JBrady

OK, this sux, changed my spark plugs and passenger valve cover gasket. I moved the power steering reservior and did not notice the old rubber tubing had become brittle and cracked down low unseen.

After finishing I started the car and let it warm up and went to move it an NOISE from the steering. I barely moved the wheel and stopped right away, replaced the hose, filled with Dextron III and started again. Slowly turned the wheel all the way each direction several times. Noise got lower but did not go away.

Here it is over a month later and STILL noisy. Never bled completely or damaged something internally.

For anyone that MAY know the answer. Are the racks on our cars subject to damage from a cavitating pump?

I am thinking of rebuilding/replacing the pump but if the rack has damage that is a waste of time as both would need replacing OUCH.

Suggestions?

amcdonal86

I'm not sure about in your particular case, but when I changed my PS fluid, it had a ton of air in it and it was making a lot of noise. What fixed it was jacking the front of the car up, and then with the engine OFF, turning the wheel all the way left and right about 100 times, and topping off the fluid as the air was burped out.

Doing this with the engine on did nothing.

Hope this helps.

JBrady

That is a tip worth trying

JBrady

GREAT ADVICE...!!!

This worked and my PS is once again Lexus quiet

I had driven with this noise for a month trying to decide if I should rebuild or replace the pump and worried that the cavitation had damaged the rack requiring that to be rebuilt or replaced...

JohnEd

iTrader: (1)

If you take a perfectly good operating PS system and pinch the low pressure line into the pump with a set of vice grips so as to reduce the size of the hose......you will hear a high pitched wine when turning the wheel. That is the pump cavitating. So input flow resistance causes this problem. So where is the restriction in your system? Most probably in the resovoir where they put that peminant metal screen filter. Takes years to fill up and clog.

Take the res off and back flush it with carb cleaner and soap and water and back flush with water. Dry it out with heat and the noise will be gone if you got the screen clean. Or have it "dipped" at the repair shop for 5 bucks. or buy a new reservoir.

My leak turned out to be a split in the low pressure hose that feeds the pump. Tiny split on the underside of that hose took a year to find.