100 Series Power Steering Whine (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Nov 30, 2022
Threads
3
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9
Location
Louisburg, NC
New to me 2000 LC with 287k miles, the power steering whine has me stumped. Reading on the forums I’ve already cleaned out the reservoir twice, replaced the pump with an oem toyota ps pump and the hoses. Bleeding the system I’ve turned the wheels with the truck jacked up, not running, then jacked up running, and finally on the ground. I’ve also checked the rack for leaks. The fluid still is aerated even after using additives, I’m stumped! Any help would be greatly appreciated, also I’m around the Raleigh NC area if there are any LC gurus nearby.
 
Sometimes it takes a few days to work out all the air. @OwnerCS also went through several pumps before changing out his one year old OEM steering rack, which was killing his pumps.
 
Sometimes it takes a few days to work out all the air. @OwnerCS also went through several pumps before changing out his one year old OEM steering rack, which was killing his pumps.
I was looking at the rack and it’s original, I’m thinking about biting the bullet and buying a new oem rack. The steering is fine but the whine is insanely annoying. I can hear it inside the truck at idle and it’s driving me nuts.
 
I was looking at the rack and it’s original, I’m thinking about biting the bullet and buying a new oem rack. The steering is fine but the whine is insanely annoying. I can hear it inside the truck at idle and it’s driving me nuts.
Can you record some audio or video and post it, from near but not inside the engine bay? Are you sure it's the power steering pump? How about a picture or two of the backside of the pump , is your air vane in tact and the hoses still connected?


Replacing the rack is probably in your future but don't do it as a way to solve the pump whine.

Rack prices have come down a bit, mcgeorge and other online vendors are under $700. Labor is tough and you'll want to do new outter tie rods and whatever else you want to throw money at " while your in there "

>> Also Seafoam makes a good additive if you want to keep trying to clean and flush
 
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Your method of bleeding the air out is correct.
Is whine still present even when the wheels are up?
What power steering fluid are you using?
Are there any sediments at the bottom of the reservoir after 2 flush and fills (flashlight)?
 
Can you record some audio or video and post it, from near but not inside the engine bay? Are you sure it's the power steering pump? How about a picture or two of the backside of the pump , is your air vane in tact and the hoses still connected?


Replacing the rack is probably in your future but don't do it as a way to solve the pump whine.

Rack prices have come down a bit, mcgeorge and other online vendors are under $700. Labor is tough and you'll want to do new outter tie rods and whatever else you want to throw money at " while your in there "
Can you record some audio or video and post it, from near but not inside the engine bay? Are you sure it's the power steering pump? How about a picture or two of the backside of the pump , is your air vane in tact and the hoses still connected?


Replacing the rack is probably in your future but don't do it as a way to solve the pump whine.

Rack prices have come down a bit, mcgeorge and other online vendors are under $700. Labor is tough and you'll want to do new outter tie rods and whatever else you want to throw money at " while your in there "
Your method of bleeding the air out is correct.
Is whine still present even when the wheels are up?
What power steering fluid are you using?
Are there any sediments at the bottom of the reservoir after 2 flush and fills (flashlight)?
Dex 3 ATF, royal purple at first, I’ve also used Lucas additive, there seems to be a few sediments under the screen that I can’t get out even after using a parts washer and brake cleaner (I’m trying not to dry out the plastic) and blowing it out with air. I’m going to upload videos soon, I’m really hoping I didn’t get a bad pump.
 
An indictor of a PS pump whine is its either resisting (ps pulley bearing) or too loose (air inside the system) causing inconsistent pressure during full lock when the rack’s tie rods are fully extended and/or drive belt is slipping. How is your drive belt and when was the last time it was replaced?

If the drive belt is good we can eliminate that and shortlist the culprit to either the ps pump or ps rack and pinion assembly.
 
I’m not proud to admit I changed my PS pump, only to find my alternator bearing was failing. Make sure you check that.
 
I’m not proud to admit I changed my PS pump, only to find my alternator bearing was failing. Make sure you check that.
The alternator looks to be original as well, I’ve had no indication of it starting to go bad yet, but I’ve thought about that, the drive belt looked fairly new, I bought it from a guy with an 80 series and he said he base lined it when he got it, also have all the maintenance records, once I get out of the shop and get better internet connection I’ll upload videos.
 
The alternator looks to be original as well, I’ve had no indication of it starting to go bad yet, but I’ve thought about that, the drive belt looked fairly new, I bought it from a guy with an 80 series and he said he base lined it when he got it, also have all the maintenance records, once I get out of the shop and get better internet connection I’ll upload videos.
Make sure you turn the alternator by hand to check it’s smooth and not the cause of your noise.
 
I’m not proud to admit I changed my PS pump, only to find my alternator bearing was failing. Make sure you check that.
Been there , done that. Ended up leading to every spinning part being replaced . Happy it's all done now though
 
If it’s coming just from the pump, I had excellent luck with a rebuild kit and a deep flush. Won’t do anything for a bearing situation, but it’s minimal cost/labor to at least see if that’s a quick answer. Can swap the pump later if no change.
 
I had an ongoing problem with failing pumps and fluid becoming dark. A new OEM pump would last approximately 6 months before developing a whine. It turned out that lack of circulation was causing the pump to heat up and burn fluid. The pump would become so hot that it caused a 2nd degree burn when I touched it. Finally, the hot fluid melted the plastic reservoir. Something was going wrong in the rack that was obstructing fluid circulation. It took replacing the rack, reservoir, and pump to resolve the problem. I bought an infrared thermometer to pump temperatures when I go off-road. Soi far, fluid temps have not exceeded ~172 degrees Fahrenheit.

I wish I had bought an IR thermometer and monitored temps 18 months before replacing 3 pumps along the way. Here's the thermometer that I bought to keep an eye on the fluid temps. This is a transmission fluid temp chart. for reference.

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Amazon product ASIN B0873T6SGR
 
Alright, I’ve made the decision and I’m going all in. I’ve ordered a rack and while I’m pulling everything apart I’m going to address the exhaust manifold tick. Is there anything else I should get while I’m blowing through Christmas money? 🤣
 

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