Cleaned P/s Solenoid Screen- Huge Difference !

[John2]

hey all,

after replacing p/s pump and air valve a yr ago, the pump is leaking again so i got around to doing what i should have then-- cleaning the solenoid screen. 92 w/ 125k. sure enough, it was clogged w/ black very little chunks. it had been off at some point b/c of scar marks on the thin nut. anyway, it NOTICABLY made the steering easy/lighter. can't believe difference- just liek others have said.

i flushed system FIRST...

hopefully, this will ease the pressure building up, thus easing the pump leakage.

fyi...

[RFeldes]

Great John, Hope your pump held up...It does create a marked difference cleaning that screen.

[rtd111]

This forum is where the action is on this topic. I posted couple of days ago to SC400 and got no response.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=28165

Any thoughts? The solenoid is in a really crammed in there. Need to put stuff back together but waiting on this one.

Many thanx.

[blake918]

I need to do this to my car. The previous owner spent well over $1000 having the pump and one of the hp lines changed, and now 60k miles later, it's leaking again. So, how much ps fluid do I need to buy to get this done?

[Threadcutter]

blake:

I need to do this to my car. The previous owner spent well over $1000 having the pump and one of the hp lines changed, and now 60k miles later, it's leaking again. So, how much ps fluid do I need to buy to get this done?

1st things 1st. What's leaking? If it's the pump, it's because the solenoid filter is clogged. If the leak is bad enough, there's a "re-man" pump in your immediate future. Maval brand worked for me.

Remove the solenoid, carefully remove the filter/screen & clean it. Re-install the solenoid temporarily WITHOUT THE SCREEN/FILTER. Proceed with the flush. I think I purchased 5 quarts of P/S fluid & I'm not sure if I used all 5. I do know I went throught 4 quarts though. Once the fluid runs clean, remove the solenoid, re-install the clean screen/filter, burp & top off with fluid & yer' done.

[blake918]

My fault TC, the rack is leaking. The pump is nice and dry. I would bet that the pump wasn't bad in the first place, but we all know how most dealer service deptartments go about diagnosing problems! Thanks for the steps and info!

[Threadcutter]

blake:

I think Maval does decent re-man racks for about $350.00................Check online.

I wouldn't bother trying to rebuild the rack myself.