Will400

Just got alternator fixed and now I am hearing power steering noises and feeling it tighten up as well. I checked the container and I need to put fluid in. What should I do? Put more fluid in and let it continue to ruin the alternator? I am waiting to hear from some local mechanics so I won't have to get done by the dealership prices, but this needs to be fixed soon.
Also- it sux but i will probably have to do the alternator again.
wtf!

MongolKhan

Replace your PS pump, our cars are famous for them going bad, also check your battery. Bad battery=bad alternator=bad ps pump.

Will400

Just got back from getting an oil change at the dealership. It's the pump and the serptintine drive belt. Fluid is dripping into alternator.

Dealership wants a ton of $ to fix. I'm not mechanically inclined.

sand0495

I just fixed a similar problem on my '92 SC400. The power steering pump was leaking all over the alternator and destroyed it. Before putting in a new alternator, I knew I would have to fix the leaking PS pump, so I removed it and took a look at it. There are two places that the PS pump can leak from. First is the front of the pump where the drive pulley and bearing are located. If that part is leaking, I would replace the entire pump.

Secondly, the entire PS pump splits in half, right across the middle. Once you remove the PS pump from car, you can see tht four bolts hold the two halves of the pump together . If you remove those four bolts and pry the two halves apart, you will find sealing the two halves from leaking is a simple o-ring, about two and a quarter inches in diameter. This is very cheap to fix-- I found an o-ring at my local hardware store for about $1.29. If this o-ring is the only thing that is leaking (as I am pretty sure it was the o-ring in my case), then fixing the PS pump is fairly cheap if you can find someone to do the labor for cheap and can find an o-ring that will work.

KEVIN

P.S. a new power steering pump is about $500 from my local dealership, and the cheapest I could find it at an aftermarket parts store was a $138 rebuild from Autozone.

Fastfwd

Ok, my power steering pump is pulling the infamous stunt. I should have done a thorough inspection when it started crying for fluid a few weeks ago, but instead I just put more into it. Now, it’s crying again! I know what’s up and I hope that I haven’t burnt the alternator!

I’ve got to confirm that there might be the possibility of replacing an o-ring as a fix? My ps pump does look as though it is leaking from the middle of the unit – not from the end. Is this indicative of it needed a complete overhaul as detailed here: http://www.planetsoarer.com/Power%20steering%20pump.htm or is there the possibility that indeed a minor O-Ring replacement will be all that is needed? If so, what EXACTLY is the part needed?

Thanks! I hope that I haven’t destroyed my alternator already. I knew from this website that this was the big thing to look out for.