How easily should it be to turn PS pump pulley by hand.
 

My ps pulley is pretty stiff to turn by hand(belt off). Is this normal? I recently been having a squeaky ps belt and noticed this when I removed it for inspection. The belt is less than a year old and was not loose. I takes quite a bit of force to turn the pully in either direction by hand. Could it be the bearing? The pulley is not have any shaft play, the pump does not leak and the power steering works normally. Its just extremely stiff to turn.

I have removed this belt several times over the years and recall it very easy to turn by hand.

Some suggestions please.

It should be easy to turn, it does not freespin but it should not require much effort to turn.

What does the PS fluid look like?

Are you reffering to fluid level or appearence or level?

The level is ok but I am not sure about the appearence.

Should turn by hand with little effort. The fluid should be red in color.

Matt