88 Camry 4-cyl. SW: is P/S pump shot?

I replaced the steering rack with a new one around 3 months ago. topped of P/S reservoir. Turned the steering through several times and topped off again. Worked for maybe a month, then when my wife was driving it, she said the P/S was making loud noises and seemed to have lost the power steering. I found the reservoir empty. No wonder. So I refilled it and checked for leaks....did not find one. WHere did the fluid all go? Well after refilling reservoir, there are no longer any noises, but the P/S just doesn't work, have to muscle it into turns. I can't see why loss of flud would have damaged the rack, so I guess the P/S pump is shot? Right? But when I remove the reservoir cap and watch the fluid, it seems that there is still a flow or movement there. Unfortunately there seem to be no connections so that I could put a press. gauge on the lines and check if the pump is no longer working. Guess that I just have to replace the pump and figure out what happened to the fluid ?

Reply to
geronimo
Loading thread data ...

There are special gauges for PS pressure test. Goes between pump and pipe. You're talking 1,000+ PSI. So be careful here if you find a set. Did you fill by capacity?

We can only suspect the pump is not putting out enough pressure. Which is a reasonable guess as you mentioned. But obviously we can't be certain and we don't want to just replace parts to solve a problem like the dealers. Shine a flashlight on the pump. Does the pump look dry? Leaks have to go somewhere.

Reply to
johngdole

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.