Different Power Steering Failure! New Unsolved Topic! Help&#33

[lildickyII]

1999 LS400 With NO power steering AT ALL after series of events.

The car started leaking PS fluid many months ago. It was gradual and manageable until about one month ago when the leaking got more severe. The car was recently given to me by my father. He had been putting Power Steering fluid in it to top off when it would get low. He lost the owners manual and I had no idea it was supposed to be ATF instead of PS fluid until diving into this repair.

Symptoms before partial PS pump seal replacement:

-Leaving large puddles on driveway

-When fluid would get low, the pump would make noises

-The power steering ALWAYS WORKED, however. Never cut out.

It got to the point that I decided to start figuring this out. Found that it was leaking from the reservoir cap, hoses from the reservoir and the notorious o-ring inside the pump on the main send hose nipple from the reservoir. I decided to replace the hoses, cap and put new o-rings in the pump. I did not remove the main parts of the pump meaning the bearings and everything inside, just the other o-rings. Put the pump back together and reinstalled. Filled the system with ATF this time and attempted to bleed the system.

Here are the symptoms currently:

-NO power steering AT ALL, EVER. Not with high revs, not while driving. NOTHING

-No more bubbles come up in the reservoir when trying to bleed (I think it's bled)

-The pump does not make noise anymore

I am about to check the solenoid for blockage and that it is still clicking. I have read all the forums with PS issues and none of them seem to make sense for my car. Before doing anything, everything worked all the time--it just leaked. Afterward, it doesn't work AT ALL. For the ACV, the PS control module, the solenoid (any one of them or a combination) to fail right now seems to be too coincidental for me to believe. I should add that I cracked open one of the brake line style lines on the rack to make sure the ATF did in fact make it through the system and it has.

Is it possible for the valve thing with the spring (that goes inside the high pressure bolt) to be reinstalled in a wrong direction that would inhibit flow of fluid? Could the switch of fluids cause any of these failures to happen? I'm really stumped here so any logical insight or thoughts would be greatly appreciated! PLEASE HELP! Thank you

[landar]

Welcome Robert!

Sorry to hear of the problems with the PS.

I am wondering if you used Dextron II/III ATF?

It is really difficult being an armchair mechanic not knowing exactly what you did.

However, if it were me, I would want to know if the PS pump were still pushing fluid thru the system. So I would pull the return line to the reservoir and put it into a clean gallon container, start the engine for a brief moment and check for flow back into the container. Should be rather robust and empty your reservoir quickly. That method is sometimes used to flush the system so it should not hurt anything.

If flow, then maybe you used the wrong type of ATF? If no flow, then something is plugged or the pump is not working.

[6n1Metallic]

I made a post and just found this, but did you find a fix?? In the same situation, rebuilt my pump and now no power steering at all!

[lildickyII]

I found that the problem was one of my own creation! The fix was to remove the pump again and to make sure the valve to the high pressure hose was supposed to be on in front of the spring (in reassembly: spring FIRST, then valve). That fixed it. Also, make sure your valve is going in the right direction. Hope that solves your problem! Also, if you're planning on fixing this without taking the pump out, it is possible but a real pain (I wasted a lot of time trying to work around other parts of the engine but it made the job a helluva lot easier to just take the alternator out and remove the pump.

[VBdenny]

I'll call that a good. Working around parts is frustrating.

[6n1Metallic]

Darn, Wish I waited another day and read this before buying a new pump lol, I was just tired of my hands being covered in ATF, it's w/e I'll remember this the next time I have to rebuild a pump! Great info, and thanks!

[sha4000]

Good job on retracing your steps. This happens to me sometimes that's why I try to take pics before disassembly.