Power steering failure

[offshorebear]

I lost my power steering. As soon as I noticed and stopped and checked the reservoir. It looked full so I just drove home. Turns out it was empty and there was just dirt on the inside of the bottle making it look full.

I couldn't find any leaks, I think I may have boiled it over. (I was stuck and I was hard on the truck to get out) I filled it up with ATF and the power steering works intermittently. I guess that means air in the lines? How do I bleed them out? Could it be anything else?

2004 V8.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I lost my power steering. As soon as I noticed and stopped and checked the reservoir. It looked full so I just drove home. Turns out it was empty and there was just dirt on the inside of the bottle making it look full.

I couldn't find any leaks, I think I may have boiled it over. (I was stuck and I was hard on the truck to get out) I filled it up with ATF and the power steering works intermittently. I guess that means air in the lines? How do I bleed them out? Could it be anything else?

2004 V8.

My guess is you have a leak AND air. To bleed the air out, start the engine and slowly run the steering wheel stop to stop a few times. It may take 5-10 cycles. I'd stop after 2-3 and confirm the reservoir is still full.

 

[jimlaw3]

Most likely leaking at the rack ends,behind the dust boots on the rack on each end.You will not notice a leak here because the boots are sealed.If you remove the outer clamps and trun the wheel or squeeze the boots you can tell if fluid is there.There should not be.Good luck.:shrug:

 

[offshorebear]

I should note that I filled up the resovoir and it has stayed full. I worked an air bubble out (turned the wheel a lot and it worked) and it immedietly dropped slightly. I thought that was it but the next day, no power steering. Fluid level has stayed constant.

I'm missing out on a lot of good snow driving :/

 

[jimlaw3]

Is there foam in your p/s tank when the engine is running?If you have a leak on the low pressure side it will suck air in and not leak fluid out.This will cause inop power steering,and you will notice foam in your tank.Is there noise from the pump?You said the fluid was low,it had to go somewhere.

 

[offshorebear]

No, no foaming, but I can see it moving, slightly. Also no noise from the pump that I can hear. I've read that it would sound like a pissed off cat but I don't notice any unusual noises. There was some oil around the bottle when I first went to check it (not that much though). That's why I think I boiled it over.

I let it sit overnight with the resovoir cap off overnight, for the heck of it. Maybe a bubble worked its way out. Is there any sort of bleed valve in the system? If I do a flush like described here will it work all the air out?

 

[jimlaw3]

Thats wierd,no noise from the pump means theres no air in the pump,usually turning your wheel lock to lock will bleed all the air out,there may be a blockage in the system somewhere.Turn your wheel all the way and hold the wheel,while holding the wheel turn off your engine,restart then turn the wheel all the way the other way and do the same.I would flush the fluid in the system this may help remove any blockage in the system,you said the tank was dirty.Make sure you use the correct fluid.I am a Honda tech and see this sometimes,hopefully its a simple fix.Im not sure what type fluid Toyota uses but honda has a specific P/S fluid.Good luck man.

 

[audiqtr]

Can you explain how the PS Fluid is "Dirty"?
Are there particles in there?
OR
Do you mean it is more of a Burnt Look, like the viscosity of the fluid is shot and there is possibly a smell?
Just an idea....You have an 04, and if the PS has never been flushed and changed, I'd flush and fill with OEM fluid if you have no leaks.

 

[offshorebear]

PS fluid was brown/burnt/old. I flushed it today with new fluid.

PS does work when I rev the engine. Does that mean there is just air stuck in there? Blocked passage?

I have a warranty and I'll take it to a dealer but the weather is really screwing up the city and I just want to have a drivable vehicle.

 

[offshorebear]

Update:

I took it to the dealer and the power steering pump had failed. Extended warranty took care of everything, but it did take a few days to get the part in stock.

 

[meatball]

it is so weird that I saw this post. Mine has exhibited the exact same problem, though my reservoir has never gone empty. The pump has hummed since 70k miles, and it just finally started manifesting itself at 130k. I found a reman'd pump for 100 and I am doing it this weekend. Are there any weird issues I should be aware of before I undertake such a proceedure. I have done pumps before and I am wondering if their is anything unique about this one.

 

[audiqtr]

Update:

I took it to the dealer and the power steering pump had failed. Extended warranty took care of everything, but it did take a few days to get the part in stock.

Did they say why it failed?
I did a PS Fluid Flush at 21k on my 4R casue it was all burnt and smelly. Stealer said it is normal for the fluid to go bad. It didn't make sense to me at 21k. It would be great to know the cause? Type of fluid, pump, or system design?

I am glad your repair was covered under warranty.

 

[Pale Rider]

I know I'm resurrecting a nearly decade-old thread, but just wanted to share my experience from yesterday.

I have a 2006 4Runner V6 SR5.

I was about a mile from my house (thankfully) and was making a turn onto a road when in the middle of the turn I felt the steering become very stiff making it very hard to turn the steering wheel. Within about 20 seconds there was some kind of oil/chemical smell coming from underneath the truck.

I pulled over and looked behind the truck to see if I could see any fluid/oil on the road but I didn't see anything. I continued to drive home, but the handful of turns were extremely difficult to make. Finally got the truck in my driveway, popped the hood and saw fluid everywhere near the lower left side (as I'm facing the front of the truck) of the radiator.

Like the OP stated above, when simply viewed from the outside the power steering fluid reservoir appears full, but when I removed the cap and looked inside, sure enough it was empty. The inside of the reservoir is dirty such that it appears full when viewing it from the outside. This is very deceptive. Now, there was obviously fluid in there minutes before, since I now have a lot of fluid leaking all over the inside of the engine bay onto my driveway. I don't know if a line burst or something like a pump failed, but prior to this happening, the power steering worked completely normal. No noises or whining.

I called my local mechanic and explained to him what happened. I told him there was no way I could drive the truck to his shop (only about 4 miles away) with the steering wheel being so difficult to turn. He suggested that I pour a bottle of power steering fluid (in this case, my truck calls for ATF) into the reservoir and see if that's enough for me to get to his shop before it all leaks out again. Otherwise I'll have to have the truck towed to his shop.

Either way, I'm taking the truck to his shop on Friday and will post back once I find out the problem.