Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Well as some of you know I have Power steering troubles. --

To sum up from a ton of posts.

My powersteering makes noise at a standstill. Not high pitched but more like a moan,.. Like a straining sound.

At speed it is fine,.. no noise, works perfect, no leaks.

Has a new rack and pinion less than a month old now.

So it was advised that I flush the system, and clean filters.

Well I did just that today. I jacked her up,.. and it took me a little while to get that nut loose,.. I ended up breaking it with vice grips. I thought the nut was a seperate piece from the solenoid but it is one complete unit.

Anyhow.. I took the whole solenoid off -- Had a drain pan under it.. and just let it drain.

I cleaned the screen on the solenoid with cleaner and a toothbrush... although it wasn't 'caked' with dirt or anything. There wasn't much more I could clean from that. So I put it back on snug, lined up with my mark.

I didn't start the car,.. I checked the PS resevoir first.

It was empty .. hah. I thought it was a decent amount of fluid that came out, but I didn't realize it was going to empty my reservoir. Nonetheless I flushed the system anyhow.

The fluid was a bit dark, but nothing crazy.

I checked, double checked, and triple checked for leaks before taking it off jack stands. -- I wasn't sure if the solenoid was on good enough,.. first time and all. Turns out it is fine.

I turned the wheels from lock to lock a dozen times or so.. not the '50' some recommend.

I finally let it down, checked the reservoir again, and levels were good. So I took it out for a spin.

Immediately noticed no change. It makes the noise at a standstill and is much harder to turn the wheel due to the resistance of 'not moving' and this problem I'm sure.

I drove around and at speed it acted as it did before, just fine.

So that wasn't my cure. But another step down.

--Also of note: The pulley wobbles on my PS Pump.

So am I finally at the point of it has to be my PS pump? Or is there something else this noise could be?

I'm trying to exhaust all avenues before taking it into the mechanic who said he'd replace it.. though on his own time. (No car is not good).


Thanks guys,

richonenz

From what you say you didn't rebuild the pump when you replaced the rack ?
If the rack needed replacing then you should also fit a kit to the pump .
Also did you replace the main pressure P/S line ?
Again if the rack needed doing then it's time for new lines , even if just for the reason that it has had hot P/S fluid going through it for how long ??
Can you imagine what that does to the inside of the rubber bits .
You need to do the job as a package .

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

No I didn't rebuild the pump. Else I wouldn't be pondering putting on a new pump.

The new rack came with the car. The car was a ASE certified Master mechanics. He replaced the rack for a reason , though it wasn't absolutely necessary. He also said he would replace the Power steering pump if it needed, out of *his* pocket should there still be problems with the PS.

The guy knows what he is doing,.. Though I am not saying it isn't a good idea to replace your entire Power Steering system in entirity when you put in a rack. But, the lines themselves are fine.

Besides, I don't have the money to replace my rack, my high pressure lines, (every other fathomable PS related line),.. Pump, Air Control Valve, Solenoid, etc etc. That is a huge job, -- Mucho denaro.

Power steering problems are very common on this model ,.. I'm sure you know, and it doesn't usually involve a standard brand new power steering system from the ground up (from all that I have read). Almost seems overkill.

Anyhow, I appreciate your take on the matter, but I simply cannot afford that. So I am going with the most likely solution. Which ultimately I belive will be a new power steering pump. I've done all I know to do, so now I suppose I contact him and explain the symptoms, and see if he agrees and when we can arrange to have it done. It is definitely something that can be put off for a few weeks/month until he has time to do it. The car drives perfect. It is simply a noise at idle when turning the wheel.

I would have thought the wobbling pulley would have been a sure fire give away to a bad pump. However most people don't flinch at that fact, I guess if its turning its turning eh?

It just makes me want to get a pump and put it on myself,.. I have no doubts I could do it. I just want to take advantage of the mechanic paying for it himself of course , like he said he would.

Basically he sold me the Lexus in pristine condition, maintained, garage kept with one basic 'word of mouth agreement' -- If the Rack didn't take care of the PS 'issues' (which is just what I described now), then he would take care of it.

I am simply attempting to make darn sure that is the culprit, as I surely don't want to waste his money and time if it doesn't fix the problem.. However the wobbling pulley is going to wear that bearing to a fault sooner or later.. (By fault I mean leak).. The only reason the pulley could be wobbling in the first place is either a bent shaft or bad bearing. I would think the bearing would be the most likely candidate -- Nothing has hit the car, so it would be very odd for the shaft to be bent out of nowhere.

I guess on that note, has anyone seen a bearing go bad in a pulley? Where it slightly wobbles ? If you have, did it have any effect on the function of the device?

richonenz

Ok , not neccessary to fit a new P/S pump , just put a kit in it , cost about $80.00 if you include a bearing and that is Aus prices with the volume in the US it should be a bit cheaper .

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

By kit I assume you mean a rebuild kit. Yes, I almost went this route, had one ordered but cancelled it because I'm just going to get a rebuilt/reman. unit. I don't like that pulley action on my kit, and for the money I can have the work done for me and gauranteed for 20$ more than a kit.

Tommyboy72

I'm not sure who is telling you the pulley wobbling is not related. It would definitely be an indicator in my book. I would rebuild/replace the PS pump as you have done enough diligence on other components at this point.

9 days since the new PS pump and all is well on mine. My GF has pretty much taken over the LS400 now that its all fixed up, luckily the weather is great here and I'm enjoying the vette...but I'll probably be back in the Civic then to get gas mileage sooner or later.

jcrome04

Can you tighten the PS pulley??

Tommyboy72

That shouldn't be the issue, the way the pulley is toothed, it should be a bent shaft or bad bearing. I suppose the pulley itself could be bent, but that seems unlikely.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Well I'm sure I could tighten the pulley 'some' -- IE: go beyond recommended torque settings. But I'm pretty sure you are getting at, is it loose? No, it is on properly.

No one specifically said the wobble wasn't related, but most everyone has simply treated that fact as if I never said it. Which indirectly implies that it must not be a major red flag to the PS pump being faulty.

I simply thought, wobbling pulley = bad bearing.. = improper pump action due to the improper rotation at low RPM's (stop/idle) and that moving the wheels at a dead stop requires a great deal of work from the PS system vs when they are moving and/or with higher revolutions of the engine driving the pump.

It is definitely getting a new (rebuilt) pump.. I just want to make sure that is the problem as I've explained before I drop it off somewhere else and be without a car.

Right now I'm without my car due to the paint. I really hate not having a vehicle.. it is , well, inconvenient. Getting rides to and from.. and so forth. For some reason the mechanic replaced a rack and pinion before the PS pump. The Pump is easier to replace, and cheaper. Which just makes me wonder what he is thinking. I'm glad he did, I'd rather a new rack and pinion be done than the pump -- as it is a more expensive and labor intensive fix than a pump. The pump I can do myself, and is cheaper. Even though he said he would buy and install the pump himself if needed.

Maybe I could get him to fund the pump and I will install -- but if I were him I would want to put it on myself,.. not let someone who isn't a certified mechanic put the pump on. -- Would work out great if he would get the pump before hand and then I could just bring it by and he would do it on the spot.. while I waited , went to eat, or something. -- But he works in odd ways as an independent shop owner. I have this strong feeling from experience that I'd be missing a vehicle for at least a week for a couple hour, at most, job.

I will , next week, address the pump with him, maybe this week.. See what he says about it, and if he is going to stand behind his word.

Worst case scenario, I simply buy a Reman. pump and put it in myself. Which isn't that expensive, and I honestly don't mind doing the work.. would rather look forward to it.

As an aside: When I was flushing my system -- I noticed in the bottom of the PS reservoir there is/was some 'gunk' that had built up over time. Anyway to clean that out without getting it in the system? The fill hole isn't nearly big enough to do the job,.. so it would have to be some chemical that would eat it away, or replace the reservoir.

I certainly wouldn't want to dislodge it and then have it get into the system and clog things up.

*This is stuff that isn't moving around, but just gunk that has built up over 230k miles of use. I imagine rubber seals/pieces and broken down fluid, etc.*

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Isnt' a bent shaft unlikely as well?

Also, isn't a wobbling pulley, which is (imo) probably a bad bearing going to eventually start leaking out of that seal?

The pump is being replaced no doubt -- The reman is going to have a new shaft and bearing, right? I just reuse my old pulley, correct?

Tommyboy72

Yes a bent shaft would seem extremely unlikely.

My reman'd pump came with everything new except the pulley. The included crush washers for the banjo bolt were not a captive type so I reused the old ones for now. When I replace the high pressure hose I will replace that with an OEM piece. It even came with two O rings, one for the reservoir, not sure what the second was.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Thanks --

Any ideas on the gunk in the reservoir? I'm sure leaving it as is would be just fine -- but you never know.

I have a feeling that trying to clean it would dislodge and create more troubles than its worth. Maybe others know a trick though.

19psi

what kind of fluid did you put in?

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Dextron III/IV ATF. Not cheap by a long shot.

19psi

just wanted to make sure you're using hte right stuff. some ps fluids doni't work well with our pumps. sounds like you need the pump.