Power Steering Pump Bad/Fluid Change

The steering on my '98 Prerunner 2.7 Liter has been sluggish for a while. I looked at the color of the fluid and it's colored like a dark burnt sienna. I wasn't even sure the truck had power steering until I looked under the hood (that's how sluggish it is to turn). The pump could be bad, I'm not sure how to tell.

I looked around on the forums a little bit and I found out you're not supposed to use power steering fluid, but instead automatic transmission fluid. Is this correct? I don't understand why you'd use ATF instead of something actually made for power steering specifically.

What's the correct power steering fluid type, and how do you tell if the pump has gone bad?

 

The manual calls for Dexron II or III ATF. That's what I used on my 2003 PreRunner. I used the poor man's turkey baster method to suck the fluid out from the reservoir. Just be careful with the mesh filter on the bottom of the reservoir. Then I refilled the reservoir, drove in zig-zags down the street turning the steering wheel from lock to lock, and repeated the process until the fluid looked clean. I'm not sure what the symptoms are for a failed power steering pump. I'm sure others will chime in.

 

It's an automatic 2.7l.

I heard you're supposed to raise it up on jacks and turn the wheels like such, would that work?

 

I've read about doing that to get air bubbles out of the power steering fluid. I'm not certain if fluid will circulate through the steering system if the pump isn't running.

 

Before you buy a pump, you should check the mesh filter that's at the bottom of your reservoir, might be clogs

 

The mesh look clean to me through the hole. Am I supposed to access it somehow or do I just inspect it?

What I noticed is that when I turn the wheel all the way until it locks, you can hear a whining noise, but it stops after you move the wheel from the lock. Is this normal?

 

Am I supposed to disconnect the PS pump line to drain it some more? Where would I find it

 

Well, shit. I unplugged the upper return line (connected to the pump) and I started turning the wheel lock to lock. Then I noticed ATF dripping from the engine compartment onto the driveway.

I don't see where it's coming from exactly, but now I have old ATF all over my engine bay and driveway. All the components under the pump are coated in ATF.

Is it safe to start the truck? I'm afraid it'll catch on fire.

 

It is normal for the power steering pump to whine/hum when the wheels are at the locks. It's bad to hold the wheels at the locks for more than a few seconds since the pump will eventually run dry.

If you suck enough fluid out of the reservoir you will see the mesh screen, but only the top side of it.

When you disconnected the return line to the reservoir had you drained the reservoir first? If not fluid probably drained out from the reservoir. Otherwise when you turned the wheels the fluid in the steering rack had to go somewhere . . . Unfortunately onto your driveway. That sucks. If you have some kitty litter throw that on the driveway and it will absorb some of the spilled fluid.

Clean up your engine compartment and exhaust pipes well. Hopefully the fluid didn't get onto any of the belts. Good luck.

 

Oh man thanks for the help. I'm pretty clueless right now on what to do. I just stuck a siphon in the PS level check hole and sucked out all I can. I thought that was the reservoir.

It spilled on the alternator and everything below it. A little of it got on the drive belt. How do I clean it off?

At this point I seriously think if I attempt to start it the alternator (or something else) will catch on fire.

 

Alright, what point are you at now?

 

I ended up calling my mechanic buddy, he laughed at me and said I was overreacting. He told me to wipe off as much ATF as I can and not to be alarmed if somehkng starts smoking or smells.

It ended up being fine. Turns like a dream now.

 

If any ATF got inside the alternator, it COULD cause a failure. Have your mechanic check the battery voltage (with the motor running).

 

That was a good call checking with your mechanic buddy. I just got back from the gym otherwise would have replied earlier. I'm with tan4x4 that ATF in the alternator could cause problems either immediate or sometime down the road.

I bet the next time you siphon fluid out of one of the reservoirs you'll cover the area around it with towels or equivalent.

 

Thanks your help though haha. Bet you guys get to laugh at how stupid I was.
I actually did put down paper towels, but it was around the upper return hose. For some reason, I thought the fluid would come out of there.
Instead, when I tried to get the fluid moving by moving the wheel lock to lock, the reservoir overflowed and spilled over.

Damn thing turns like a dream now. It was so bad before that I didn't even think it HAD a power steering pump until I popped the hood. Guess my old man never changed the ATF, because when I drained it, it was as dark as used motor oil. Here's a before/after.



I guess the next step is to replace the alternator.

Oh well, now I have an ATF stain that will forever grace my driveway for all of eternity. I power washed the damn thing 3 times and it just got worst.

 

Good to hear brother, I was out getting a bite to eat. I was gonna say the same as your bud. You're fine starting it, clean up what you can, and remember the low pressure line is going into the pump and then it becomes high pressure and goes into the rack. After that it becomes the return line to the reservoir and is low pressure. Another way to tell is the lines that have the metal fitting on them at the end are high pressure. Those that don't are low. Glad it worked out for you. And ATF is used on the power steering system because it is very high quality fluid with more than enough detergents in it.

 

I'm sure most of us have had an "oh crap" moment or two when working on our cars. One time I left a streak of motor oil that began in my driveway and made its way to the stop sign three houses down. Since then I've never forgetten to check that the gasket comes off along with the old oil filter. Live and learn. A few weeks later I was driving through some neighborhood and saw the same oil stain pattern on someone's driveway and down their street.

If you need a good laugh check out Krazie's oil change post on this forum.

 

@BartMaster1234 bring back your thread, did you have a him coming from you engine bay a truck idle before doing this?

I have one and it sound and terrible, doesn’t really change when I spin my wheel around.

And I can’t really figure out where it’s coming from when I get out and listen with the hood up.
My PS fluid looks like trash also.

 

Wow. This was my first post on this forum I think.

I didn't have a hum or any unusual noise, it just sucked to turn so much to the point where I didn't think this truck even had power steering. Once I flushed it and put new fluid it worked great.

 

Haha ya I remember you saying something about your first post being about your truck burning down.

I cant figure this out, doesn’t seem to matter if I turn the wheel, turn the ac on, just a constant fugly hum that’s not supposed to be there...