Leaking Power Steering Fluid
 

Hi everyone, I'm not overly mechanical, but I like to try to do my own repairs when it is possible and reasonable. 2008 4R Sport V8, I noticed last week the power steering reservoir was empty so I filled it up. I then noticed a day or two later it was empty again. I filled it up, parked it on some blacktop and within a few hours noticed the leak (see pic). Whether it's actually leaking from the driver's side or is running down somewhere I am not sure. Two questions:

1. Any typical troubleshooting or repairs that I should try and are they do-able by me in my driveway with basic tools?

2. I had the timing belt service done a few weeks ago by a trusted independent shop, there's a strong chance the PS fluid has been leaking forever and I just didn't notice, but is there any plausible chance the leak was caused by the timing belt service?

Thank you!

Where that's dripping at it's almost got to be the ps pump or a line. The rack and pinion would be much further towards the firewall or passenger compartment. Basically, you just need good lighting, good eyes and maybe a good mirror. At the rate it's leaking though you may need to get some brake cleaner and clean off the excess fluid and run it some to be able to tell where it's coming from. As far as the shop who did the timing belt... I haven't done a timing belt on one of these so I'm not sure how much contact they would've had to have with it. If it was just a few weeks ago, this is what I would do. I would take it back to them and ask them to take a look at it. Be totally honest. Tell them you don't think it was leaking before but you're not certain. I wouldn't use an accusing tone. If they're honest they'll correct it if it's their fault. As I see it there are three possibilities:
1. Coincidence. It just happened to start leaking a short while after their repair.
2. They disturbed it; loosened a line or something and caused it to begin leaking.
3. It was leaking before you ever took it there. If this turns out to be the case I think I'd be more upset with them than if they accidentally caused it. That's because they didn't bother to tell me about it and give me the option to have it fixed while the car was there. And if I was the shop owner I'd be mad at my employees if they lost a potential sale like that. (I'm a former shop owner)

It could also be transmission fluid. Take it back. No such thing as coincidences after having a repair shop work on your car.

I have to respectfully disagree with you. He knows it's P/S fluid because he's had to refill it twice already. And as a former shop owner I know all too well that coincidences do happen. They were one of my least favorite things when I had my shop. I've corrected plenty of them for free just to keep a good customer happy. But I do agree that he should take it back to the shop.

I like your front mounted hitch....what kind of stuff are you moving with it?

I just replaced the low pressure line. It was about $30. Toughest part was getting my seized skid plate off. Pop the hood and look down and trace the thinner line off the ps reservoir and then try to get underneath. It to see where it’s all wet. Also make sure everything is snug, if they removed stuff to get to your timing belt, something may have not been placed back securely.

Lot of people using it when get towed from camping bus.

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Snow in my own driveway instead of paying $700 per season lol (see pic). Bought the used snowsport HD off craigslist locally for $900. It's also light enough that I can take the plow off, leave it at home, and drive to work on bad snow days (leave the mount itself on). My daily driver is a prius prime lol. The setup obviously does not compare to a full fledged hydraulic plow setup, but is fine for my needs.

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Thank you everyone for all the feedback, I am going to stop in personally to the shop tomorrow and talk with them about it. Rather have them take a look first. As someone mentioned, not with any tone or sense of entitlement that they broke it or need to fix it. Rather have them diagnose, and then we'll go from there.

That plow setup is very cool!

Please update this thread with your findings. The PS steel lines rust like crazy on these and many have had to replace the high pressure line because they eventually leak. If it’s either one, you should just have them replace both so you don’t have to go through this again.

Thank you, this is great to know about the high pressure and low pressure lines. I stopped in and talked to them today, they're going to take a look at it tomorrow. I'll definitely opt for both lines to be replaced if that is the issue!

If it is indeed the P/S pump, how important is it that it is OEM? I normally stick to OEM, but if OEM is denso or another brand in a toyota box marked up 20% I would rather specify that. Thanks!

They are pretty insanely priced through Toyota, so most people end up getting the Sunsong brand at Rockauto. They are way cheaper, and according to past threads on the subject people have been satisfied with the quality and fitment. I’m planning to get them for mine because my lines are really scaly, and even though they don’t leak, I do worry about them because of the heavy rust.

Minor update, don't have the official invoice so I can't provide any additional detail since parts won't be in until tomorrow. BUT...

1 P/S line was rusted through and leaking
2x transmission lines were rusted through and leaking

This makes sense since my P/S reservoir was depleting, but at the same time, when I touched the fluid on the blacktop it was red-ish in color. There is significant rust under the vehicle, so this didn't surprise me at all.

I asked them to take a very good look at the other lines because I would like to replace others at the same time if necessary. They took a second look and said while others had rust, they didn't think they were beyond 50%, so they would not recommend spending the money now but they can keep an eye on them over time. They said other shops may tell me to replace them all, but if it was their own vehicle, they would only replace the 3 total lines right now.

Rough #s were about $180 for all 3 lines, then $100ish for labor. Planning for the work to be done on Wednesday when the parts are in, so we'll see what evolves!

That seems like a very fair price. I’d pay that in a heartbeat not to have to mess with it! Old, rusted lines can be a real bear to deal with, especially when the fittings are rusted together. Sometimes the wrong fitting shears off, and you have to replace a part you didn’t intend to!

Its a good thing you had it looked. Since there is no transmission dipstick, you might have run low on ATF and caused damage to the tranny.
Unless our sensitive myopic mechanic would like to disagree again. 😂

Not sure I understand that last sentence but it would seem to be pointed at me. If you were to reread my post I told him he should take it back and have it looked at. Apparently I'm not the sensitive one if you took offense at me respectfully disagreeing with your post. And this scenario proved what I said about coincidences happening. Coincidentally, his tranny lines just happened to be leaking at the same time as his P/S lines. And as it turns out, it wasn't the shop's fault. But it's all good.