I have changed two and I don't think either of them bubbled but when I took one apart the filter was black. The problem is that you can't see the filter very easily. I managed with a small dentist mirror after sucking out some of the oil.

Have a look at this http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic16822.html 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

Could you not 'back flush' the filter and therefore not have to cut it in half.

Give it a go and see! 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

Anyone actually changed the rack themselves and can advise if it is possible without lowering the subframe please?

PM sent

Not tried it but deffo have to take subframe off. Just had new rack at 102k - £250 for recon rack and £200 labour. Had already changed reservoir at 60k but rack was getting sticky; would stick then release. Not much fun at all!

Hi, new member here. Am having the trouble with intermittent heavy steering. Have changed the filter, flushed system, changed the pump and still experience the problem at all the worst times - mostly at crawling speed.

I am considering changing the rack and can find no confirmation that it is possible without removing the sub-frame.

Can anyone advise whether it is possible? Thanks

Ok... My 07 GS has developed the dreaded whine so I will try this first. If the pump is knackered it looks to be an expensive item, I've seen prices ranging from £160 to over £400... And apparently there are different pulley sizes and number of grooves in the pulley!!!! Anyone care to recommend a good place to get one from at a reasonable price?
Thanks in advance.

Pleased to report that it is fully sorted now, but only after a new steering rack fitted by a local LR specialist. After my post the steering became very noisy with stiffness often linked to changes in the noise, but worryingly at speeds more than just crawling! I obtained and fitted a genuine, new pump and also a new reservoir and flushed with 3l of new oil. I cut open the old reservoir to inspect the filter and it was amazingly clogged with black gunk, so felt I had made progress at last. Well, on the 2nd test run the stiffness returned and I gave up. I booked it into a local specialist and had a genuine LR rack fitted and full B service. Expensive at £1500 but I collected the same evening and -heaven- it drove like a new car. Every time I use it now, I am still surprised and delighted that it works as it should always have done. Happy days......

Just flushed and replaced reservoir on mine, so thanks a lot for such a great article and instructions!
However, even though I think that I managed to fix this soon enough (at least I think) after the pump started to whine, now I am worried about the steering rack, as many of you are mentioning it. How do I know that it is bad and needs replacement? Cheers

An excellent article, did this on my 2008 FL and it completely cured; the whirring noise at low speed, the high pitched turbo like noise at higher rpm and the heavy steering. I was absolutely convinced that one of the noises I had was the turbo, but it proved to be all down to the blocked filter in the PAS reservoir causing starvation to the pump. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share it.
Incidentally I have concluded that the smaller pipe is actually the feed to the pump when the pump is running, as the larger pipe does not have a filter. When you turn the steering from side to side to flush the old oil out (without the engine and therefore pump running), the oil flows from the large pipe and returns through the small pipe. I cut my old reservoir in to two after removal and the gauze was clearly clogged, I am sure it could easily have been cleaned though by pumping solvent though the small inlet to the reservoir and using a toothbrush on the gauze through the filler cap. I guess the LR view that replacement is the only way, is based on the fact that the reservoir is relatively cheap compared to the cost of labour to clean the filter. If I had known this before I started I would have cleaned mine and not replaced it. It took me just under a hour to do mine, I used a trolley jack either side and sucked the oil out of the old reservoir which I left in position. I then fitted the larger pipe to the new reservoir and left the small pipe on the old. I used the caps supplied with the new reservoir to block the open outlet/inlet on both reservoirs. I filled the new reservoir with fresh oil and turned the wheels from lock to lock (engine OFF) approx 10 times refilling the new reservoir and sucking old oil out of the old reservoir after each time. I repeated this 4 to 5 times until the returning oil was clear. I then removed the small pipe and attached it quickly to the new reservoir, attached the new reservoir to its bracket, topped up the oil, job done. Thanks again.

Thanks all for the collective wisdom on this thread! I'm a fresh 2012 FL2 owner and have purchased a car afflicted with the power steering whine. I've just done a flush and reservoir change but to no avail. I'm now going into phase II and will be replacing the pump. Between LR Direct and Britcar there are 3-4 options arranged according to price

LR OE Original LR007207
LR Refurbished supplied by Britcar LR007208
Bearmach LR007207
and not to forget the plethora of USD$100 pumps available on eBay

So the question to the collective wisdom of the internet....

1. Would Bearmach do in terms of quality or should one stick to OE?
2. The LR Microcat states LR007207 and LR007208 as the same. can anyone confirm this?

Many thanks

Great post and thank you very much. Used this to diagnose my problem which was caused by a blocked steering fluid reservoir. The problem presented itself with a whine when steering at high revs , when accelerating and turning up a hill or turning from a standing start. I could produce the noise by reving the engine in neutral and steeering the wheel from side to side, bought a new reservoir online ( cheap at £20) and got it done at an independent garage, which solved the problem, thanks once again to everyone for the posts that allowed me to correctly diagnose the problem and am delighted that both my pump and steering rack were unaffected . I did have a similar problem a year ago and simply flushed the fluid ( which temporarily cured the issue for a year and a half) but with hindsight from reading the forums would have replaced the cheap part in the first place at the same time as getting it flushed. See attached images of the parts and scans[/i]

Hi

2008 TD4 GS 130000 manual.

Been working through the posts as I have a whine which increases with revs. The steering is absolutely fine at all speeds and in all other respects the car drives well. Ive flushed the pwoer steering fluid after changing the reservoir, old fluid was a bit darker but not terrible. After flushing the whine is still there. With a mate holding the engine at 2000 revs and listening at the belt end of the engine I cannot be certain whether the whine is from the power steering punp or the alternator. Dont want to layout on a new/repalcement pump on the off chance that it may be the alternator. Are there any reliable tests for whether the alternator clutch or pulley bearing are at fault?

Cheers

Dan

All with your head under the bonnet with engine running you could try in no particular order:

1 With engine running with nothing turned on you could then load the alternator with anything and everything that takes power to see if the note changes. If little change in noise good chance its not the alternator

2 Load the AC on and off to check noise difference

3 Spray the whole area with WD40 (or similar)

4 Pretend you work at a main dealers, do nothing as you have no idea and then set fire to £150. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current