Solenoid Filter

[rtd111]

Re monarch's pic, gently pull on your blue tab to separate the pieces.

In gumart1's pic, the nut is still attached to the solenoid. Mine has come separated just below the nut, while the nut is still attached to the PCV block. I have "tapped" the nut to the point where the nut is now pretty messed up as well. I am awaiting suggestions.

About the inline filter, while a good idea, I am going to hold off on this one given I have bigger fish to fry -- I can always come back to that later.

I may have created a bunch of work & expense for myself.

[Kennyr]

Mine's a 1991 model too.  Kennyr, RFeldes and Gumart1 (I'm not sure about Threadcutter) all have 1990 models where the solenoid is mounted horizontally rather than vertically as on our '91's.  I am concerned that besides this mounting difference, there might also be a critical difference in the way the solenoid attaches.  If so, it would be a terrible thing if those of us with '91 on up models inadvertently ruin our solenoids because we weren't aware of the different removal procedures required - especially since some say the cost of a replacement solenoid = the price of a whole new steering rack!  Lets hope someone that has a '91 on up model will chip in with some hands on practical advice.  You might also try to private message mehullica since he is a highly experienced Lexus dealer Mastertech.

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My car is a 91 You set a good size heavy long punch on the left side of the nut. Strike the punch with a hammer one good hard hit and the nut and solenoid, which are attached, should break loose and turn free counter clockwise.

[Kennyr]

Listen if your solenoid in on there tight you can tap a small punch all day long and its not going to break loose. Big punch, big hit and it will come loose.

[monarch]

You set a good size heavy long punch on the left side of the nut. Strike the punch with a hammer one good hard hit and the nut and solenoid, which are attached, should break loose and turn free counter clockwise.

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I was thinking the punch had to be set on the right hand side of the nut like this http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/sole.jpg in order to make it turn counter clockwise. What does everyone think?

[Gumart1]

No, that would turn the nut clockwise. Hit it on the other side, Kennyr is right, I used a really large chisel and nailed it hard. You will not damage anything if you keep a steady hand and a give a good firm strike. Be sure to pre-mark the solenoid to the rack before you unscrew it.

[monarch]

No, that would turn the nut clockwise. Hit it on the other side, Kennyr is right, I used a really large chisel and nailed it hard. You will not damage anything if you keep a steady hand and a give a good firm strike. Be sure to pre-mark the solenoid to the rack before you unscrew it.

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Are you sure? This is my idea of counter clockwise and clockwise http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/sole.jpg Am I right or have I gone mad?

[RFeldes]

Wrong!! Lefty Loosey, Righty tighty. And if I'm not mistaken that nut, left top, is a lock nut that must be "loosened" going "up" as it "locks" the solenoid in place against vibration and "guys" with chisels.

[rtd111]

Need rahlo1 (original poster of this thread) to pitch in here since he, like me, was able to turn the solenoid and not the nut. How did you pop it off and, more importantly, how did you get it back together again? A post in this regard will be immensely helpful.

I just spent another few tens of minutes punching at the nut -- still no go. Its looking bad.

I am going to wait tonight out for responses (maybe try a few small things again around this mini project) and if this fails, I am thinking about proceeding to flush the power steering (new pump) as is, get the car operational, and call around / take it in to the dealer -- all this assuming that the solenoid (or steering) is not already destroyed. Okay if I have leaks as long as the car drives to a repair facility. Too bad if it comes to this.

[Threadcutter]

Need rahlo1 (original poster of this thread) to pitch in here since he, like me, was able to turn the solenoid and not the nut. How did you pop it off and, more importantly, how did you get it back together again? A post in this regard will be immensely helpful.

I just spent another few tens of minutes punching at the nut -- still no go. Its looking bad.

I am going to wait tonight out for responses (maybe try a few small things again around this mini project) and if this fails, I am thinking about proceeding to flush the power steering (new pump) as is, get the car operational, and call around / take it in to the dealer -- all this assuming that the solenoid (or steering) is not already destroyed. Okay if I have leaks as long as the car drives to a repair facility. Too bad if it comes to this.

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RTD:

"Noooo........Not the Dark Side!"...............

"Washtonian" huh? Westside maybe? Stanwood, Arlington, Mount Vernon ring any bells?

Lemme know.

Threadcutter

[RFeldes]

When I did it, I put a "box" wrench on the nut,small one at the top left, and hammered the end of the box wrench "up", in your case, until the nut loosened. I also think a warm engine helps, as was mentioned earlier. Then I unscrewed the the solenoid "Lefty" for a "lot" of turns. Can't give any more help than that!!! Perserverance, on your part, or take it into the dealer $$$$. I wish I was in on this earlier, before you all went chisel!!!! It is frustrating :cries: but high fives on the outcome are well deserved as your steering will radically improve. These cars have a lot of well thought out Engineering and circumventing that lock nut is not a good idea. It must be loosened "first". God Speed.

[rtd111]

"Washtonian" huh? Westside maybe? Stanwood, Arlington, Mount Vernon ring any bells?

Lemme know.

Threadcutter

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The Eastside (Bellevue). You seem to be NW from here.

[rtd111]

...

When I did it, I put a "box" wrench on the nut,small one at the top left, and hammered the end of the box wrench "up", in your case, until the nut loosened.

...

Not sure what your emphasis on "up" means. And why in my case. Sorry, have spent too much time on this (to the point I am repeating myself -- aargh ).

[Threadcutter]

"Washtonian" huh? Westside maybe? Stanwood, Arlington, Mount Vernon ring any bells?

Lemme know.

Threadcutter

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The Eastside (Bellevue). You seem to be NW from here.

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RTD:

I Live on Camano Island, have a house in Woodinville. Shoot me an e-mail explaining where you at with this project now. What year is you car? kfm@whidbey.net

Perhaps I can help.

[monarch]

Does everyone agree on these three solenoid removal steps?

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/solenn.jpg

[rtd111]

Here's the mess I have created. Looks bad.

Note that the solenoid is separated from the nut. There is some white metal and then there is a 2mm or so gap that looks like an ORing in the picture. This gap is after some twisting back and forth: the solenoid (body) is generally stopped turning in the counterclockwise direction but I have wiggled it down to expose that gap. Something is holding the solenoid very tightly in place. I almost feel like the nut is part of the PCV body.

The punches on the nut are evident. The body looks worse in the picture than it is: I can go over the metal with a polisher if needed and clean that up. Outside of the aesthetics, I am more concerned about getting this out and put back together again.

Thanx again for all your insights. (Earth calling rahlo1: you seemed to have removed the solenoid body like I have but got further along per your Oct 19 post on this thread.)

Cheers (positive mental attitude is a MUST :whistles: ).

[Threadcutter]

Does everyone agree on these three solenoid removal steps?

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/solenn.jpg

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Monarch:

Referrencing your picture; My '95 does not have any kind of a "Locknut", but if you have identified yours "Thusly", then yes, loosen it first. Counterclockwise would be the correct direction of rotation to loosen. I think you should double check, I don't think you have a locknut to worry about.

The first thing I would do is to disconnect the electrical connector plainly evident in your picture. The wires/plug coming into the picture from the left side unplug from the socket which has the wires coming in from the right/below. If necessary, gently squeeze the plug (left side piece) with a pair of pliers, being sure to push the locking tab "down" while pushing the entire plug directly to the left, thereby removing the plug from the socket. Then, remove the socket (right piece) from the bracket underneath it. There are plastic "Tabs" that protrude through a hole in the bracket. These "Tabs" must be squeezed together using needlenose pliers, allowing you to gently pull the socket towards you, removing it from the bracket.

As I stated in a previous post, I have used "Kroil" penetrating oil for years;

http://www.kanolabs.com/

If you don't want to wait for delivery from online ordering, try calling some electric motor repair shops in your area. Most repair shops have used it for years.

Once you have it, spray some on the top portion of the nut. Go have cold Budweiser & two Marlboros (worked for me).

I am assuming that you took this picture from the driver's side wheel well? If that is the case, then your picture is showing proper orientation of everything. In other words "vertical orientation" is indeed "UP". I COMPLETELY agree with your notations for step #2 & step #3. It is a "Righthand Thread" and will need to turn in a COUNTERCLOCKWISE direction to be removed.

If you have successfully managed to loosen the "Nut", you will have only had to use your punch for not greater than an eighth (1/8th) of a turn before the entire solenoid can be freely turned by hand. I'll guess that there are probably 10 to 12 complete turns before the solenoid can be removed. Once you get the solenoid off, look at the body of it. You will then see what I mean when I say that it is not really a "Nut". What appears as a "Nut" is actually 6 "Flats" machine into the solenoid body in a hexagonal pattern.

[rtd111]

Here's the mess I have created. Looks bad.

Note that the solenoid is separated from the nut. There is some white metal and then there is a 2mm or so gap that looks like an ORing in the picture. This gap is after some twisting back and forth: the solenoid (body) is generally stopped turning in the counterclockwise direction but I have wiggled it down to expose that gap. Something is holding the solenoid very tightly in place. I almost feel like the nut is part of the PCV body.

The punches on the nut are evident. The body looks worse in the picture than it is: I can go over the metal with a polisher if needed and clean that up. Outside of the aesthetics, I am more concerned about getting this out and put back together again.

Thanx again for all your insights. (Earth calling rahlo1: you seemed to have removed the solenoid body like I have but got further along per your Oct 19 post on this thread.)

Cheers (positive mental attitude is a MUST  :whistles: ).

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Hmm, the lock nut? It looks from the exploded diagram (in the LS400 maint manual) of the gear housing that there are two tubes on the driver side of the PCV: a return tube and a pressure tube. The one in monarch's pic is the pressure tube. Its not clear to me that this needs to be removed unless you also want to remove the PCV, which is what I read on one of the posts. BUT who am I to render advice here.... this could well be it given the hex nut wont budge for me.

Monarch, let me know if you indeed get this out and how (hand holding needed -- read: tools & technique). I did consider removing the PCV but this nut and the one from the return hose are in a really cramped spot.

[monarch]

Hmm, the lock nut? It looks from the exploded diagram (in the LS400 maint manual) of the gear housing that there are two tubes on the driver side of the PCV: a return tube and a pressure tube. The one in monarch's pic is the pressure tube. Its not clear to me that this needs to be removed

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I'm not real clear either whether this so-called "locknut" is really a locknut that needs to be loosened. I'm just going by what RFeldes said in his most recent post. Rfeldes is the first person who ever mentioned anything about a locknut - but who knows, maybe he's right. It's really hard to get a consensus about proper and proven procedures regarding this solenoid removal issue.

[Gumart1]

Monarch, did you say you have a '91 like mine? If so, I did not loosen the small locknut in your photo. Just remove the clips as you also pointed out, if you are able. Once again, heavy chisel with a fine strike point, and a hard hit on the left (counterclockwise) side of the large solenoid locknut (not that little nut you are pointing out in the photo), and it should loosen.

Daily (3-4 times) spraying with a rust/bolt penetrant will help. It may take time. The other post is correct, the large nut is not an independent nut, it is attached to the solenoid body, and once it is freed it is all by hand. Once out, it looks like this:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/LS/DSCF0018

Sorry if I am repeating myself. My earlier question is that I just cleaned the area that is visible in the picture as that silver looking screen, and should I have further removed any parts to expose more of the screen? If not, that's all there is to it.

[Threadcutter]

Monarch, did you say you have a '91 like mine? If so, I did not loosen the small  locknut in your photo. Just remove the clips as you also pointed out, if you are able. Once again, heavy chisel with a fine strike point, and a hard hit on the left (counterclockwise) side of the large solenoid locknut (not that little nut you are pointing out in the photo), and it should loosen.

Daily (3-4 times) spraying with a rust/bolt penetrant will help. It may take time. The other post is correct, the large nut is not an independent nut, it is attached to the solenoid body, and once it is freed it is all by hand. Once out, it looks like this:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/LS/DSCF0018

Sorry if I am repeating myself. My earlier question is that I just cleaned the area that is visible in the picture as that silver looking screen, and should I have further removed any parts to expose more of the screen? If not, that's all there is to it.

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Gum:

From my perspective, you're probably just fine with what you did. Your picture shows the screen as being very clean (post cleaning on your part I assume). Removing the screen can lead to damage of the screen if the screen is not kept perfectly straight coming off of the nipple. The majority of "gunk" is going to be on the outside of the screen, which is what you removed. If it were me, I would sleep well at night knowing that I got everything cleaned up quite nicely. I would NOT pull the solenoid off again just so that I could remove the screen and clean the inside of it.

One of the main reasons that I removed my screen is that I wanted it off when I did my flush. I wanted (temporary) un-restricted flow of P/S fluid so that the flushing would push all contaminants through and out of the system. The screen was out of the system for a very short period of time and when the flush was complete, it went right back in. I'm going to get one of the big filters mentioned in another post and install it in the low pressure return line. I'm now convinced that the origin of all problems associated with the P/S system is a clogged/blocked solenoid filter. Once it's blocked, system pressures go way up, seals in the pump begin to fail/blow-by and leaks develop. I think properly filtered, the system will become quite reliable in the long run.

[nc211]

I've been following this thread but haven't yet posted. Last weekend I did the power steering fluid flush thing and it firmed up my steering quite a bit "it needed it...way to watery. But I'm not so sure it's not too firm now. I did the bleeding for air bubbles like advised. My question is this, and probably a dumb question. Cleaning that solinoid filter will loosen up the steering, correct? When I pulled the old fluid out of the resivour tank, it had a lot of dirt in it, especially at the bottom.

[Threadcutter]

I've been following this thread but haven't yet posted. Last weekend I did the power steering fluid flush thing and it firmed up my steering quite a bit "it needed it...way to watery. But I'm not so sure it's not too firm now. I did the bleeding for air bubbles like advised. My question is this, and probably a dumb question. Cleaning that solinoid filter will loosen up the steering, correct? When I pulled the old fluid out of the resivour tank, it had a lot of dirt in it, especially at the bottom.

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NC:

Did you replace the P/S pump? If you did, look at the old one. On the body of the pump, there is a letter stamped on it right under the fitting where the high pressure discharge line connects (goes to the rack). This letter designates which flow control valve was originally supplied with your car. If the new pump has a different letter flow control valve, the steering will be either too soft or too firm. The only way to know with absolute certainty which valve is in either pump is to remove the pressure port union. The flow control valve lives under the pressure port union. The valve will have a letter engraved on it. My original had a letter "E" in it and the new (reman) pump came with a letter "F" in it. When I installed the reman, the car drove like a truck. I popped the "F" out and installed the "E" from the old pump. Drives like a dream now.

Just cleaning the solenoid screen/filter & doing a flush "should" render your steering to "Like new condition" unless there's something else going on. I wouldn't get out the chainsaw just yet though.

Some might disagree with my having removed the solenoid screen/filter temporarily when I did the flush, but I wanted to be certain that I flushed ALL of the "Bad Things" out of the system before I put it all back together. It's probably a stretch, but it's possible that you may still have crap floating around in your system & clogging the screen/filter.

[Gumart1]

NC - I'm not quite sure how flushing your power steering fluid would actually tighten up your steering. Are you sure it isn't because of the colder weather? If your steering is loose you may have a steering component failure but if I remember right you did change some of that stuff, tie rod ends, etc.

If you saw particles in your pump when you flushed then it is more than likely that you have a good build up on your rack solenoid screen and also the screen that is in the pump itself. Monarch has a good photo of the pump's screen. However, it is difficult (though not impossible) to clean the screen in the pump without removing the entire pump. I have personally experienced a night and day difference in my steering from the flush coupled with a solenoid screen cleaning. My screen was totally blocked. You should at least clean this, flush again, and add the inline filter as well. I hadn't driven my '91 in 5 days and today in 10 degree weather I was able to turn with 1 finger! Rahlo, any updates on your dilemna?

[914lps]

I've been following this thread but haven't yet posted. Last weekend I did the power steering fluid flush thing and it firmed up my steering quite a bit "it needed it...way to watery. But I'm not so sure it's not too firm now. I did the bleeding for air bubbles like advised. My question is this, and probably a dumb question. Cleaning that solinoid filter will loosen up the steering, correct? When I pulled the old fluid out of the resivour tank, it had a lot of dirt in it, especially at the bottom.

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The new stuff has more cleaning power then the old stuff. Yes it can kick some stuff loose and start to dirty up the filter screen. And this will effect steering feel. I know becouse I had it happen to me. Clean the screen, it should go back to how it was.

[rtd111]

Hmm, the lock nut? It looks from the exploded diagram (in the LS400 maint manual) of the gear housing that there are two tubes on the driver side of the PCV: a return tube and a pressure tube. The one in monarch's pic is the pressure tube. Its not clear to me that this needs to be removed

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I'm not real clear either whether this so-called "locknut" is really a locknut that needs to be loosened. I'm just going by what RFeldes said in his most recent post. Rfeldes is the first person who ever mentioned anything about a locknut - but who knows, maybe he's right. It's really hard to get a consensus about proper and proven procedures regarding this solenoid removal issue.

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Monarch:

Have you tried to remove the solenoid yet?

I took a careful look around the nut and am pretty sure that there is no "lock" nut you mention to in your pic. Its a bolt on a hose that's connected to the PCV. The solenoid nut is free and clear.

So I think there is consensus. I am just having a heck of a time with mine: maybe it wasn't screwed on tight or has been on for 14+ years and is really frozen in there. I have ordered, per Threadcutter's suggestion, Kroil --- wd-40 and PB just haven't done anything thus far to help the situation.

Rahlo1 is really missing out on all this fun ;)