power steering pump failure

[Anonymous]

sorry to hijack the topic, but on the matter of the fluid, my level is a bit low. i have a bottle of fluid that has been opened for over a year. is it still good? or should i get a new one?

Nicolas

[spit]

Over the course of three days my PS has gone from light to occasionally light to defunct.

Fluid is OK and power is still getting to the pump so I fear the worst. 'Percussive maintenance' hasn't done diddly  s:D s:D  

What triggers the PS warning light on the dash? Mine is going out as per normal on the start-up cycle  s:? :? s:?

[spit]

Any recommendations for flushing of the system and PS fluid? Quantity required?

[Anonymous]

Arrgh....wish I had seen your post before you bought the pump.....

I had the same problem going into last winter - PS pressure for two seconds on start-up, then nothing, and then the light comes on.

I took a small hammer, and while the pump was "spooling up" (I had a friend turn on the ignition for me) I gave it a couple of sharp taps with the hammer ON THE ALUMINIUM PUMP CASTING (not the soft steel can which surrounds the armature). This re-seats the motor shaft in the end bushings - a simple trick learned after years of rebuilding pumps and alternators.

It has worked flawlessly ever since. All I have done is change the fluid, you need special Toyota fluid, NOT ATF.....

I'll try and post the part number.

S.

[Anonymous]

Here is the original thread...

 l viewtopic.php?f=11&t=19719 l

[spit]

Thanks for that. Through the power of the search I did see your comments before panic-buying, hence:

I fear the worst. 'Percussive maintenance' hasn't done diddly  s:D s:D  

9 years old and 120000 miles is a good innings I spose. There are options in the BGB to open the thing up and service it, so I'll probably do that when time allows.

So, will MrT tell me how much PS fluid I need? Anything other than that used to flush the system?

*edit* Oh, and my earlier question too re: the P/S light. Mine is functioning as if there is nothing wrong at all  s:? :? s:?  v.odd.

[spit]

Did you pay 50 quid to get your pump fitted?
At that price it's probably worth paying to get it done rather than trying to do it myself. Has anyone changed there own, are there any write ups?

I intended to do a full write-up with piccies tonight, but its literally no more than a 10-minute job if you don't have frunk plastics on, and it was done before I'd found the camera   s:oops: :oops: s:oops:   - if only it was always this easy   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

So, in summary ....

- Remove frunk plastics (if applicable).
- Disconnect the three electrical connectors from the pump.
- Remove the 2 12mm mounting bolts and single 12mm nut.
- Lift and tilt the assembly to avoid spillage during removal - there is enough flex in the hoses to allow for this.
- Using a 17mm open spanner, disconnect the outlet pipe. Wrap in cloth to catch seepage and tuck it to one side.
- Using a pair of pliers (aka SST), pinch and slide back the return hose clamp and pull off the hose.
- Remove the unit.

- Clean stuff up.

- Mount and secure the new unit.
- Slide on the return hose and clamp.
- Reconnect outlet pipe - holding the hard pipe horizontal to avoid twisting as you nip up the nipple!
- Reconnect the three electrical connections.
- Fill reservoir to full (cold) mark with new P/S fluid.
- Start the engine and turn and hold steering alternately between opposite locks in turn for a minute or so.
- Re-fill reservoir to desired level, checking to ensure no contamination or emulsification in the fluid.
- Check for leaks.
- Replace frunk plastics (if applicable).

And there y'go.

P/S fluid is available in 2litre containers from MrT at just over £22   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  Rough guesstimate is that the above procedure uses less than half of this. Note that you're likely to have to order this in - its not a stocked item.

Part number for the fluid is: 08886-01206

[markiii]

nice one Ste

also worth noting teh pump is fully rebuildable

though in most cases a secondhand pump is both easier and cheaper

[spit]

also worth noting the pump is fully rebuildable

Yep. When I have a mo (ha!) I'm going to investigate the innards. I suspect the old one is a bit cacked up as Stewarty suggests..... it may be retrievable.

[Ilogik]

nice write up, not sure if my clifford is doing it, but having the P/S light flash up on start up, if i hold the clutch down and turn the key on too fast, the p/s light comes on and i have no steering, soon as I restart, it goes back to normal, no difference in driving though feels fine.  This early signs?

[ad_car_08]

It has worked flawlessly ever since. All I have done is change the fluid, you need special Toyota fluid, NOT ATF.....

I'll try and post the part number.

S.

Why do you need special Toyota steering fluid? Does that mean I have to drain the system of the Halfords stuff I've put in?!   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:

[ad_car_08]

?  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:

[Anonymous]

The book says Toyota EH Power steering fluid (EH stands for Electro-Hydraulic), so anything that is listed as meeting those specs is ok. It is green in colour, ATF / Dexron is red....

[ad_car_08]

Thanks for getting back to me Stewarty

The halfords stuff was yellow and I can't find anywhere to stipulate it's either EH or ATF. Ah crap...it's in now, so I guess I'll find out if it's bost the seals or done any damage, in a few months time!   s:? :? s:?

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

Think my pump has just gone, anyone got a spare floating around before I start trawling ebay or get the awful quote from the dealership?

Cheers,
Mark

[Anonymous]

Sold 2 of these recently,they are harder than they should be to get hold of as Supra/Honda etc owners are fitting these for track racing.
 m http://k20a.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58599 m

[Anonymous]

Sold 2 of these recently,they are harder than they should be to get hold of as Supra/Honda etc owners are fitting these for track racing.
 m http://k20a.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58599 m

Not good news for the discerning MR2R road user   s:( s:(  

Just heard that Chris may have one so fingers crossed! Will be trying the hammer method tomorrow.

[Chris]

You've got PM...
  s:) s:)

[MR 2ster]

I've got the same problem now  s:( s:(  turn key, P/S works for a few secs and then dies! resetting ECu isn't working...might try the hammer trick, then replace relay and if all else fails and complete pump replacement...will just replacing the Pump ECU work?

[cclarke99]

The pump will shut down if it detects an overcurrent or overheat condition. For the fault to appear after 10s, either the pump is drawing over 100A or the motor temperature sensor has exceeded 200C.

The same will happen if the ECU detects that the motor voltage is much less than the supply voltage, this is quite likely your fault, as it will trip after 10s. The fault could either be in the ECU (switch open circuit) or the motor (short).

Another fault is that the ECU will shut down the system if the control power is lost. It might be worth checking that there is voltage on pin 1 (Black/Red wire) of the ECU

It's not the speed signal as the car has to be moving (over 12 mph) for that to trip

If you short pins 4 and 13 on the diagnostic connector and then turn on the ignition, after 4 seconds, the PS light will flash to indicate the fault code. They are 2 digit. Count the short flashes for each digit, the medium sized gap is between digits and the longer gap is between codes. Lowest number code is output first

[MR 2ster]

Hmmm cheers for the info, that's quite in depth!! Good news though...I topped the resevoir up to full and hit the pump a few times with a screwdriver, plugged it back in, reconnected battery and all of sudden works again...However I fear that it may not be long before it happens again and I really want to fix this problem 100%.

What your saying about power drops makes sense, a thought is that the damp weather has been playing with the connections! Where is the diagnostics port to short the pins and show the fault code because that will help when it next appears!

Thanks again, very helpful info there!

[cclarke99]

The diagnostic port is the usual one to the right of the steering column (UK car) for engine codes etc. Pin 16 is bottom right, pin 9 bottom left, pin 8 top right, pin 1 top left. Pin 4 is ground, so just shorting pin 13 to any earthed point should activate the display function.

[Anonymous]

Hi guy and gals,

This is my first post (probably of many!!). I have a similar problem, when I start the engine (usually on a cold or wet day) the PS works for about 20 secs then goes off and the PS light comes on, but if I drive for a few minutes with the PS off then turn the engine off and on again the power steering works fine for the rest of the journey.

I've also noticed that just before it goes off there seems to be a dip in power to the headlights because as soon as the PS stops working the lights get brighter. Could it be just a power supply problem/dodgy connector? Any help in basic form would be much appreciated   s:D s:D

[cclarke99]

From what you say about cold weather and the voltage dip; and the previous posts on this subject, it looks as if the motor is exceeding it's current limit when the fluid is cold. The voltage dip might be tripping the ECU moitor on input voltage, which might be a dodgy connection, but generally at the sort of currents that the pump draws any bad conenction will burn out pretty quickly. Another cause of low voltage might be a battery that's on the way out.

Some of the other posts on this topic where the pump starts up after it's hit suggest that the brushes in the motor are worn out. if that's the case then it should be possible to repair the unit by replacing the brushes, at considerably less cost than than a whole new pump. Problems are that Toyota explicitly prohibits dismantling the motor & ECU assembly for some reason and that it might be difficult to source new brushes. There might be a business opportunity here for someone as there must be an increasing supply of dead pumps and demand for working ones over the next few years and the brushes should be fairly cheap.

[Anonymous]

Cool. thanks for the swift reply.

I'll check the connectors tonight. It could well be the battery as its got some white acid furring happening on the top and this would hint at why it happens in cold conditions.

So if the power steering can't pull enough voltage from the battery it will cut out? Is there an easy way to test this?

Cheers,

Dan.