socal72

iTrader: (8)

If you have been getting some white lingering white smoke at start up, then 9/10 your power steering air control valve has failed and this is what it looks like,


And these are the parts you will be working with,


The valve is connected to the banjo fitting thats connected to the side of the power steering pump.Their really expensive IMO so I performed the mod that OLT came up with.All you have to do is remove the banjo bolt from the pump,remove the vacuum line from the valve,(one comes from the intake nipple just below the Lexus emblem to one side of the air control valve on a sc400 and the other connects to the intake housing by the airfilter and back to the valve) remove the valve,Then all you need to do is go to your local hardware store spend about $4.00 for a m14 w/1.50 pitch oil drain plug and the smallest rubber stopper they have, cut the bigger portion of the plug off with a razor knife just enough to fit in the hole thread the drain plug into where the valve came from and put it all back together Viola! no more smoke. Hope this helps out anyone with this problem.OLT & Club Lexus FTW

imDementeD

iTrader: (7)

just curious..could this also lead to a rough idle? or probably not likely?

socal72

iTrader: (8)

I'm thinking yes because of the way the power steering fluid is sucked into not only the intake manifold but also the air filter part of the intake. I'm running the Injen intake on my SC4 and the p-fluid was dripping out of my air filter and got all over the honeycomb part of the MAF. Once I did the mod before mentioned and cleaned everything up no more rough idle, no more hesitation and no more disappearing p-fluid.... Rough idle can also be from worn out ignition parts. check caps/rotors they may have carbon tracking and if you haven't changed them it might be time. And plugs/plug wires may need to be inspected and or changed also check your coil packs. Another thing I did was changed out my tranny mount which got rid of all vibration and that combined with what I mentioned before made my car run and feel buttery smooth. Like day and night. Also a good Sea Foaming could be very helpful. Hope this helps ....

imDementeD

iTrader: (7)

yea ive done almost all of that..ive checked tps/iacv and cleaned em..ive seafoamed my engine..ive changed plugs(wires appear to be new but i might go ahead and change em for piece of mind..along with cap/rotor)

the funny thing the is the idle is like intermittent..it doesnt happen all the time..it comes and goes..

thanks for the help though.

Tabaka

iTrader: (8)

I have white smoke at start up. It typically goes away once the car has warmed up. I replaced my ECU in hope that this would fix the issue but it didn't. My power steering is just starting to get a groaning sound and I can hear the alternator beginning to whine. My damn car is starting to fall apart on me. I need the normal water pump and timing belt maintenance, gaskets, etc as well. All of this crap is going to cost me thousands of dollars. I know it's time for a swap, but I just spent my life savings on buying a new house. Now my reliable daily driver has gone to the birds. I think I need to buy a brand new car and keep the SC as a project at this point. I know this went way off topic but I needed to vent, I have anxiety issues lol

horent135

iTrader: (10)

LOL shane, Welcome to the SC world, you get plenty more anxiety issues from the car. At the same time, you love to enjoy the SC more.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

Original thread and pics: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...s-one-out.html

Glad it helped, but you are really just repeating my thread. LOL. Still, glad it helped.

socal72

iTrader: (8)

OLT,
I made mention that that the credit was all yours, but if it seemed like I picture/thread jacked you i apologize. Next time I will just post the link so there's no question to who the credit goes too and thank you once again for all that you contribute to Club Lexus

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

No, just glad it helped. That is a very tricky problem that is not obvious at all when troubleshooting.

socal72

iTrader: (8)

Your absolutely correct, please let me know if you have any other useful mods i may need to do to my car . I'm all for maintaining my car.

BartleDoo

iTrader: (1)

I had this problem also. Instead of buying a plug bolt I had Redphoenix weld the end of the valve closed after removing the dual nippled plastic piece.

MDSC

iTrader: (3)

Its sucks, i've just done all the stuff you mentioned plus alot more, its still cheaper then buying a new car. 2jz is known for vavle seals failing especially if the car is a 95 and its never been done that is the smoke you see. Its a big job also.

kyddo112

is this sc400 specific?

Tabaka

iTrader: (8)

My mechanic friend says that it's probably the valve seals as you mentioned. It burns (no leaks) a quart every thousand miles! The maintenance that my current 2JZ would require is too much for comfort. It sucks because I just bought this car for $6k cash in March of 2010. I haven't even owned it for 1 year and it already needs a new engine (129k!) Considering a used GE is super cheap these days, it might be in my best interest to buy a new motor. I can probably just buy new accessories and do a tune up with the timing belt and water pump on the newer engine out of the vehicle which would be a lot easier. Plus it would be a good time to install new gaskets, RMS, etc.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

I better try this out.