Hey, I just wanted to share my experience with my fellow SC300 owners. Last week my power steering pump started moaning and whining loudly, and I suddenly had no power steering. I replaced the pump with a rebuilt one, which came without the reservoir(the little bottle that you add power steering fluid into). I put the old reservoir on the new pump, and found that I still had no power steering on my car! Upon further inspection, I found that there was a metal filter on the bottom of the reservoir that was almost completely clogged with years of sludge. I tried spraying with parts cleaner, but to no avail. I removed the filter and found that the only way to clean it was to scrape it with a screwdriver, then follow up with carb cleaner. I however was not able to put the filter back in the bottle, since the opening in the bottle is so small, and the filter stays scrunched up. I simply put everything back together without the filter in the bottle. Now my power steering works perfectly!!
Anyway, the moral of the story is that if you hear a minor whine from your motor, that suddenly results in loss of power steering, it may simply be the clogged filter, and NOT a faulty power steering pump!! And if you do decide to replace the power steering pump, make sure it comes with a reservoir!!

Chris
93SC300

 

hey thanks for telling me this....
i have had the same problem for a few weeks and my mechanic told me my pump has a leak somewhere and it needs to be replaced.....close to 500 bux.....can u please tell me where exactly the filter is and is it accessible from the top or bottom of the car?
appreciate it thanks.






92 SC400 61,000miles

 

Well I can't speak for sure on your car, since mine is a SC300, however if it is similar to mine it should be pretty easy (although a little messy). The filter is located in the little "bottle" that you add power steering fluid into. This should be located on the top of the car. You see, the power steering pump, and the reservoir (which you add power steering into) are actually 2 different parts. You may be able to simply remove the filter by taking off the cap for the power steering fluid, and sticking some pliers in the bottle to remove the filter.
If that doesn't work you will have to remove the reservoir from the pump. On my car, this can be done without actually removing the pump from the car. I had to get the pulley lined up just right so that the hole in the pulley allowed me access to one of the retaining bolts for the reservoir. My reservoir was held in by 3 bolts. You will have to remove the return hose from the reservoir at the very least, and it would be best to remove the hydraulic hose (held in by a banjo bolt) so that you can drain fluid from the reservoir. When you have the reservoir out of the car, wiggle the bottle a bit, and you will see a filter moving around in the bottle, it will probably be covered in black guck. One good way to test how bad your filter is, is to pour oil or power steering fluid into the bottle, and see how fast or slow it comes out of the bottom hole. Mine poured out very slowly, and in some cases not at all. I removed the filter with a pair of pliers, and cleaned it by scraping it with a screwdriver, and spraying it with carb. cleaner to finish it off. My problem though, was that I could not get the filter back into the bottle, and as I was pressed for time, I simply put the reservoir on without the filter. I was told it would probably be OK, but the risk is that if a big particle gets into the pump, it might damage it. I've been OK so far.
If the filter is bad, it could be the reason for your leak. You see, the pump sucks fluid from the reservoir bottle, and if the filter is clogged, it cannot suck fluid from the bottle. The bottle then overfills, as fluid comes in from the return hose, and fluid cannot escape through the bottom. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.

Chris 93 SC300

 

If you decide to replace the pump, it is worth doing yourself, I got mine from Auto Zone for $100, and it is not too hard at all. You will have to get underneath the car to remove the drive belt according to the Chilton's book that I have.

Chris

 

Hi,

I have a 1992 SC400. The power steering fluid is leaking out . Everyday I have to fill it up. When turning the steering wheel back and forth there is alot of noise. When I shut the car off alot of fluid bubbles out of the power steering resevoir. I am curious as to what other peoples experiences have been with similar symptoms. I would like to know is it my pump or my rack or something else .

thank you

Drew
[FONT=century gothic]

 

careful, if it is the pump it can drip on the alternator:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...+steering+pump

Here's another helpful link:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...power+steering

try what Hermosa says

 

Ya I would get this fixed as soon as possible because it wont get any better. It only gets worse. I had the same exact problem about a week or two ago and I had to have my car towed to the dealership because I waited so long. Heres the thread if you're interested

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=67430

Its not going to be a simple fix and filling up the PS fluid everyday should mean you have pretty bad leak. Luckily mine was still small and didnt leak too much fluid. Get it fixed ASAP. Good luck with everything because its not gonna be fun.