same as the other pulleys on the car. They have a bigger pulley so the contact area to the belt versus the load, as compared to the others, is better. It is all about having proper friction drive. Pressure and the alignment issues cause a wobbling gyration along the axis of the pump shaft. It is like trying to turn a pencil straight by holding only onto the pointed tip. The hand or pulley has more advantage.

Oil film and tolerances is all you got in there. Two bores offset in a metal casting, made at a rate of about 600 per hour. It is all about cheap, simple, relatively low-pressure flow and bypasses the stuff at higher speeds. Saginaw, Michigan has been around for a long time and has got it perfected!

I have found that Goodyear belts run with less tension due to the design of their notches and materials. The belt seems to flex better and heat up less, which equates to less tension running down the road after the initial install. Four years is about the maximum (on cars) I get out of any belt I have used but these keep quieter longer in during that time. I have to shop around to find them but to me they are worth the time and some price difference. I have used other bigger belts on air handlers in my past trade so, I know about belts wearing over time!

The alternator and power steering pulley alignments are problematic due to their rubber mounting systems. They just suck! They (Volvo) just bolted on other manufacturers loosely casted, loose tolerance parts and they are stuck on there! On one car that got so bad after the years I bored the brackets, used solid PVC material and made bushings to get it better. The others I have are now on my endangered list.

Belts are forgiving and adapt but they do not forget the miss alignment that rubs them the wrong way! Guess where that little extra heat goes, into pulleys where our favorite bearings live.


Grinding to me usually means something like rock crushing sounds and a squeal is sounds of a squeezed pig. A belt or maybe, it is the balls or rollers in a bearing that are sliding instead or rolling with load changes. There are three of those to worry about. Alternator, water pump or and the A/Compressor idler bearing under the power steering pump!

Take belts off one at a time until the sounds goes away. That is what I would do.

Start with the power steering belt first. Drop it down, tie it back away from the pulley below and run the engine. Then go for the crankshaft belt because it is the outside belt and then you will be able to remove the P/S belt too. Run the engine.

This will leave with the water pump; alternator intact so that you are cooling and electrical will be working. You will also be setup to remove the last two, if it is still making noise. It is then all about spinning and shaking those two to find it.

I hope I helped explain some stuff that you should look at and listen around, a bit more.
Phil