Power Steering Pump Help (1 Viewer)

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Oct 22, 2018
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Bend, OR
Hey All,

Alright, bear with me as I'm sure there have been some newbie mistakes I need calling out on.

I noticed the stock PS Pump on my 60 had sprung a leak at the shaft and was slowly spraying ATF all over the engine bay and ordered a reman replacement from Rock Auto. Finally got the "new" one in and failed to heed the warnings to flush the system. Installed the pump and it screamed and shook. I attempted to bleed the system of air, flush using the return line disconnect method, but finally the pump gave out entirely. I figured it may be the pump and ordered another. This time I got myself a vacuum kit and ran ATF through the system until I felt satisfied. Installed the new pump, same s*** happened.

Now, do I need a new steering rack? Replace the lines? What is this new kid missing?

Any help at all is appreciated, thanks for your time.

;TLDR
Replaced pump, pump died, replaced again, died again. What gives?
 
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It's possible you have debris in the system ( which could have lead to the first pump leaking) which would be killing pumps. How did the original fluid look?
 
It's possible you have debris in the system ( which could have lead to the first pump leaking) which would be killing pumps. How did the original fluid look?

Good idea. I had replaced enough of the fluid during the leak that it was crystal clear when I replaced the pump.
 
Did your original pump work pretty well? No noise? A pump bearing is the only thing I can thing of that could introduce any kind of contaminate into the system.
 
Did your original pump work pretty well? No noise? A pump bearing is the only thing I can thing of that could introduce any kind of contaminate into the system.

It worked just fine, a slight moan turning the 34s at idle, but if not for the leak I wouldn't have replaced it.
 
first, there is no steering rack on a 60 series, it is just the steering box, cooler line runs under the radiator mount on the front crossmember
second, the power steering system calls for ATF color should be red
rebuilt power steering pumps can be questionable, depending on who rebuilt the pump
brand new pumps are still available from Toyota
running 34's stock pump should be OK
Valley Hybrids makes a bracket to use a Saginaw pump which will be better for larger tires
 
first, there is no steering rack on a 60 series, it is just the steering box, cooler line runs under the radiator mount on the front crossmember
second, the power steering system calls for ATF color should be red
rebuilt power steering pumps can be questionable, depending on who rebuilt the pump
brand new pumps are still available from Toyota
running 34's stock pump should be OK
Valley Hybrids makes a bracket to use a Saginaw pump which will be better for larger tires

Regarding rebuilt FJ60 power steering pumps, from the Spector website:
“Specter does not offer rebuilt power steering pumps. The original Toyota front pump body does not have a replaceable bushing in it. To rebuild the pump correctly, the housing needs to be machined for a bushing and the bushing needs to be honed to match the pump shaft.”
 
Start looking into a Saginaw conversion. Rebuilt pumps just don't last. There are a ton of posts on the Saginaw conversion.
 
I doubt you need to vacuum air out of your system. Land cruiser power steering is bled simply by filling fluid in the reservoir and turning the wheel stop to stop.

You need to flush it like this:

1. jack up the front of the truck to get the front wheels off the ground,

2. disconnect the return line from the reservoir on the pump.

3. plug the reservoir. I used a short piece of plugged hose.

4. run the return line from the gearbox into a 5 gal bucket.

5. stand by with at least 2 to 4 quarts of ATF with the tops off ready to pour,

6. have someone else start the truck and turn the steering from stop to stop.

7. at the same time you should be pouring quickly into the reservoir new atf as the pump will push the atf to the gearbox quickly. It will violently throw ATF out of the system which is what you want as it will pick up crude out of the gearbox. You don't want to run it dry. Turn the motor off before your fluid gets low in the pump reservoir.

Inspect your bucket for trash in the bottom.

repeat until it comes out clean.
 
I'd get a toyota pump. Pricey but you know it will last. Also if in doubt now is the time to rebuild your gearbox.
Remove your lines and blow them out with compressed air or replace them if they are old.
 
Regarding rebuilt FJ60 power steering pumps, from the Spector website:
“Specter does not offer rebuilt power steering pumps. The original Toyota front pump body does not have a replaceable bushing in it. To rebuild the pump correctly, the housing needs to be machined for a bushing and the bushing needs to be honed to match the pump shaft.”

I had always read that the bushings on these pumps was the biggest issue when trying to rebuild. I think its fairly well documented on here that rebuilding is difficult because of this bushing issue. Somewhere there is a thread about someone offering to make new shaft bushings because you couldn't use standard size bushings in these when rebuilding. They are some oddball size that is just not readily available, so the guy, who had a lathe, offered to make some bushings to allow folks to rebuild these pumps. Point being is that rebuilding them is not like other pumps. This alone forced me to pay the Toyota OEM premium for a brand new pump when replacement time came for me. Sucked caused all that was wrong with mine was the keyway for the woodruff key on the shaft was buggered up and would no longer take a woodruff key. Would have saved me a bundle if I could have rebuilt it. I did talk to George @ Valley Hybrids (@orangefj45) about his Saginaw kit at the time but being that my particular truck is so original stock I am a bit of a purist when buying parts and tend to favor OEM. Georges kit can be seen here if interested:

Finally!!!! Saginaw PS pump conversion kit for FJ60s!!!!!
 
I did mine early part of this summer with stock. City Racer is selling a pump for the 60 on his site for less than the $360 I paid for OEM. Has anyone tried this pump?

I followed the advice here on the changeing the pump. It's a few hours. But doable in a day. Good luck

Saginaw works, but its weird seeing the GM stuff on a Toyota. Good luck with your choice.
 
IMHO the Saginaw is a better pump, especially if your tires are larger than stock. Cheap, reliable, plentiful, more power...just a better pump.
 
When you guys say the Toyota power steering are average, is that all 60 series pumps or just the 2F versions? I seem to recall rebuilding my HJ61 power steering pump without issue...
 
No, I went OEM, but would of tried this one if I knew about it. These are fairly new item for sale and were not available when my pump went out. I have bought items from City Racer before and they are good quality. I suspect these are JDM.
 
Some guy at one time machined his own bushing and I remember telling him to make a bunch... I don’t recall who it was. Maybe could be found via a search tho.
 

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