sncerre

I have a 1990 lexus ls400 and it whines real loud when i crank up...after awhile it dies down but it whines every time i turn the wheel....power steering pump or what??!!! need help plz thanks!!

deanshark

Add PS fluid. After you add the fluid turn the wheel all the way left and right 3 or 4 times. (It gets the air out) If that don't work then your pump is bad.

sncerre

Ok i will try that ...thanks also

Rey

IIRC you should be putting dexron III or equivalent in your power steering and not regular power steering fluid FWIW.

zukikat

First off, BE CAREFUL not to spill the fluid or overflow the reservoir when adding steering fluid because the alternator is directly below it and doesn't like power steering fluid!!!
I tried it without a funnel and missed twice when adding steering fluid and didn't think anything of it, then a couple of weeks later there was a wierd whine with the engine running and a few months later (about 8,000 interstate miles later) the battery light started coming on randomly in stop and go traffic and all sorts of other wierd electrical things started happening and a few days later the steering fluid covered alternator was dead...

Note that some Dextron fluids have cleaners in 'em that steering rack seals don't like.

Also avoid "stop leak" type fluids if at all possible as they like to gum up the works over time which reduces the leaks but reduces circulation too...

Valvoline has what they call their syntec steering fluid that should meet your car's requirements and seems to resist heat build up better than many... Not to be all brand specific or anything..

Read your owners' manual and read the fluid bottles to find a match and then pick the one you like best.

I've used the Valvoline Syntec fluids in a Twin-Turbo Supra on several real 3-5 mile long professional road-race courses at triple digit speeds with tons of hard cornering all day long numerous times and it worked well for me at a reasonable price so that's what I like. I just find the right version of it for whichever fluid type I need (steering, clutch, brakes) based on what a car's manual recommends. I have an opinion about oil too but that's a whole other can of worms...

And yes, I know the steering reservoir caps usually say ATF on them but not all ATF's are created equal either...