Chuffling/Warbling Power Steering Pump Belt?

[Alex Kowalski]

Hi all,

I got busy today working on doing the dash bulbs and will be starting the rust inspection on the car tomorrow or possibly Monday (rumors of 50 degrees), which is nice, because hopefully I'll be able to get finished soon and have some pictures to post.

Secondary issue:  I have a slight chuffling/warbling sound that's been talked about in the past here on the list, when the engine is at idle.  It's not very loud, but the sound is chintzy enough that it does kind of detract from my image of the car as a well-oiled precision German machine.  :)  

I've read the "gobbling turkey sound" threads in the archives, which go into detail about the water pump, timing belt torque, etc., all of which were helpful because I will be doing the full timing belt job soon (and thanks to everyone who contributed to the recent thread on sealing compounds.)

However, I did also notice that the pulley for the hydraulic pump is slightly out-of-plane with the crankshaft pulley - about 2-3 millimeters by eyeball, which causes the pump belt to deflect slightly as it goes around the pulley -- you can see it bend clearly.  To correct it, I would have to bring the pump toward the front of the car by about the same amount.  Can I use some kind of shims to do this?  Any BTDT?  It seems to me that after a while, even that minor deflection will cut the belt's life.  All the others look to be running straight and true.

TIA,
Alex Kowalski
'87 5KCSTQ -- Undergoing a phyiscal