Terrible squeaking and resistance..

[Bone Stock FJ62]

Hi everyone, lately my 62 has been scaring me. When I crank her up in the morning and back out of my garage the steering makes this awful loud squeaking sound and there is actual resistance to keep my steering wheel from turning. Even when I'm rolling forward to help the power steering it still has a very tough time turning. It does this when I turn both directions and it is extremely noisy and awful when it's cold. I noticed this after I went through some serious mud weeks ago and I thought it might work itself out after a few cleanings. If anything it has gotten worse. Where should I start with this? Maybe the steering box? Does something need to be lubed or replaced?

Thanks for your help,
-Hayes

 

[Slow Left]

Have you checked to the level of fluid in the power steering pump reservoir? If this gets low the pump begins to move air through the system.

 

[slowandsteady BJ]

Have you checked to the level of fluid in the power steering pump reservoir? If this gets low the pump begins to move air through the system.

^X2.....

 

[Bone Stock FJ62]

I'll go check that now and report back.

 

[Bone Stock FJ62]

Checked the level and it looks as if it's full, I had just driven it home so it was hot

See the color change where the fluid went up to?

 

[Slow Left]

Yeah, that fluid level looks good.
Next thing to check is to see whether or not the belt that turns the pulley on the power steering pump is tight enough or too tight. If it is not tight enough, it might be slipping and that could cause a squealing sound.
Two ways to check if the belt is slipping.
First way is with the engine off, press down on the belt and test the deflection (see Factory Service Manual for an exact measurement of what the deflection should be - if you don't have a manual, you can search online here at MUD and download the .pdf version). A loose belt will be easy to push down and have a large deflection.
Second way is that the next time you start the truck up and it makes that sound, let it run for 10-15 seconds, shut the engine off and feel the side walls of the belt with your finger tips. If the belt is hot, it is slipping.

If the belt is slipping, it could just be loose, or it could be that a pulley from one of the components that it drives is seizing, causing resistance against the belt.

Other thing to check is to see if the front wheels are aligned correctly. You can look at the tread on both front wheels and see if it is wearing unevenly across the tire. Also point the tires straight ahead, walk down the driveway and look at the front of the truck to see if one tire is pointing in it's own direction.

 

[SteveH]

That fluid is far from 'pink' - I would change the fluid a few times over a week or two of driving. It should look like clean ATF (Dexron III), and yours does not.

 

[88bj73]

Mine also makes this sounds. It's usually from the fluid level being to low. I flushed all the old stuff out and that helped the noise out a lot. Until it leaked itself low again... Now i just top it off whenever it groans.
Flushing the power steering is pretty straight forward. Takes about thirty minutes with two people. One person to turn the wheel and the other to make sure the fluid is shooting into the right bucket.

 

[klinetime574]

That fluid does not look like ATF to me at all. Follow what SteveH said. Flush it, etc.

Any external leaks on the pump itself? Dig around and report back

 

[Bone Stock FJ62]

Thanks everyone for these ideas! Tomorrow I'll hop right on that when I get home. I have a feeling it's a problem with the belt because the resistance kind of shakes the wheel, it feels like something is spinning. I'll also stop by the auto store tomorrow and pick up some Dextron III and flush out the old stuff.

 

[Slow Left]

If the pulley on the power steering pump is wobbling around as it rotates, then it has most likely broken free from the output shaft of the power steering pump. It is designed to do that if the power steering pump seizes. There is a key that slides into a notch on the outputshaft itself when you mount the pulley onto the shaft. If the pump seizes, the key will sheer, leaving the pulley to rotate freely around the output shaft and you will loose power steering since there is nothing driving the pump anymore.

With the engine off, if you can make the pulley on the PS pump wobble off axis, then it is has probably broken loose.

With the engine running, if you look down the pulley/belt from the side (driver's side fender) and you see it wobbling off axis, then it has probably broken loose.

Too be 100% sure, you can remove the belt and turn the pulley by hand. If it rotates freely around the output shaft, it has broken loose.

That means you need to install a new power steering pump. If the pulley is not warped, you can reuse it. You will need to get a new key too. I'd go ahead and replace the belt(s) too, and throw the old ones in the back to use in case of emergency.

 

[Bone Stock FJ62]

Yesterday I popped the hood and decided it was the day to tackle this issue. The first thing we looked at was the belts and pulleys. The power steering belt was noticeably looser than the rest of the belts so we tightened it up and it totally fixed the whole issue. Thank you guys for pointing me in the right direction with this!

 

[dbrooks]

So, my wife's '97 FZJ80 has been screaming like a banshee for WEEKS and I was dreading the thought of replacing the PS pump. I check the fluid level several times and waited (she doesn't drive it much). Today, I sat and thought hard about my options:

1. Have someone else fix it (not my favorite)
2. Fix it myself (also not my favorite)
3. Sell it (my wife’s favorite - but not mine...she's only got 195,000 miles on her...the LC, not the wife)

Then, it came to me - I've been checking the damn BRAKE fluid reservoir (which needs to be topped off from time-to-time) NOT the PS reservoir.

I added about a half-cup of PS fluid...voila! No more squealing!

...but I'm still selling her...the LC, not the wife.

 

[Sethro60]

Have you hit your zerks (grease fittings) and Birfields with grease?

 

[Wile E Coyote]

So, my wife's '97 FZJ80 has been screaming like a banshee for WEEKS and I was dreading the thought of replacing the PS pump. I check the fluid level several times and waited (she doesn't drive it much). Today, I sat and thought hard about my options:

1. Have someone else fix it (not my favorite)
2. Fix it myself (also not my favorite)
3. Sell it (my wife’s favorite - but not mine...she's only got 195,000 miles on her...the LC, not the wife)

Then, it came to me - I've been checking the damn BRAKE fluid reservoir (which needs to be topped off from time-to-time) NOT the PS reservoir.

I added about a half-cup of PS fluid...voila! No more squealing!

...but I'm still selling her...the LC, not the wife.

PS fluid? Doesn't most every Toy ps take ATF?

As far as brakes on a loved one's ride, wouldn't the better option be to find and fix said need to top it off? That's just me thinking 'out loud' here.

 

[dbrooks]

That's what everyone else is saying (about ATF)! I never (and I mean NEVER) add PS fluid. I only put about a half cup in to stop the squealing.

Do you recommend that I flush and replace with ATF? We are original owners and don’t know that I've ever replaced the fluid in the PS system...

Re the brakes...yeah...it leaks a little bit somewhere in the engine compartment. I add some every few months. The leaking makes me crazy...well, not crazy enough to fix it. We really should sell it - can't bring myself to do it. Have driven it all over BAJA several times and never had a lick of trouble.

 

[gregnash]

If you are sure that you have not put ATF in there and it actually has PS fluid then yes flush the system and replace with ATF. The PS fluid can damage the PSP and steering box if you are not careful. Also do like the others said and hit all the zerks in the steering column and what not.

 

[dbrooks]

Crap...was afraid of that. Well, it look slike I have a project for after my soccer game tomorrow. Thanks for the advise.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

Honestly, regardless of what you added, a flush and refill of the ps system should be normal preventative maintenance long before pushing 200k miles. Same for the brake fluid, btw.

 

[dbrooks]

Can't disagree with you there.