It's leaking they said, replace the power steering rack they said... (1 Viewer)

[Gnarwgn]

That would explain why I couldn't see the links either, thanks @trdcorolla !

Which leads me to a recurring thought - is there a sticky listing all supporting vendors? I've never seen it, but I think this would be extremely helpful. I keep making cool finds like @CloudCity 's site, would be nice if there was a one stop shop for all these links. Usually this is right about the time where somebody shows me thats been done and available for 10+ years...

Lastly - eating some Halloween humble pie today. Last night suddenly steering was making more noise than ever before and feeling weird. Woke up this morning to a puddle of ATF on the floor, and the pump visibly the source of the leak. So replacing that tomorrow, thanks to NAPA and this video:



Speaking of this video - all the comments are siting the alternator as the source of the noise that is driving us all crazy. Anybody had that experience?

 

[CloudCity]

Came for the steering rack info. Leaving with a new set of hatch struts from @CloudCity . Didn't know about your store!

Thank you much! I've been low key about it, but hope it helps make finding some items easier for owners. Always open to new product suggestions as well.

I've clicked on @CloudCity store before and thought the links were down. It turns out I had to disable my ad-blocker to see the links

Ahhhhh, yes that will mask the links I'm told. I appreciate you making the effort!

 

[CloudCity]

That would explain why I couldn't see the links either, thanks @trdcorolla !

Which leads me to a recurring thought - is there a sticky listing all supporting vendors? I've never seen it, but I think this would be extremely helpful. I keep making cool finds like @CloudCity 's site, would be nice if there was a one stop shop for all these links. Usually this is right about the time where somebody shows me thats been done and available for 10+ years...

Indeed there is! It's on the main forum index page, but here's the direct link: Vendor Forums
I don't actually post there as I'm a small fry, but I very much encourage supporting the other vendors who I'm certain will appreciate it every bit as much as I do. There's some very creative folks to be found, many making their own custom items.

Hey that's a Chow Cares video! He's a great guy, I subscribed to his channel.

 

[Gnarwgn]

@CloudCity thanks for the link!

Reporting back yet again - after following the steps outlined by Chow Cares (bwt is he on Mud? I only see chowchilla and chowda) I was able replace the power steering pump last night. One of the more challenging things i've done but within reach.

Noise problem is now gone, or is gone so far. In my case I think it was a bad pump. The upgrade to M1 ATF didn't hurt anything either. Now I wait and see how long the rack lasts!

 

[CloudCity]

Reporting back yet again - after following the steps outlined by Chow Cares (bwt is he on Mud? I only see chowchilla and chowda)

I don't think so, or haven't seen him here that I'm aware of. I'll suggest he join up!

 

[RyanStl]

Honda did the same GD thing when I took the Odyssey in to see why the airbag light was on. They said our power steering pump was leaking and wanted somewhere near $1000 to replace. I passed as I have not seen any fluids on the garage floor. About a month later the alternator went bad and I had my mechanic also look at the power steering. He said, yes, there is a bit of evidence of some leaking, but the fluid is at top and not worry about it. 6 months later, the fluid level is the same. Bastards at the stealership.

 

[Gnarwgn]

@RyanStl - good feedback. I think I read somewhere that you can pull into an O'Reilly's/Autozone/Napa and they have a cigarette adapter device that they'll plug in to test the alternator. That sound familiar to anyone? If so - I need to do that to check the alternator theory...

 

[MongooseGA]

I think they just measure the power at the battery when the engine is running. Some will have bench testers as well for when the part is already out of the car.

 

[Gnarwgn]

Is there anyway to do an isolated test on an in place alternator without pulling it? Would the stealership do this for a nominal fee? Going to be up in the passes as soon as it starts snowing up here in SE Alaska and would prefer not to be surprised by a dead alternator. Given the heavy response I'm seeing seems like its probable that the alternator is sailing into the sunset at 175k.

 

[MongooseGA]

Yeah, you measure the voltage at the battery when the engine is running. Stick the multimeter leads on the battery posts. The battery should be at or just over 12v engine off and 13.5+ engine running at idle. If you're seeing over 14v, you may have a bad voltage regulator. They are a component on the alternator, but I'm not sure if they are can be replaced independently on these trucks.

 

[RyanStl]

@RyanStl - good feedback. I think I read somewhere that you can pull into an O'Reilly's/Autozone/Napa and they have a cigarette adapter device that they'll plug in to test the alternator. That sound familiar to anyone? If so - I need to do that to check the alternator theory...

The Odyssey gave us plenty of warning on the dash to get to our shop. Instead of battery light or something like that it had a charging system error light. First I have ever seen a dummy light like that.

 

[Gnarwgn]

Yeah, you measure the voltage at the battery when the engine is running. Stick the multimeter leads on the battery posts. The battery should be at or just over 12v engine off and 13.5+ engine running at idle. If you're seeing over 14v, you may have a bad voltage regulator. They are a component on the alternator, but I'm not sure if they are can be replaced independently on these trucks.

So I checked this morning. Battery was at 11v engine off and 13v solid engine on. I increased RPMs to 2k and it remained at 13v the entire time.

For comparison I did the same thing on my 4runner, and had the exact same result.

Is this good sign/bad sign/somewhere in between sign? I need an interpreter....

 

[MongooseGA]

Your battery should be showing at least 12v with no other power input. It sounds to me like the battery doesn't take or hold charge, and that could cause problems. If you're still hearing that whining sound after the PS pump replacement, it's likely the bearings in the alternator. I had what I thought was a faulty pump as well, only to find the alternator was telling me that the end was nigh. Depending on how old the battery is, and how long the alternator may have been waning, it's possible that the dying alternator not properly charging the battery has in turn killed the battery. Meaning, a bad battery is a symptom, but not the problem.

I'm kind of an idiot with electrical, but that's how I'd look at it if it were mine.

 

[Gnarwgn]

Thanks @MongooseGA -

Welp, if you're an idiot with electrical, I'm your understudy, haha. My brother in law is an electrician so have somewhat of a sounding board there, however his knowledge is not a direct crossover with automotive electrical. I have discovered some new and possibly related evidence that I wanted to offer up:

I did a Morimoto HID retrofit on my hi/lo beams ~2 years ago. I have replaced my ballasts 2x since then, and there are currently signs that the ballasts are going out for a third time. Fortunately the retrofit source trades me out under warranty every time, but this has become a recurring PITA. By contrast, my buddy who did the same retrofit at the same time has not replaced his ballasts. So I'm suspecting something systemic with my rig, and trying to connect the dots.

I'm wondering if my underpowered battery is somehow causing the ballasts to go bad, and could subsequently point towards the alternator, which would then have shared responsibility for the additional noise that first led me to suspect the power steering pump. It all kind of makes sense from my very limited point of view, I'm just not sure if my ballast theory makes any sense? If it does make sense, then that confirms the need to swap out alternator and likely battery (battery is just over 2 years old).

 

[MongooseGA]

I can't speak to the lighting, maybe a good question for @jerryb to answer there.

With all you're telling us, IMO, swap out the alternator. We already know it's not putting out as much power as it should be, so whether or not it's involved with the ballasts popping, it should be done. If your battery is only two years old, you could possibly have some warranty left in it too.

 

[jerryb]

What he said.
You know if its making noise, or putting out less than 13.7 or so then it should come out.
More often than not If you drive it around for a few months putting out that low of voltage then you need a battery also. Bearings brushes and voltage regulator are 20 dollars I think.

Hid needs a bigger push to ignite but after that needs less than a regular 9005 or 6.

Underpowered or fluctuating voltage might affect them but I don't know. Certainly 13v is enough, as is 12.5v but as you drive that probably isn't remaining constant.
The xb ballasts are fine for me. But I could have blamed them multiple times instead of bad relay wiring, hid bulb cracked etc. I've had hylux and xb and none have ever failed.
Honestly I don't even know how to test a ballast other than a function test, which is all you need.
Don't run a new alt with new insides on a half wasted battery.
If you can't get your battery to hold at 12.6 over night or a 12 hour cold cycle then just get a new one.
Battery and alt go hand in hand, either one will waste the other if driven long enough.

 

[Gnarwgn]

Thanks guys - great feedback again.

Over the weekend went to Napa and a) had them do their battery/alternator test thing b) they confirmed bad alternator c) bought reman alternator d) attempted to install unsuccessfully due to no room to remove.

Can anyone confirm that you indeed have to remove the radiator to get enough real estate to swap out the alternator? No apparent path shut me down.

Taking it a few steps further - keeping in mind I'm at 175k, if radiator removal is required, should I then replace the radiator? And if replacing the radiator might as well replace the ac condenser? And if pulling all of that, might as well bolt on a transmission cooler?

My thoughts being - at 175k the radiator/condenser are almost toast anyways (I think), and I don't want to go back and replace any of these items later. If I'm already in there, I might as well swap out everything?

Hold me back from overkill...

 

[87warrior]

Can anyone confirm that you indeed have to remove the radiator to get enough real estate to swap out the alternator? No apparent path shut me down.

The alternator will come out the bottom without removing the radiator or lower radiator hose. Squish the heck out of the lower radiator hose and the alternator will slip past it. Doing this on a stone cold motor/coolant makes squishing the radiator hose quiet easy.

 

[MongooseGA]

Removing the radiator is not necessary to R&R alternator.

Having said that, I've done 2 on 100s and do remove the radiator anyway. Just the reduction in effort and stress is worth the 30 minutes it takes to remove.

 

[Gnarwgn]

Bringing this full circle for future reference for anyone who experiences this seemingly connected series of issues.

Switched out alternator, all noise issues are now gone, and my HID headlights are functioning/firing normally. In my case the noise reduced when I switched out the power steering pump, and only completely went away when I switched the alternator. I think due to them sitting next to each other its really difficult to isolate where the noise is coming from. In my case, alot of noise was coming from both. Time will tell how long the steering rack holds out now that everything else has been replaced.

Final question (I think) - have been running an interstate battery, which was new 2 years ago when I bought my LC. I think its safe to assume that the alternator has been under performing for the majority of the past 2 years. My question is - is it also probable that this has damaged the battery, and if so should I be thinking about replacing/switching that out as well? If we weren't heading into the winter and 20-30 round trips up into the mountain passes I wouldn't be as concerned, but the last thing I need is a whiplash effect from my current battery up in the pass loaded down with ski gear and the fam. What would you guys do if you were me?