PS pump loud and clicking in the rear storage area

[0RESET0]

I hesitate posting these because they are so trivial but...

First, my power steering pump always sounds like it is low on fluid, I check it constantly. Having never met another TB in person I am not sure if this is normal or not.
EDIT: I just went outside to refresh my memory. I popped the hood with the engine running and I would say that the sound is louder around the cam gear housing than over by the PS pump. Now I am even more concerned. I have put 50K miles on this truck and it has always sounded like this. PLEASE tell me this is normal.

Second, every once in a while I get a clicking noise in the rear storage area that is loud enough for me to hear in the drivers seat. I opened the hatch to try to track it down and believe it is coming from behind the panel on the passenger side. Not the removable panel, the main panel. Is there anything behind there that would sound like a relay failing? When it does it, it clicks 5-7 times in a row, pause, repeat. Some times it will stop if I stop and start the engine, some times not.

[bartonmd]

If it happens at all temperatures, the bearings in your PS pump are likely dying. If only happens in the really cold, I've had several vehicles that do that, where the PS pump lasted forever.

Do you have the onboard air compressor and air leveled rear suspension? Could be the relay trying to kick the compressor on?

Mike

[Wahugg]

Isn't rear HVAC components located behind the rear passenger panel on the EXT's?

Maybe that's it.

-Wallace

[bartonmd]

Isn't rear HVAC components located behind the rear passenger panel on the EXT's?

Maybe that's it.

-Wallace

Oh, I didn't even think about the rear air on the EXT! Likely a temperature control actuator or something.

Mike

[0RESET0]

No onboard compressor or airbags. Good suggestion though, I never would have thought of that. Next time the clicking starts I will turn off the rear HVAC. I usually keep the rear fan on for circulation.

PS pump sound, I edited the first comment to say that I am not sure it is the PS pump anymore. Any thoughts on that kind of whining noise coming from the cam gear housing area?

[navigator]

I would expect if it is the PS pump, it would get louder as you turn, especially if you turn lock to lock.
It sounds like a pulley bearing going out.
You might be able to pull the belt off and rotate the different pulleys to see which one might be causing it.

[The Roadie]

When the clicking stops, that means the HVAC control module has given up trying to control the actuator in question (whichever one is failing on you).

Pull the panel and consult my handy-dandy diagram I've posted about a hundred times on three forums so far.

[Trail X]

You might have to change out a few parts before really knowing the source. I had the same thing recently, and it seemed to be coming from the front cam area. After changing out my tensioner pulley and the water pump, I found it was the A/C pulley bearing.

[0RESET0]

I would expect if it is the PS pump, it would get louder as you turn, especially if you turn lock to lock.
It sounds like a pulley bearing going out.
You might be able to pull the belt off and rotate the different pulleys to see which one might be causing it.

Good point on it getting louder. I should have mentioned that it does not get louder when turning. Here is hoping it is just the idler pulley or something easy like that. I once helped a guy that said something was squealing a bit. The squeal was deafening. When I pulled the belt, the idler pulley practically fell off, everything inside was charred. We were surprised that the bolt hadn't completely worn thru.

When the clicking stops, that means the HVAC control module has given up trying to control the actuator in question (whichever one is failing on you).

Pull the panel and consult my handy-dandy diagram I've posted about a hundred times on three forums so far.

Now THAT is some good tech. If I had know what to search for I am sure I would have found it. Hopefully the next person looking for the source of the clicking in the rear storage area will be able to find this by the thread title I chose. I hate when all the good stuff is buried in threads titled " got a weird noise, please help". If I figure out the noise under the hood I will edit the title to change from PS pump to what ever it is.

You might have to change out a few parts before really knowing the source. I had the same thing recently, and it seemed to be coming from the front cam area. After changing out my tensioner pulley and the water pump, I found it was the A/C pulley bearing.

I will see if I can get it narrowed down a bit with a stethoscope. Thanks for pointing me in another possible direction.

[Trail X]

You might have to change out a few parts before really knowing the source. I had the same thing recently, and it seemed to be coming from the front cam area. After changing out my tensioner pulley and the water pump, I found it was the A/C pulley bearing.

I will see if I can get it narrowed down a bit with a stethoscope. Thanks for pointing me in another possible direction.

I forgot to mention, there is a really easy way to know if it's the A/C pulley bearing or not. Turn on your air conditioning and make sure the A/C clutch kicks on. If it stops making noise when the clutch locks up, then it's the A/C pulley bearing. I hadn't been running the A/C during the winter, and for some reason that simple troubleshooting step didn't occur to me until I had changed out the water pump. I've currently just bypassed it with a shorter 70.5" serpentine belt until I can find time to fix it.

[0RESET0]

OK. A little more on the clicking. It started up again on the way home from work today. Was 55 outside and 72 in the truck. I turned off the rear HVAC, Still clicking. Turned of main HVAC, still clicking. Switched on the rear wiper for some reason. Clicking stopped for a minute then started again. By this time I was driving out of the parking lot. I went around a right hand corner and the clicking stopped again for a bit. I got up on the highway and hit the rear wiper again. Clicking stopped for the rest of the trip home.

Rear washer fluid servo?

[The Roadie]

The rear washer has nothing in the liftgate area except a hose. The pump is in the reservoir tank up front.

I would have stopped and peered in the wayback to localize the noise while it was happening.

Clicking during an HVAC system recalibration may or may not be stopped by turning anything off. It may be autonomous and not stoppable until it completes and passes or fails.

[Trail X]

Could try pulling the fuse in the rear to see if that stops the clicking.

[0RESET0]

Clicking happened again today, every time I started the truck. The rear wiper thing was a fluke, no effect this time.

When it happened the first time I popped the hatch open and tracked it to the passenger rear panel as said before. I took off the small access panel but it did not seem to be directly behind that. It seemed to be forward of that opening.

I opened the hatch again this time to check and something new happened. My hatch would not stay open. It actually felt like the struts were holding the hatch closed. Very strange, I have never had an issue with the hatch before. Needless to say, I need to figure out the hatch issue before I can do anything to find the clicking. I will get out there tomorrow and see if something is obvious. I had the hatch open just a couple weeks ago and it was fine. Nothing has happened since then that could have damaged anything back there.

[v7guy]

The chromed steel rod on the struts occasionally rust and keep the strut from expanding. You can crack the hatch a bit and release the clip that holds the strut on the mount and then open it up.

[0RESET0]

The pistons are rust free. I can open the hatch it jut feels like the drugs are "reversed" applying pressure in the wrong direction. I still haven't gone out to check it out today. I will post findings later.

EDIT: just checked again, the passenger side strut sounds like the guts have gravel in them. Looks like I will be replacing the struts.

[0RESET0]

Sorry I have not come back to this topic as I said I would. Noise under the hood was the idler pulley. The lift gate issue was the lift strut. I still have not fixed the ticking in the back.