bogee

i have a '93 ls400 with 132,000 miles.
i was losing ps fluid such that i had to check it and add fluid every 3-4 days. unlike most who responded to previous threads, i had NO smoke when starting in the morning. i'd used several types of fluid with additives to stop leaks. no change. then i read the thread where someone mentioned "NO LEAK" fluid purchased at walmart. i've added it a couple of times and there is already a noticeable slowing of the leak. this stuff comes in a butterscotch colored bottle.

RODDMOD

Try this, there are two hoses that come off the power steering unit, one goes to the intake hose and one to the intake on the engine, they are small and easy to remove, let them hang for now and get a piece of hose to jump from the two open ports on the intake drive for awhile and see if your fluid stays up to level, the valve on the power steering pump could have a bad seal and even if you can not see smoke yet it may be in the beginning stages of leaking.

petrojeff

The fact that you see no smoke, infers, that the idle up valve on the PS pump is working. The fact then, that you are losing fluid, means that it is coming out of the pump proper. The fact that the stop leak is working, means that the inner seals of the pump are going bad. This is a well documented problem with the 1st generation LS400'S. The stop leak is also very temporary. The PS fluid will continue to leak down onto your alternator until it impregnates the brushes on the windings, and lowers the friction and ultimately makes the alternator fail also. The best thing to do is to replace the PS pump. Labor is $180. PS pump from dealer is $500, but a rebuilt one can be found for about $200. An alternator is $80 labor and $379 for parts. Good Luck!

Erfan

what kind of smoke , does it come out of your tail pipe?

blkstealthpaid4

A used pump at the yard cannot be more than $120.