New truck....power steering and parking brake went on day 1. Help

Hey guys, hoping you guys might be able to solve some problems I have with my truck that I bought, 2 days ago.

So all was fine when I test drive, didn't see any issues, it performed great. Previous owner seemed like he had take great care of the truck. I bought it, and drove it home approximately 200km.

Next day I notice that my power steering isn't working, at least not at low speeds. Checked the fluid and belts, they seem fine. It's cold out, about -15 c, but it didn't improve with time after letting the truck warm up. Not sure what to do other than change the fluid and hope. It was also cold where I bought the truck.

And then, later, I pulled my parking brake and it came right out! Handle and the bar. I'm hoping I can easily put this back it but aren't sure how.

This is a 2004, 3.4l v6 trd

 

Wow. If it's just the parking break cable it's a fairly easy fix, but probably not at -15c. Check underneath and see what's up. I did mine this year and documented it, but did not post it here.

I would have thought you were low on fluid on the power steering issue. How are the belts? I've had them were down to near threads on the pulleys and slip at low RPMs.

Check the easy stuff first.

 

If you not sure how to fix it....take it to a mechanic.

 

Yeah, I mean the parking brake should be simple, slide it back in and attach the cable, only issue I see is there's a piece that drops down and prevents the rod from sliding in. I gotta get the plastics off and take a look, just been busy. The power steering yeah, not sure, belts look good.

Could take it to a mechanic, but I'd prefer to learn how to do my own work.

 

Take it to a mechanic as I assume you didn't do a buyers inspection. Not being an ass here but you need to understand what you have here before you hit the road. Pay for the inspection now.

Additionally, go around the truck with the mechanic and get some tips on how to fix the stuff you need to fix and possibly repair in the near future. I did and learned quite a bit.

Best $200 you will spend.

 

If you don't have anybody to show you around the new taco, expect a very long learning curve. Taco addictions advice is something I wish I had done.

A factory service manual is how I learned about my Past vehicles. Great for learning parts and their locations as well as having instructions on repairs and troubleshooting.

For starters: power steering resivoir has a screen that fills with debris and blocks flow which starves the pump. There are links on this forum with the info. Mine started whining horribly on a road trip and I could hardly get into parking spots. I was forced into a half ass "fix" that 25k miles later is still working great. There's a helpful video on the post I made.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/power-steering-quick-fix.376658/#post-10327774

Could also be the cold. I haven't heard of toyotas doing it but I know some years of dodge trucks would have power steering failure around 0 F or below. Happened to me.

 

my power steering used to occasionally go out, I did a full flush and it seems to work fine now, give that a go and if thats not it and your belt is good, might be something with the rack. As for the parking brake, mines been broken for years, I just put it in gear. (I know, it can come out of gear, I'm an idiot, etc )

 

I agree with lux but Clean the screen first !!! Flushing with that clogged screen can ruin your pump. Cutting the screen and running that crap through your pump can do it too.

 

Leave my truck in "r" everyday...never slipped out

 

nice truck buddy looks like a BC truck (no f*cking rust). If you could describe the symptoms like noises or leak that could be useful.