97sc300

Issue 1. When I turn my steering wheel I notice a squeaking sound as if there is an issue with my belt. Also when I turn on the ac I hear the same squeaking noise and the steering wheel locked on me.

Issue 2. I am noticing extreme heat from the engine bay, it is even coming out the vents. What could be causing this, could it be the water pump?

 

Generally speaking, a squeaky belt is usually the sign of a loose/bad tensioner or worn belt. Now the steering wheel locking is another story. Check your power steering fluid levels, and tire pressures.

As for issue #2, engine bay heat on SC's isnt uncommon. This is why my hood is still ugly at the moment. However if its coming from the vents constantly, could be a bad heater control valve.

EDIT:o not click on the hyper link in my post, I did not put that there...for some reason its an ebay link for PS fluid?? Mods, want to look at that.

 

Welcome to the world of owning an SC....the heating issue is one of the hardest things to fix. I took out my whole dash and made a custom heat barrier. It helps some but still out on the track or driving hard heat leaks through.

 

What about the steering wheel locking any suggestions?

 

Switching to the recirculating air with the unit off stops the hot air for me

 

Locking up momentarily then freeing up again after a second or two or completely locking up to where you need to stop and shut the vehicle off??

Check your p/s fluid level. If you are getting air in the system the can cause you to momentarily loose power steering. Check your belt tension as well. If it is loose or if a pulley is seizing or slipping(crank pulley) and the belt is skipping, you can loose power steering momentarily as well.

If it completely locks up to where you need to turn the vehicle off and back on to unlock it then Maybe your ignition switch cylinder is sticking. Not to sure on that.

 

Maybe crank pulley ring slipping on the hub?
Aka harmonic balancer.
Watch the belt while it is failing.

 

same thing happened o my 2jzge. The belt tensioner was failing and was not applying force to the serpentine belt. Than finally one day as I was pulling off of the freeway, the tensioner's pulley sheared off, and the belt came off. I lost power steering, alternator charging, and water pump cooling. I pulled over a block later as I noticed something was not right. I found out it was the tensioner after all this happened.

Maybe with the car off, open the hood and see how easy it is to pull on the serpentine belt by hand. It should not be easy at all. You need to apply a really good amount of force to lift the serpentine belt.

If it is easy look into replacing the tensioner asap.