could bad p.s. pump rob power from engine

[89accordlxi]

Here's the deal. I think my power steering pump is going bad. I wrote a thread awhile back about my power steering moaning and groaning and suspected that it was the pump, but haven't had a chance to get it replaced yet.
What I want to know is if it is possible for the bad pump to be robbing the engine of power. I notice that when sitting still with engine running and in gear the cars rpms drops when I turn the wheel. But when I put it in neutral the rpms don't drop. Could it be possible that if the pump is going bad, it is harder to rotate the pully, thus robbing power from engine??

Any comments or insight would be great.

Peace out..

[Mike's89AccordLX]

I think it wouldn't rob power because it's just affecting the steering. But, I don't know much about that subject just my $.02

[AZmike]

Yes, the pump will always take a little power from the engine. That's how it pumps fluid and creates high pressure. If you're worried that it's not working right, remove the belt and you should be able to turn the pump pretty easily. As long as it turns easily you know it's not taxing your engine more than it should. The pump may still be bad, but at least it's not affecting anything else (only hurting assist or making noise).

My idle drops a little when steering at very low speeds (3 point turns, parking, etc.) so I'd say that is normal.

[goldyaccord]

Mine does the same.

It's normal..