fisher9720

All
1991 LS400 185K miles. Last year or so the old steering pump started wining when car driven more than short trips around town. So replaced power steering pump.
-Bought pump from Napa
-Re-used Idle up valve, in good codition as are the rubber hoses
-Replaced High pressure hose, old was wet and leaky..
-PS pump replaced by dealer in 2001, in my reservoire, no screen at all, it is
removed. Put in new o-ring on reservoire bottom.

Car is exhibiting similar behavior, with the new pump, so replaced the old High pressure line with new steering line. Now when the car is warmed up the steering is light and normal, so old lines were bad. With the old high pressure hoses the steering was heavy when the car was at normal running temperature, so I am sure my old hoses were constricted and bad..

I cannot get the air out. I bleed the car, by the factory manual.
I've bled with the front wheels jacked up.. Turning wheel lock to lock 15 times, then lower the car so the wheels touch and start it, and lock to lock 10 times until no air bubbles in reservoir. I repeat this for about 3 cycles, then it seems to not have any more air. When I shut it off, no more bubbles... The fluid is cycling through the system really good, can see a wave in the reservoire, so I know the rack isn't plugged up...

Then I take it out for a drive, warm it up, get on the highway and drive for a few miles, come back home, after driving for about 20 minutes, it wines again....Air in the system again...

Bleed again, bubbles come up....I've done this repeatedly for about 10 times... Then I double checked the Rack solenoid.. I have new fluid and the rack solenoid is clean.

So bled again, with the drive/bleed cycle about 4 more times. Seems I get all the air out in the driveway, but when I drive it's seems to get air in..

Or I've just got a bunch of air.... I just can't believe that I am not bleeding it all out....

No visible leaks. The rack is a little wet, but it's been leaking for years.. ...

Also when the old pump was in, I think it was getting air from the reservoire return hose, it was original and broken up and had a small cut in it...
So have a new return hose also..

I have ordered a PS rebuild kit and bearing from Lexus. I am going to rebuilt
the PS pump the dealer put on in 2001, I am thinking the NAPA PS pump
is sucking air????

Is this the direction you would go, next would be the rack...

It is really light steering.. It SEEMS that all the air is out of the system when I bleed in the garage....

atoyot

PS is a tuff nut to crack sometimes. Just the slightest pin hole anywhere in the system will cause major issues. Plus, in my car, the PS fluid get's overly hot and that will effect the system.

I hate to throw parts at it, but i would replace all the lines that you have not replaced yet, and i would use lexus/toyota lines. The napa PS lines suck! I would also only use Toyota/Lexus PS pumps and rebuild kits. THis is one area that i use OEM parts every time. I have had zero luck with aftermarket parts in my toyota steering systems.

fisher9720

atoyot
Ok, that is kind of where I'm thinking. I should have the rebuild kit/orings and bearing in the mail this week and rebuild the original pump....
The high pressure hose I bought from Rockauto, the Edelman...Hopefully that is ok

2eXceL

iTrader: (2)

Can someone post all the PS Lexus/Toyota Part #'s associated with a overhaul procedure? PS Lines, washers, bearings, rebuild kit?

JimsGX

When you say its really light steering, do you think its too light? If you're on the highway, does it feel like moving the wheel just a little gets you moving into a different lane? If that's the case, the rack is bad...

deanshark

Mine was this loose when I first bought it but it feels alot better after I changed the pump (with a used one) b/c it was leaking real bad.

JimsGX

I don't mean a loose condition that could be attributed to worn suspension or steering parts. I'm referring to the steering feel being excessively light but still tight.

fisher9720

JimsGX
nope, it is just back to the normal lexus power steering feel you know..
My rack is wet around the input shaft of the steering shaft, but in my searching around
I haven't been able to find much talk about racks sucking in air....

fisher9720

0444630173 Seal kit, ls400 - power 1990 - 1992 1 $31.82 $31.82
9041005005 SEAT, UNION 1 $3.06 $3.06
9036317017 BEARING, RADIAL BALL 1 $14.07 $14.07


Radial Ball is the Shaft bearing. Seal kit is different for 1990-1992 and 1993-1994,
Copper crush washer dealer has plenty of them for the high pressure hose.
Seat union is the seat for the Vacuum valve in LS400 for only $3.06 there if I need it

fisher9720

Fixed,
New rack did the trick.. After I replaced the High pressure hose and pump, the rack started to leak a little worse. Replacing the rack it bled the air out nicely..Was sucking air from the rack.

deanshark

Good to hear you got it fixed. Can't live without steering. I have to change mine soon and I was wondering, how long (work time) did it take to change it out and what other parts, like ball joints and whatever, need to be changed in the process? I was thinking about rebuilding mine but I don't have the time to let the car sit. I need to take it out and put it back together in the same day. It sucks having only one car.