Hey all, I wanted to contribute a bit as I have recently finished my 5vz swap on my 5 speed '90 SR5 and wanted to give back a bit as for a problem I couldn't find much mention of online anywhere.

After replacing the engine in this beauty (now a 2002 jdm 5vz with 30k miles on it) I wanted to start updating the rest. I redid all my power steering lines and steering gear after finding multiple leaks but what was left was a leaking abs actuator... As you may have guessed I really ˟˟˟˟ the bed and panicked when I realized my PS reservoir was low on a road trip and proceeded to feed it power steering fluid (*screams from people that have owned a Toyota before*) come a week or two later I read that power steering fluid actually isn't what these trucks like... Aaaannd low a behold I evidently managed to ruin my seals. 100$ steering gear, new hoses and trying to tighten the bolts on my abs actuator while in the truck I arrived at the conclusion I needed to deal with the actuator. From what I was able to find the options are
1. Delete abs actuator (what most people tend to go for)
2. Replace actuator.

As I just want to fix the leak and haven't been bothered by my abs at all (some people seem to hate it?) I really don't want to replace the PS hoses/ rerout them and the brake lines so I decided wtf maybe I'll just open this thing up. It seemed to be leaking at the main seam and as I don't need my truck for a few days I decided to open the actuator up before I just ordered some other 30 year old used part that would probably fail too...

Here's the PS line side of the actuator (Inside the main seam)

Cleaned it a bit and you can see the gasket that seems to be something like a sticky piece of wax paper that is definitely disintegrating (it was leaking from the top of the unit)


I'm going to go get some liquid gasket of some kind to re-seal this up after I clean this old crap off of it. The unit seems like it's still in fine condition otherwise and here's hoping I can avoid buying a different part with a little elbow grease!

Any thoughts on what kind of liquid gasket/cement whatever I should use to re seal this. Anything else I should mess with while this abs actuator unit is opened up?

Hope this can be illuminating to some people, as the service manual doesn't even show how to service this unit.

Glory shot

 

Hi,
I have the same problem as you, leak on top of the ABS actuator at the seal. When disassembling, I noticed that the breather was clogged, so I removed the deposit, redid the gasket and reassembled the assembly on the vehicle. During the tests, the leak came from the breather under the actuator. So I reassembled the assembly, rebuilt the gasket and plugged the breather. But while doing this I had a new leak that appeared on the top of the actuator as at the beginning. I wonder if the problem comes from the actuator, wouldn't it be another problem on the power steering system that would increase the pressure?

And questions, does your leak appear when your steering wheel is in the stop position?

 

Did you get this fixed? I have a 93 2wd 3r 4runner that is leaking from the breather and I'm about ready to take it out completely?

 

Hello, the part is no longer manufactured or on demand at a high price, so I removed it. I don't have any braking problems, I even find it brakes better.

 

Do you remember how you rerouted your brake and power steering lines?

 

So here we are in 2025 now and after replacing my PS-pump with a Rock Assault Trail Gear kit this ruddy Actuator decided it wanted to spew PS fluid instead of keeping all the fluids in place. So after realizing these are hard to impossible to find and replace, a rebuild was imagined to be the right direction to take. But nothing in the FSM about disassembly and servicing and no seal kits are listed which doesn't bode well!
After removal and disassembly the snap in rubber hose pipe that is attached to the mounting bracket and a port with a sintered metal filter inside the bottom is a vent for the blind side/s of some of the pistons inside thes actuator. So sealing this up is not a good idea. But my thought is now that it is spewing a lot and is leaving puddles at home after a night in the garage sitting, it is time to act!...
Incidentally the replacement for the paper gasket used with great success is Loctite 515 anaerobic gasket maker for flanges. I swear this is the best stuff for flat face sealing of anything that has had a paper gasket as OEM.
So the leak solution shy of removing the unit and redoing all the brake and PS lines is to drill and tap the vent hole with a 1/8 NPT female thread, install a brass nipple and run a oil vent line back up to the PS pumps reservoir. I need to call Trail Gear to find out what they think about venting the Rock Assault reservoir as it is sealed once the O-ring in the threaded cap is seated and relies on the air space for expansion and contraction of the PS fluids' volume. So some things to be attempted and if met with success this may be the solution for all of use who are on borrowed time with our beloved 2nd Gen 4Runners and Trucks of this era.

 

That sounds above my paygrade. I ended up removing the actuator and connected the brake lines with a metal brake line from an older toyota truck at the local yard. Also, I replaced the powersteering line from a 4runner without ABS. Got it at o'reillys:Import Direct Power Steering - Import Direct 67 IPS 13401649. That was back in 2022, and haven't looked back. Drove from Florida to Colorado without issues.
Salute to you for finding a creative solution!