lhgdale

Hello, the only issue my 92 LS 400 with 113,000 miles has is a power steering leak. I crawled under car today and took a pic.


I know the pic is not that great but its hard to tell exactly where the leak is coming from so I am going to just get a re-manufactured pump and be done with it. Also, the fluid that is in my pump is the color of clean motor oil and the ATF Dexron III I picked up at the auto parts store is RED so I'm guessing someone put the wrong fluid in.

Now for the QUESTIONS, I have a Pep Boys, Napa, Advance Auto Parts and Auto Zone close by is there a superior brand of re-maned pumps? Also, what ALL will I need for this job? I want to do it right the first time. I do plan on capping the valve on the pump (for steering pressure at low and high speed) I can't remember the name but I read you can put an oil drain plug with Teflon tape to seal it. My car idles at 600 rpm perfectly. I don't want capping this to mess with the idle.

Thanks very much for any info.... I greatly appreciate it!!


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YoshiMan

I have a 7 year old re-man pump in my 4runner from oreillys auto parts (Checker, or kragen in other parts of the county) that still works flawlessly. I just bought my LS400s P/S pump from Napa last month, and so far it works very well. It even came with the new banjo fitting gaskets and O ring for the reservoir too.

And yes, the fluid should be red ATF. Most people, (previous owners in your case) will run out and buy "power steering fluid" when the systems get low, which is actually NOT the right stuff to use in any Toyota. Most GM and Ford products use that stuff, but not Japanese cars.

I just screwed the IAC valve back in and capped the "nipples" because the vacuum hose fitting snapped off of my intake. the RPMS do drop a little when you turn the wheel at a standstill, but it remains smooth and never dies.

As far as what you need, the 4 bolts that hold the pump to the engine are 14mm, and the pulley nut and high pressure line fitting are 17mm. I just happened to have a camshaft pulley holding tool i used to hold the pulley to take the nut off, but i'm sure there are ways to do it without one.

Don't forget to bleed it afterwards to get the air out.

lhgdale

Wow, thank you so much for all the info!

Do you know the part # for the Napa pump? That was one of my worries, tracking down the O ring and banjo fitting washers. That will be everything I will need for the install as far as parts go.

Thanks again!


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YoshiMan

Sure thing! For my 95, the Napa Part # was PS 385630, which i believe is the same pump they used from 1990-2000. My local store had it is stock too, which surprised me.

lhgdale

Thanks, ill call them in the morning. You are the man!!


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lhgdale

I called Napa this morning and they said part number PS 385630 was not a good #. It pulls up on their website for my car but the salesman couldn't find it. This pump is listed as a premium part, they did have the regular pump for my car.

At my local parts stores they carry Cardone and Duralast brands. All are close to 140.00.


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YoshiMan

Glad i could be a help! Of course, "part experts" right? Did they say they couldn't get any of the Napa branded ones? I know the website says they have 2 available for the same price, and one is a "premium" pump.. i honestly can't remember which one I got...

If the one you end up getting doesn't have an o-ring or banjo gaskets, you should be able to track down both in the correct size at any of the local stores. The original factory gasket is this goofy 1 peice thing that essentially connects both crush washers together. I hucked that crap in the trash and just used the copper gaskets. just coat them with ATF first, and tighten down to 36 ft. ibs or so.

Oh, and one more thing, the lower bolt on the front of the pump might be a little tricky to find... my pump had apparently been leaking for some time, and it was completely concealed by a thick layer of grease!

lhgdale

Thank you sir, I ordered one through O Reilly's and they will have it in tomorrow morning. The parts guy is gonna open it up and make sure it comes with the gaskets and O ring.

I'm gonna pick up the proper size drain plug put a gasket on it and then use a little teflon tape to ensure there is no more leaks.

I have googled and most people report much better steering performance and ease of turning once they change out the Power Steering Fluid and put in the proper ATF.

lhgdale

Well, I am half way through the power steering install. Everything has gone smooth. The reservoir screen was so clogged it looked like a solid bottom. I am letting it soak over night in soapy water to try and get it as clean as possible. The screen did have a small tear on the edge but nothing serious. I plugged IAC/ACV with a M 14-1.5 oil drain plug. I used a good bit of teflon tape and 2 oil drain plug gaskets. I torqued it down and hopefully will not have to worry about it again.

Tomorrow I will install the new pump and reservoir, flush the system, clean the reservoir screen close to the tire and bleed the system.

I had so much gunk in my system (big black flakes of stuff) plus the previous owner put in Power Steering Fluid instead of ATF. Do you think I should flush the system first, then clean the reservoir close to the tire? I just want to make sure I get as much gunk out as possible.

Thanks

lhgdale

I am finished!!!

I took my time and double checked everything. The screen on the reservoir by the drivers side tire was caked with gunk. Cleaned it with brake cleaner, replaced the O ring and got it back together. Flushing the system was simple. It only took about a quart of ATF and 3 starup's lasting 3 seconds before shutting down the motor. Bleeding was also simple. The pump was making some horrible sounds but once I started turning the wheel the fluid began to bubble and the level lowered alot. I put the proper level of fluid and turnd the wheels back and forth for about 5 minutes. The steering is much better now. I am very happy with the results!!

radiokilla

You might want to check the rubber high pressure lines etc. because the old rubber hoses can crack and leak over time. Because of it's location above the alternator it can drip onto the alternator and fry it :/ so just be watchful of that!

lhgdale

Gottcha, I replaced the return line with new hose. The high pressure line, I'm sure is the original since it had the 1 piece copper crush washers on it. I will keep a lookout. It looks like an easy replacement if it does start leaking. Thanks

YAK00Z

7 sweet hours it took me and my father to replace the power steering pump, all the bolts etc are in a real fiddly place, where spanners and sockets wont get attached unless you remove the ABS block next to it just to gain access. With the reservoir bolt, make sure you do that up real nice and tight, with a breaker bar, otherwise youll put ya pump in and drive and leak fluid, like I did. You will also want to replace the main hose as well which is a 5/8" hose, due to age and removal, these fray and get cracks in them.

lhgdale

While checking my fluid today to make sure it was still at the proper level I noticed it was not RED colored any more but a mix of RED and clean motor oil color (color of the previous fluid in the system). I sucked out all the fluid in the reservoir and added fresh ATF. Should I flush the system again or just suck out the reservoir a few more times and add fresh fluid?

When flushing the system it only took about a quart of fresh ATF till the fluid coming out of the return hose was RED.

Thanks for the info.

python

iTrader: (4)

I work at napa and we switched from cardone to another rebuilder because of the quality issues we were having..that parts guy u encountered was a retard!