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Working on a friends 1998 LS400....Replacing alternator and P.S. pump.
The low pressure return hose assembly incorporates segments of stainless line and rubber hose.
The rubber hose segments can easily be replaced yet are not separate service items....you have to purchase the entire line assembly.. $$$
YOKOHAMA is the OEM supplier of 10mm ID Hydraulic pressure rated hose.
When I contacted them for distributors, they were not only unhelpful, but rude...surprising for a Japanese company.
So I sourced 9.5mm (3/8") from an industrial hose supplier Pirtek. YOKOHAMA is OEM supplier This segment of hose was cracked and leaking...for safety's sake anyone with an LS400 should replace this segment of hose or entire hose assembly...avoid Chinese made anything here. Replacement hose installed2nd segment of rubber hose is below electric cooling fan....the hose was in good condition but replaced it anyway.
... every part in these cars is engineered to exact specifications
And every one of those "exact specifications" has a tolerance associated with it. PS return line is one place where I think non-OE should get it done, and it has for me.
I replaced my PS return hose when I first got my '91 about 10 years ago - part of repairing the idle up valve, vacuum hoses going to it, cracked off port where one of those hoses went to the air intake. The hose was both brittle and partially melted onto the metal barbs. Part of the old hose just cracked off, part had to be carefully cut and scraped off with a utility knife. I definitely did not use OE, but I did make sure the hose was rated for hot ATF, and of course that it fit.
I think my PS return hose may have had an open-cell foam sleeve on it, probably for thermal / abrasion protection. So I think I replaced that with some non-OE equivalent. Not duct tape and cardboard, I promise.
Around the same time, I cleaned the filter in the rack solenoid valve (the root cause of all the PS issues at least on my Gen 1). So while I was replacing that PS return hose, I also put a Magnefine filter inline at that location. On subsequent inspections of the rack solenoid valve filter, I have found it to be perfectly clear, vs. completely clogged when I first opened it up. A little after that, I rebuilt my PS pump (OE rebuild kit), and the PS has performed flawlessly since then.
The high pressure line in mine began leaking the past week. Not really a leak but it squirts out from the compressed fitting where it joins from the hard line to the hose. Part# 44410-50040 the high pressure hose is $430 if I source it. The local indy shop relayed to me that he's also had them fixed but the smaller diameter hose creates more pressure so the pumps begin to whine and there may be some steering chatter because of this. The high pressure hose through them, a genuine Toyota/Lexus is $535 plus $446 labor. Very ouch!
The other indy said near similar but he said bring him the hose/s after shopping around and he'll do it for $150. Which sounds far more appealing then my making mess of my garage floor. He also didn't recommend the cheap ones as they get soft and I'll be back in a year to replace it.
Asked how difficult it was to DIY both said not to bad. Getting the rear nut to the reservoir would be easier with a SST or I'll have to remove the pump. Be ready for a mess of fluid too. Thoughts and or any tips when DIY'ing if I go this route?
T. The high pressure hose through them, a genuine Toyota/Lexus is $535 plus $446 labor. Very ouch!
The other indy said near similar but he said bring him the hose/s after shopping around and he'll do it for $150. Which sounds far more appealing then my making mess of my garage floor.
Be ready for a mess of fluid too. Thoughts and or any tips when DIY'ing if I go this route?
My thought is for $150 in labor for someone else to do it is the way I would go personally. A buck fifty is nothing nowadays. I never used to let anyone work on my car but as I got older, stuff like this pressure hose, is better off someone else's mess. Why would ya want to lay under the car and have all that fluid shower down on ya. Unless ya have a lift in your garage, then it's different.
Yup, I agree. Part of me wants to DIY for the experience. That comes with plenty of cursing for realizing that the indy will do if 3X faster. I could have used my time better than cleaning the garage floor, getting the PS off all my clothes and arms as well. No doubt that I'll have drawn some blood in the process as well. The Mrs will also say even after a good shower scrubbing that I smell like some chemical too.
I've got a leak in the power steering somewhere. No noise from the pump but heavy steering when moving slow. Hard to tell where the leak is coming from but the hose is covered in fluid, as is the acv (I think that's what that valve is called??) and everything else in that general area (but not the alternator?). I ordered the acv and the pump rebuild kit and going to try to pull it out and fix the leak. Hope I don't find the hose is bad but if I do I'll order it from partsouq. Price is better (won't say good as these are pricey) at $320 to my door and my previous order (first time I ever tried them) I placed on Friday night and received on Tuesday. Better than I expected.
I probably followed that tutorial when I did it (don't remember though). Looking at it now, I remember why I thought it was a little tricky in certain spots. Look at the instructions for step #9:
"9) I scavenged 2 nuts and welded them together then used a slide hammer to pull out the shaft. A nut and washer would work too. If you want to use the Lexus specialty tools you can get them here, you will specifically need 09911-00011 (puller clamp) and 09912-00010 (puller slide hammer)."
I did not weld anything, but I do remember needing to use tools I had forgotten I had, and to develop new MacGuyver skills to get some steps done without the special tools. So be prepared to get stuck on a few things until you solve your way around them.
Overall though, very straightforward, as you can see from the simplicity of the kit.
Power steering lines
The local indy shop relayed to me that he's also had them fixed but the smaller diameter hose creates more pressure so the pumps begin to whine and there may be some steering chatter because of this. The high pressure hose through them, a genuine Toyota/Lexus is $535 plus $446 labor. Very ouch!
Unless ya have a lift in your garage, then it's different.
That's a good price on the hose, I will have to order the same one. Wow, $57 for shipping...
