Power Steering leak?

Hey guys, I'm new here and am looking for some advice to fix a leak on my truck.
I have been tinkering on my taco and noticed by my power steering reservoir there was some oil and gunk around there and on the hose. I'm no mechanic by any means, so I'm not familiar with power steering systems so not sure what this hose is, and if I can replace it without draining the resivoir. I appreciate your guys' time. https://www.tacomaworld.com/media/albums/leaking-power-steering-hose.71479/

 

That be the PS reservoir outlet hose. However, the leak could also be a cracked reservoir. You’ll have to remove both to inspect them. But no, you cant replace either hose without draining the reservoir. A trick is to use a turkey baster to remove the PS from the reservoir to minimize spillage. Use ATF hose to replace the outlet hose. You may want to first power wash the area to wash off that mess.

 

Thanks a ton for the info. My father in law has a fluid extractor thing I could use to do it, just didn't know if there was a way around that. Luckily, it's not leaking a bunch. No puddles or dripping of any kind. I just happened to notice some buildup by the hose.

 

Hard to tell from the angle but it looks overfilled. It could be pushing it out the cap. Have you added fluid? It must be checked while the engine is running.

 

I haven't added any fluid to it. I popped the lid off to make sure it wasn't empty when I noticed it this morning, but the vehicle was shut off. I will check in a little bit when it's running to see. Thank you!

 

When you do fix the problem make sure to fill it up with transmission fluid since that is what it asks for. Valvoline maxlife is a good choice to fill up the fluid since you are going to need to drain it to inspect it.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I actually have a whole bunch of extra fluids that came with the truck when I bought it. I believe I have 5 or 6 quarts of trans fluid. Not sure what brand, but I'm guessing most of them are pretty similar

 

Like @Chuy mentioned it could be either the return hose (the upper one coated in oil) or the reservoir as the root culprit. Generally for leaks I like to start from ground zero by cleaning everything up first, then observing the suspected area over time to possibly narrow down where exactly the leak is originating from.

 

Good idea. I ran the truck and checked the fluid level and it was plum full. Wondering if maybe it did just overflow from the top. I'm gonna clean it all up and monitor it and see if it comes back

 

Interesting. In the first pic it does look like the fluid level is well above the indicator lines, but then in that second pic it looks like it's sitting between them.

 

The PS fluid it takes is Dexron III ATF, not WS as the trany. Dont mix them. I dont know why Toyota didnt stick to one for both sections but that’s the way it is. Maxlife is compatible with WS, but I dont recall if it is compatible with Dexron; check the label if that’s what you have for extra fluid.

 

Per the bottle I'm reading and the maintenance cheat sheet in TW it is compatible.

 

i don’t think this is correct? I’ve always used Valvoline MaxLife synthetic atf in both but I think WS is fine in both.

 

It's leaking at the hose, the rubber gets hard and flat under the clamp. You might try moving the clamp to a different position but if the whole hose is hard just replace it

Pretty sure P/S systems aren't that picky about the type of ATF. Lube shops put regular power steering fluid in toyota systems all the time and I've never seen it cause issues

 

Some PS systems are picky like some Nissans with e-PSF and Honda with their specific systems that only take certain fluids labeled as Honda PSF. Can't use ATF on those and anything else will damage them if you don't use the right stuff. I would rather put on what the cap recommends to avoid any issues and avoid the other fluids that are sold as PSF.

 

I guess I meant ATF power steering systems aren't that picky about the type of ATF.

Obviously using the specified type is best but I just haven't seen many issues switching between various types of ATF

 

Anecdotal evidence, but after throwing WS into my reservoir for a few months while procrastinating the inevitable replacement of my leaking rack, my pump failed shortly thereafter. I would stick to recommended formulations for all fluids, including Dex 3 for this one. And also make sure to knock on wood, or whatever else superstitious crap will keep your pump from springing a leak too.

I am currently also replacing the lower P/S lines due to a leak that just showed up there, meaning that I have now replaced 100% of my steering hydraulic system within the past two years. (And also the tie rods... and spindles... but at least my steering wheel is still going strong!)


Also my advice: Buy a new Doorman reservoir and replace the return line with 5/8" transmission hose. Use new constant-tension clamps on both ends of the hose. This is what I did to make my reservoir finally stop leaking and looking like yours. I never found the actual leak, just replaced things until it finally stopped.

If you are super wealthy then maybe you can afford OEM, but good lord... for what they charge, the reservoir should be made out of gold.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. I'm gonna try cleaning it up tomorrow and checking on it in a few days before I go about draining it. Would do it today but it's snowing pretty good now, and I just don't feel like messing with it in this weather lol Toyota just replaced the whole steering rack, steering shafts and flushed the whole steering system back in October, so I'm wondering if they might've just overfilled it. Hopefully

 

It’s in our owner’s manual (also in the 07 Lexus ES350) to use Dexron II or III in PS, and WS in the transmission. Don't know the long term consequences of using WS in PS system.