i got a '93 pontiac with a rather annoying knock..its not the engine...i take the serpentin belt off and the knock stops...at idle the knock is loud...but at 1500rpms the knock stops...i took it to the local pontiac repair shop...they say its the alternator...its not..i disconnect the battery and it still runs...i check the water pump...it looks rather new...put a new a/c compressor in a few month agos..but i know nothing bout the power steering box...any ideas? i dont feel like spending $100 for nothing again  

Usually when the alternator goes bad, the bearing make a whining noise, so will a water pump, or a power steering pump. Ever hear that whining when you have the steering wheel fully turned and it cannot go any futher? That is the power steering pump. The reason you may not hear a knock at 1500 RPM, or when the serpentine belt is off, would probably be an oiling problem. Serpentine belts connect the accessories, which increases engine load. This make the engine uas more fuel. Burning that fuel pushses harder on the piston, etc. Your oil pump could be going bad. I believe they are electronic on that engine. The reason you may hear the knocking, could be from low pressure at idle. Once your RPM's go up so does oil pressure. I would go to a different mechanic. Just because they are a Pontiac garage/dealership, doesn't mean they know everything about your car. I called GM's roadside assistance for a tow on my 84 Fiero. The girl didn't even know what a Fiero was!!!!!! How could they not know what one of GM's coolest looking cars were????? In all seriousness though. I would recommend checking with other shops in the area, call the Better Business Bureau to see if any mechanic are a member. Member's of the BBB are usually less likely to rip you off, or do uneccesary work because they can be fined heavily for it. Or check with some shops that tend to have alot of chevy's sitting there for repairs(believe me that won't be hard to do). Chances are that mechanic will be familiar with your problem. Good Luck with that. This is the first I have heard of this type of knocking. Knocking is usually present at all RPM's and usually gets louder as RPM increases. Only time I have ever exp. anything like this, was doing oil change on my 88 Beretta, there would be 0 p.s.i until the oil pump picked up the new oil. You would hear the chatterng of the valvetrain for a couple seconds.  

i got what u mean bout the whining noise is when u turn the steering wheel to the end of the turn...i know the noise valves make without oil...its a knock and not a clatter like valves...but recently the powersteering box has started to drip fluid...to the point that when idling at a stoplight/sign it is bailing blue smoke form the cracks between hood and fenders..smoke is from the rear manifold, is burning the power steering fluid off and gets quite annoying parking in a garage...by time u stop the car and get out there blue smoke everywhere...and u have to wait a few minutes or go in a different door than the garage to house door...so i hope i found the problem...  

first... i would get under and pull off the splash shield that hides the harmonic balancer...  they are not built like the old ones...   they have a lot of movement.. and a thin disc of rubber to return them to center...   the rubber does fail... leaving the outer ring slapping the limit stops...  bang bang.. as the motor reaches it highest rotational harmonics..

how worn is the water pump belt??? worn ?????   does it have the exact length belt on it.????   some stores get it close... some techs will put on one if they have only something close...  perhaps the belt tensioner is also hitting its stops...  it could also be worn....


that is if you have not already fixed the problem....  

Yeah I think you may have found the problem. That is the first time I have ever heard of a power sterring pump knocking, but then again connecting rods will 'knock' when their bearing are bad too. So for a PS pump to do it, could be normal. To change your unit, you will need to remove the belt. Next, you need to manually turn the pulley, and use a 10mm socket and ratchet. There will be 3 bolts uner the pulley, I think they are at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions. One of your power steering lines should be a 9/16", or 5/8". You'll need two wrenches, as it is threaded into a fitting with I think a 3/4" or 7/8" hex head. If your line is siezed, this will help unsieze it, or you'll notice that the fitting turns and the line doesn't. The line will twist in that case and need replaced. The other line should be 3/8" rubber line, should just have one of those stupid GM quik-fit type fittings that you can use channel locks to grip, and slide down the line enough to remove it from the pump. Also, since that is a Buick 3.3L V-6, watch for any hidden wires that GM may have ran uder you pump, along the intake manifold, and timing covers. Be very careful to not break or cut any wires. Those harmonic balancers have fins inside, and I believe there are some wires that go to a sensor on near the balancer. I can't remember where the wires are routed, and that may be the route they used.  

i figured...it out...the low side of the power steering line was leaking and that was bout a dollar for a new hose...but waynep712 hit it right on...the rubber on the h-balancer wore out and was hitting the limit stops...doesnt make sense how it was hitting the stops with the serpentin belt on..but not hitting with it off...fought with the balancer bolt or hours...tried every thing...impact...breaker bar/and with cheater on the end of breaker bar...can get the h-balancer bolt off...not sure i wanna use heat on it...  

Glad to hear you fixed the PS pump leak, and for only  a fraction of the cost, too. Good job there. As for the H-Balancer, NO you will not want to use an acetylene, torch, but you can try to use a small hand held propane torch or something hotter than propane. I suse those kind of torches to unfreeze a phillips screw in my ex-g/f's rear brake rotor on her 99 Beetle. Acetylene, will burn really hot, and those H-Balacers are EXTREMELY difficult to pull off, without, denting, or bending those metal tines under the pulley. Either of those occur, and you'l need a new balancer. They are similar to the Buick 3.8L Balancers, and my uncle had a heck of a time getting one off of a core engine to put on the shelves to sell used. You probably need a new H-balancer to begin with, but I'm not sure if that worn rubber is replaceable or not. Purchase a Haynes Repair Manual, or call some good mechanics and see if they know a good way to get them off, without damaging them. Good Luck with that project.