SUZUKI SIDEKICK-DISCHARGING

joe390

I am having a problem with my battery discharging. Upon investigation, I noticed that the serpentine belt will stop turning on a hard right or left turn of the steering wheel. Initially I thought it may be the power steering pump, but also found out that the crankshaft pulley for the serpentine belt also stops as the engine continues to run. The pulley is obviously designed to stop turning if enough restriction is encountered from one of the pulleys. Has anyone encountered this problem? I could not find a way to test the pulley, as I now believe the problem can be the power steering pump or the pulley. Any help would be appreciated.
Joe

0patience

First off, Year, make, model & engine.
Need All 4 to be able to provide any accurate help.

If I were to make a guess on the info you have provided, I would guess that the crank pulley is toast. It shouldn't spin.

Mr_Shiftright

Certainly not. Don't know how they hold that pulley on, probably a keyway all gone to hell then.

No way you have a crank pulley that disengages under load. That is just....well...mind boggling.

Could it be you were looking at the A/C compressor clutch engaging and disengaging?

This is as weird as the Audi 6.8 volt battery story. I have to start collecting these and get to the bottom of them.

0patience

If the crank pulley is slipping, then it is concievable that the PS is stopping the crank pulley.

When the PS is under load, if the pulley is loose or the belt is loose, it will stop turning.

Mr_Shiftright

Ah, now that makes some sense. But he's have an awful racket wouldn't he with a loose pulley? A knocking sound or a loud rattle?

0patience

I would think so, but I have seen some crank pulleys that the outer ring would slip and it wouldn't make any noise.
The whole thing is, I don't know how Suzuki has their crank pulley.
If it is the pressed on outerring type like on the old small blocks, then it may not make much noise until it actually came apart.
If it is a solid piece pulley only or small hub with a bolt on pulley, it may be that the key sheared, like someone said. But I would think that in order for that to happen, the bolt would have to have come loose and the hub loose on the shaft, which I would think would make quite a racket.

joe390

I found the problem to be the crankshaft pulley. When I removed it, I could see that the outer pulley(serpentine belt) is rubber mounted, and was slipping on the crankshaft pulley assembly. When this problem first started, all appeared normal other than the battery discharging. Only after the slipping pulley loosened futrher would it slow/stop the serpentine belt on a hard turn. I appreciate the responses, and hope this may help someone else.