before i repaired my p/s pump i did quite a bit of research on this forum and a couple of others to gather pertinent info to prepare for the task. i noted a recurring
comment in a lot of the posts regarding leakage problems to the tune of: "well i
got my pump repaired and now i have to worry about a leak on my rack". a post just today played the same song.

is it possible that when the solenoid filter on the rack gets excessively plugged,
it creates so much system back pressure that the seals give in both the pump
and rack and that is why the problems seem to be concurrent. actually, this could
relate to hose failures also. i'm not implying all failures are due the the filter but
maybe a significant percentage.

if so, it would be prudent to check/clean the filter on a periodic basis as a preventive measure.

any thoughts any1??

lx

I own a '99 RX300 with 90k, and never had a problem with p/s fluid and rack leakage, but I am interested on figuring what you mean by "checking/cleaning the filter." What filter is that and where is it located?

t3-- the filter on my sc400 is located just below the yellow port cap
shown in the pic below posted by monarch. it is inside the solenoid
body which has to be removed by tapping ( striking) a hex nut to
break the unit loose...nearly impossible to get wrench on. you will
see two electrical wires going to the solenoid and will most likely have
to have the car on a hoist to do the job.

i just removed, cleaned, and replaced my filter and it was pretty badly plugged.

http://www.saber.net/~monarch/steeringrack.jpg


lx