Hi everyone, I recently purchased from a local Jeep dealer a low mileage 85K 2004 Element. It's needed a new battery but it's in pretty good shape overall including the paint sans the door dings. When I start the car, I can hear a tapping noise which I thought was coming from the engine. However the noise if I put my ear to it is coming from the power steering pump, in particular the pulley. So it looks like it's probably the bearing. It does tend to quiet a little bit the more I drive it. Is there a fix other than replacing the PSP? Is OEM Honda parts recommended or are aftermarket pumps, reliable? Should I just let it go until it fails?

Sorry for all the questions for my first post here.

 

Verify by taking the belt off and see that the noise is gone.

 

welcome to the forum. You might also want to check to see the condition of the fluid, if not clean, replace fluid and see if the noise quiets down, if not pump replacement.

 

Thanks all for the info. I took the vehicle to my local dealer and the service writer who is familiar with that car said the noise I was concerned about was not coming from the PSP but rather it is a normal sound. He said that noise is coming from the high pressure fuel injectors which they call a "clicking sound" on the i4 engines. He further said, they get a lot of complaints from new Accord owners who hear that noise and think something is wrong but rather it is normal.

I had him look at the serpentine belt and he said it does look worn, cracks in the belt which I confirmed but mentioned that the belt tensioner looks worn and should be replaced as well. He showed me the mark where the belt pulley tensioner is normally at but said it has moved too far to the right. Does that sound right to you all?

I have a parts account with the dealer so i'll get a 25-30% discount on any parts that are required. Since the Element only has 85K which surprised the service writer I am thinking of having them do fluid replacements:

1) Power steering flush/replace
2) Brake fluid flush and replace
3) Radiator coolant flush and replace
4) Should I have the AWD fluid replaced and is that the same fluid that is used for the transmission?