Power steering Trouble shooting Help

[AllLC]

I did a search in the 100 series section and didnt find anything. I find this hard to believe so if you've read a good Power steering troubleshooting post for a 1999 land cruiser please share. otherwise i'll get one going to share what i find.

Situation: Wheeling this weekend barried almost up to the axles in thick 1/2 frozen mud. we drove out thanks to some help from my friends and my max tracks (thanks lisa ) but man was it hard to move my steering wheel.

Symptoms: well, the obvious , difficult to move steering wheel. Pop the hood to find Power steering low but not empty. Hoses need to be replaced. Obvious sign of lost PS fluid. Not every where but enough to see pooling water where it had sprayed or leaked out. no puddles, no leaking in the driveway.

Attempted fix: i was hoping i simply stressed her out and pushed the ps fluid out somewhere it wasnt supposed to go (old hose?). So i stopped at my local auto zone and topper her off with some atf. Still no power steering.

Diagnosis: This is my third vehicle and the kids are home from school right now so i've chosen to not spend the rest of their vacation out in the garage trouble shooting. In other words not in a huge hurry but i will be working on this as soon as vacation is over. The wheels still turn but its very difficult. I have never worked on power steering before so im open to suggestions and i will keep you guys posted.

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[DTCsk8er]

Is it difficult to turn in both directions? How does the pump sound while turning? My bet is the turning while wheel can't move blew out a seal on the rack.. but that wouldn't explain why its not getting some hydraulic support. Does it feel like it is binding at some point in the rotation of the steering wheel?

I would also consider jacking up the front end, and manually turning the wheels to see how it feels. With both wheels up, it is easily doable by putting leverage from the tire on one side.

 

[AllLC]

Thanks DTC
Very difficult in both directions.
Pump doesn’t sound like it changes.
Doesn’t seem to be loosing any fluid now.
No binding, equally difficult full motion.
I will try your jack idea asap

 

[planomateo]

Is your skid plate off? Did something get lodged in the steering assembly?

This is a good thread > Steering Flush & Cleaning

 

[toy_tek]

Could be a kinked pressure or return line, inspect them closely.

"pump doesn't sound like it changes" - i'm not sure what this means.

 

[AllLC]

Toy_tek-"Pump doesnt sound like it changes"- DTC asked how does the pump sound when turning. It sounds fine except that usually you can hear it working when you turn the wheel. Now when you turn the wheel there is no change in the sound. But no bad sounds either. I like the kinked pressure or return line idea.

Planomateo- Skid plate is on. But i was berried pretty good so i'm not ruling this out yet. I will inspect.

 

[AllLC]

update. I apologize for the slow progress for those of you that are offering your advice. i just got home from Raleigh and Elsie is a third vehicle. Any ways, shes been sitting for awhile now. Just pulled into the garage and lifted the front tires supported by jacks.
The reservoir is still full.
no bad sounds. no sound at all until i rev the engine . when i crank the wheel with the engine revved 2 to 3 grand it gets slightly easier to turn. and then there is a slight wine, kind of like a power steering pump.

it offers the same resistance clockwise or counter clock wise.

I cant see any bent hoses yet. Im going out to remove the mud caked skid plate now. Ill keep you posted...

 

[DTCsk8er]

Did you pull of the skid plate and inspect everything thoroughly? I'm wondering if it is possible something is binded up.

 

[AllLC]

Finally removed the Skid. Doesn't seem to be anything abnormal other than the stinky red drip drip when my son has the steering wheel at full turn right or left. Pretty sure my pump is done. Unfortunately my wife wants her spot in the garage back and i dont have time to work on it so i'm taking Elsie to the garage on Tuesday. Ill let you know what we find out.

 

[AllLC]

For those of you who have replaced power steering pumps what brand did you use? Who makes the pump for Toyota? Or should i just buy a genuine Toyota pump?

 

[Gator595]

For those of you who have replaced power steering pumps what brand did you use? Who makes the pump for Toyota? Or should i just buy a genuine Toyota pump?

I did the same thing but mine is only problematic at low rpm's. Did you resolve this? Thanks in advance.