'99 Power Steering Issue

J

JasonDoyle

New member
Hello All! Great Forum!

Looking for some help with my '99 SR5. The power steering pump started to go so I took it to a local mechanic and he replaced the pump and the rack but it still made noise. He replaced that pump under warranty and it still made noise. Again, he replaced with a 3rd (slightly upgraded) pump and IT'S STILL noisy as hell.

I'm fairly sure the guy isn't incompetent (maybe just not that familiar with the intricacies of the 4Runner) but for the life of me, what could he possibly be doing wrong or have missed!?

It can't be rocket science. If you've replace the rack and the pump, what else could there be?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm at my wits end!
 
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What brand of PS pump is he using, is it loud all the time or just when turning the wheel, Is he using Dex III, is he jacking the front of the truck up and turning the wheels fully left and right a few times to get all the air out of the system before putting the pump under load. My guess is the quality of the pump or fluid being used, or there is air trapped in the system.
 
JasonDoyle said:
Hello All! Great Forum!

Looking for some help with my '99 SR5. The power steering pump started to go so I took it to a local mechanic and he replaced the pump and the rack but it still made noise. He replaced that pump under warranty and it still made noise. Again, he replaced with a 3rd (slightly upgraded) pump and IT'S STILL noisy as hell.

I'm fairly sure the guy isn't incompetent (maybe just not that familiar with the intricacies of the 4Runner) but for the life of me, what could he possibly be doing wrong or have missed!?

It can't be rocket science. If you've replace the rack and the pump, what else could there be?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm at my wits end!
Click to expand...
There's several possibilities. He may have put power steering fluid instead of Dexron 3 transmission fluid in the reservoir, the reservoir screen is gunked up, or the power steering system wasn't bled properly. Take a look at your power steering fluid after you drive for a little bit. It should be red without any bubbles/foam. If it's not red then he used the wrong fluid and it will need to be flushed. If it's foamy/bubbly/pinkish then there is still air in the system. If the fluid is red without foam or bubbles then the reservoir screen is likely clogged with gunk and starving the power steering pump of enough fluid.
 
Hi, Jason,
Sorry to hear you are having issues with your power steering pump. I just flushed my fluid and cleaned the reservoir screen this past weekend. Made a BIG difference as my pump was starting to make noise.
Go to the TOP STICKY POST with the DIY Maintenance videos. MTB TIM (Timmy the Toolman) has a great video. Cleaning the reservoir screen will help a lot as a dirty screen severely restricts flow to the suction side of the pump.

Let us know how it goes, what you find out.
 
Malcolm99 said:
The 3 new PS pumps he put on come with a new screen, so I doubt the screen is clogged.
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Depends. You can buy the pumps with reservoir or without. . I know when my got damaged from a fluid leak. I had it changed and the nipple blew on the power steering rack and my new pump got noisy. I wasn't happy until a got a used OEM pump and cleaned the screen. Nothing beats the OEM pumps as they are quiet if working properly. :)

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
 
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Ya I caught that x2^, if he's putting "upgraded" pumps on or aftermarket, and since he put on 3 and a new rack I would hope the installer put a new pump with reservoir and clean screen, wouldn't ya think gents.
 
Malcolm99 said:
Ya I caught that x2^, if he's putting "upgraded" pumps on or aftermarket, and since he put on 3 and a new rack I would hope the installer put a new pump with reservoir and clean screen, wouldn't ya think gents.
Click to expand...
I don't assume anything when it comes to vehicle repairs
 
All aftermarket and "upgraded" PS pumps ALL come with a reservoir, since he has done 3 pumps I would assume, so we'll see if this makes an ass outta u or me. OP?

*and the chances a garage is going to use OEM parts are slim to none unless it's a dealer or specifically demanded.
 
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Malcolm99 said:
All aftermarket and "upgraded" PS pumps ALL come with a reservoir, since he has done 3 pumps I would assume, so we'll see if this makes an ass outta u or me. OP?

*and the chances a garage is going to use OEM parts are slim to none unless it's a dealer or specifically demanded.
Click to expand...
Mine didnt. So that means not all aftermarket PS came with a reservoir.

Maybe most do that's possible but I am 100% certain my aftermarket vane pump didnt come with a reservoir.

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
 
A quick search on rockauto shows all but one power steering pump listed without the reservoir, so the first thing I would check is if the original reservoir is still there and if it is how does the screen look.
 
Malcolm99 said:
All aftermarket and "upgraded" PS pumps ALL come with a reservoir, since he has done 3 pumps I would assume, so we'll see if this makes an ass outta u or me. OP?

*and the chances a garage is going to use OEM parts are slim to none unless it's a dealer or specifically demanded.
Click to expand...
Only 1 of 4 power steering pumps listed on oreilly's, 3 out of 4 at autozone, 2 out of 9 at advanced auto parts has a reservoir.

Edit: Maybe this makes an ass out of both of us. Me for spending the time researching, and you for putting that statement out there without researching at all. :hiding:
 
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Bad Luck said:
Edit: Maybe this makes an ass out of both of us. Me for spending the time researching, and you for putting that statement out there without researching at all. :hiding:
Click to expand...

I went straight to rock auto to verify this also! Your not the only one.
 
My apologies for being an ass, over the past 12 years I've changed 3 pumps for people and just ordered a PS pump at the corner parts store and never requested a reservoir and all three came with them, and thought surely a shop wouldn't want to fiddle with swapping a reservoir over 3 times let alone never looking inside of it in the process when all 3 pump where loud, but your right, I guess its a possibility..
 
Malcolm99 said:
My apologies for being an ass, over the past 12 years I've changed 3 pumps for people and just ordered a PS pump at the corner parts store and never requested a reservoir and all three came with them, and thought surely a shop wouldn't want to fiddle with swapping a reservoir over 3 times let alone never looking inside of it in the process when all 3 pump where loud, but your right, I guess its a possibility..
Click to expand...
It's ok. We all have bad days. Mostly the vane pumps are cheaper without the reservoirs.

I priced an OEM vane pump once. Then I just find good used ones. OEM for whatever reason seem to be the most quiet.

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
 
Alright everyone. Just wanted to say thanks for all of the great suggestions and (thanks to your help) to let y'all know the problem has been fixed.

As it turns out, when the power steering first started to make some noise, I thought I'd replace the fluid myself so I took an extraction pump and sucked out all of the old fluid. I remember that when I did so, the hose seemed to hesitate at what I'd have to guess was the bottom of the reservoir, but that I could actually get the hose to go down even lower than that if I forced it a little. I figured 'great. I'll be able to get even more of the old fluid out if I get the hose down as low as possible.' Well, as it turns out, I somehow managed to damage and dislodge the screen in the reservoir. When my mechanic replaced the pump, he did not replace the reservoir an instead, just reused the original. This meant that no matter how many times he replaced the pump, the problem remained.

When I took it back to him this last time, I asked if he had looked at the reservoir when he replaced the pump and he said he hadn't. Needless to say, when he drained the fluid and stuck a borescope in the reservoir, he could see that the screen was displaced and restricting flow from the reservoir.

So, long story short, I somehow displaced/broke the screen in the reservoir and once a new reservoir was installed, problem solved.

There's not doubt in my mind that if I hadn't forwarded y'alls suggestions to my mechanic, I would still be wrestling with this problem so I again want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who took the time to offer their suggestions. Couldn't have done with out this communities help.

Cheers all!
 
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