salimshah

Car: 95 SC400 (more age than miles 48k)

Symptoms:
Groaning/whine sound that seems to eminate from PS pump.
The groan is prominent when engine rpm is low.
Groan/whine comes when steering is turned either left or right.
There are no leaks.
late add:
The pump is providing steering assist. [at least for now]

History:
For starterers I have sucked out and replaced the PSP fluid.

Noise is still there.

Plan: I plan to get the PSP rebuild kit and service the pump.

Questions:
Is this the right cure or the kit only helps if there are leaks (gaskits and 'O' rings?
Is the pump squeeling due to some thing down stream (solenoid/rack)?

Salim

mobilyte

iTrader: (3)

recently serviced my steering system, replaced the rack and pressure hose, no fix. replaced the ps pump for the 3rd time, everything is okay now except i have a slight whine at idle when turning the wheel. i suspect the idle air control valve on the pump should be replaced too...

salimshah

So the PSP replacement fixed the major groan.

Still wondering if the less than $50 kit will do the same as new pump for close to $500.

I think slight whine is normal ... pump is working.

Thanks

Salim

rra640

Where did you get the kit and what was involved in doing the job?

salimshah

Service kit is available through Lexus parts.
I have not embarked ... just a plan and am soliciting input from who have undertaken the task.

Salim

WDoherty

i replaced my pump and it still whined, then i almost replaced the steering rack and then found no leaks when i went to remove it(fluid had fallen from above making it look like the rack was leaking), then i thought it was the high pressure hose, but looked closely and realized that it might be from the return line from the resevoir b/c it felt so hard even thought the clamps were tight. So i took it off anyway and got a little section of 5/8" hose from autozone for free and it seems to be fine now, although i have not tested it much yet.

mobilyte

iTrader: (3)

several years ago, i got a rebuilt pump at autozone. my original pump was leaking slightly, which caused the alternator to fail. i should have just gotten the seal kit from the dealership and rebuilt my own pump, i've had to replace the atsco/fenco pump 2 more times since then. fluid is circulating well and it isnt leaking any yet.

they had the beck & arnley rebuilds for $349, but if i was going to spend that much i would rather get a rebuilt from the dealership for $20 more. i should mention that i drive a LS (90-97 use the same pump) and the SC pump is identical, just the mounting location is different on the engine.

i checked for fluid in the vacuum hoses from the air control valve, but there is none. i notice there isnt as much power assist at idle compared to 1000+ rpms, and my rpms drop from 650 to 500 at idle when i turn my steering wheel.

at this point, i will personally leave my steering the way it is. if you are not losing any fluid, i'm not sure exactly what part of the pump fails (main bearing or vanes inside pump housing).

alsalih

Salimshah, I wouldn’t rush into rebuilding the PSP so quickly. First, given that you have steering assist and no leak would alone make me leave it as is. The noise could be from the PSP bearing, in which case a seal rebuild kit would not solve the problem. Additionally, the vanes inside the pump will wear over time increasing the internal clearances and leading to noise. Having said that, if I was ever to have PSP problem, a new replacement pump from Lexus ($350 for my 98 LS400) is money well spent. There are simply too many owners who have had similar problems as mobilyte reported with having to replace the Autozone rebuilt pump a couple of times. However, before you even go in this direction, you need to use a long screwdriver or steel pipe that you should carefully place on the PSP/alternator/A/C compressor to make certain you pinpointed the defective part. You know that the VSV will increase engine speed when turning the wheel, therefore the change in noise will occur as you described even with a bad alternator bearing (which is what I had in my case).

salimshah

The groaning became too unberable and power assist started becoming spotty.

Took the plunge and bought a new pump, partially because there were no positive posts regarding service kit and did not have time to try-out/test-out theories.

Did not have instructions do apprached the disassembly intutively.

1. Serpentine belt.
2. Air snorkel.
3. Harness hold-down ... wire leading to the snorkel. {maf sensor}
4. PSP reservoir.
5. Coolant over flow bottle.
6. Frame that holds PSP reervoir and coolant overflow.
7. PSP.

[3" extension is a must to reach the bottom bolt of the PSP]

Put in the new pump and bled the air out.

Groan is gone and power assist is back.

Thank you all for responding.

Salim