Turning wheels with ignition off = power steering leak?
 

Hey guys, I was rotating my tires and decided to lubricate my intermediate steering shaft. After I was done, I turned the steering wheel lock to lock several times without the truck running and front tires up off the ground. I went for a trip around the block and when I returned I noticed a puddle of fluid on the driveway. I looked underneath and could see where the fluid had sprayed all over the passenger wheel well. I popped the hood and noticed that there was a puddle of fluid under the power steering reservoir. Did I do something wrong going lock to lock with ignition off?

Anyone? I can't imagine this would be coming from my KDSS since it was under the hood, I sure hope not. Now I am also concerned about the air injection pump being so close to where all the fluid was accumulated.

Turning lock to lock without the motor running will not cause a leak. You'll have to get in their and pinpoint the leak but there have been threads where what folks thought was PS leak was actually a vvti line leak. Here is a thread that might help.

Power Steering Pump Leak Common?

I could be wrong but turning lock to lock without running may overflow the power steering reservoir and introduce air into the system.

I think the issue will resolve itself, but you may need to add more fluid.

Again, I may be wrong, but I have had this occur on a ford.

When the tires are off the ground there should be no over flow from the reservoir.

I've moved the steering around a bunch of times with the key off and never had a leak. Internally the power steering rack is a double end double acting cylinder. So all the fluid that goes out of one chamber is made up for by fluid going into the other chamber. It should have near zero net fluid volume change in the pump reservoir as you move through the steering range. That's true either on or off.

It's possible there's some random luck involved and the power steering pump stopped in just the right position that fluid wouldn't flow easily past the pump mechanism and it ended up pushing the fluid out of one side of the steering rack and pulled air down into the other and then it overfilled the pump and pushed some out. I can imagine that being at least possible. I've never heard of it and I'm not an expert on power steering pump internals. But it seem plausible at least.

I'd start it and cycle the steering back and forth a few times and check the fluid. Add some if it's low. And drive it and see if anything else happens.

good luck

I can’t imagine that it would have come from anywhere other than the reservoir. It’s difficult to tell if it’s still leaking because there are so many crevices below it that I can’t reach. Is it safe to mix ATF with the Toyota power steering fluid?

Looks like it just overflowed the reservoir. :shrug:

If there's no way to get Toyota power steering fluid I would put some ATF in before I would let it run dry in the pump. But I think I'd prefer the proper power steering fluid. They're both just hydraulic fluids, I just don't know if there's anything seals or hoses or something that would require the use of one over the other. I use ATF in power steering systems on all my old junk. But I would put the right stuff in if it's available because the extra few dollars is worth the peace of mind not having to worry about it.

Dexron III ATF is the correct fluid. I use Mobil 1 synthetic ATF Dexron III compatible.
Looks like it’s definitely the cap leaking, make sure it on there good.
Turning the steering wheel lock to lock with the motor not running is how you bleed a power steering system. It is also part of the process when changing the fluid. At least one of the methods.

That’s the spirit! Just like Mopar - their ATF is good for trans, t case, and PS


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