Bad steering pump and ? Leak
 

Had my timing belt and water pump etc done on my 04 Limited about 2 weeks ago. Everything seemed fine. No leaks etc. Today, took 4Runner out and everything was normal. Went to pull into a parking lot and it seemed like no power steering. At higher speeds it feels pretty normal. Was fine earlier. Serpentine belt was replaced. No weird noises from pump. Looks like fluid level very low.

Dealership said pump was weak. Never mentioned problems with rack. Quoted me $1700 for pump and hoses.

I took it to a well recommended local garage. He said there was some dampness near inner tie rod and recommended whole new rack along with hoses and pump for $2300.

I had flushed and filled with ATF before taking it to him. The next day, reservoir was basically empty. There was a tiny puddle in garage under reservoir.

I have purchased a Toyota pump and plan to replace it myself. I’m not sure why it would be low again without a massive leak. He had only mentioned dampness on rack.

Any other thoughts? Hoses don’t look spectacular but no big leaks there either.
Thanks
Dave

Try and pull both bellows back to see if there's fluid in them, the ones that move in and out when the wheel is turned. The seal at the ends of these types of racks can leak and dump fluid into the bellows. If that's the case then you can get a reman from someone like Rackdoctor or Detroit Axle.

i'm dealing with this now too. the seal went in my rack at some point and it leaked into the boot (unbeknownst to me). i went out wheeling the other day and must have cut the boot on a piece of ice. ps fluid started gushing from the boot and now i need a new rack.

i replaced my pump in the summer after the fluid became black and wrecked it. i feel that the fluid became black because of damage to the rack which i just discovered the other day.

good luck getting this sorted out. i feel that the prices you mentioned seem really high. there is a ton of info on this site to help you determine when you need oem parts and when you can save a bundle with aftermarket.