Hi folks! New here so I spent a few days searching and trying to navigate this site. I hope Im not asking something already answered.
1991 pickup 4wd 22re:
So my power steering belt snapped while going uphill on the highway (sounded so bad I thought I had thrown a rod). I get it towed home and found the belt wrapped around my fan and noticed lots of small oily splatters all over the inside of the hood and the top of the engine. Power steering fluid level looks good. I replaced the belt with a toyota belt from the dealership. Engine fired up, steering works great. I might be feeling a little loss of power or I might just be imagining it. Engine runs at normal temps. I noticed a little groan when I made a hard left turn comming off the highway exit.
There is also a lot of oily stuff all over the power steering pump and the oil pan toward the front of the engine. I cant tell if its PS fluid that mixed with engine grime or engine oil. So are these two issues related?

Would the steering work so well if the pump was out?

Did the belt snap cause some kind of back preasure or something that caused PS fluid to spray out somewhere?

Did something fail or sieze up in the engine causing an oil leak AND the belt to snap?

Thank you for any advise you can give. I LOVE this truck and want to see her on the road for many years to come.

 

First, you need to find out where all that "oily stuff" is coming from. Get two cans of spray engine cleaner from the parts store (I'd pick up a brush, too, but you might have one laying around that you're not attached to). Clean up everything sparkling clean. Run the engine (turn the steering stop-to-stop) to see if anything is leaking now.

The steering could still be working even with a PS pump on its last legs. Your pump might be fine, but your too-old belt broken and nicked the return line (leading to a leak). All things that are easier to tell if you're not looking into a pool of oily stuff.

 

Groan could have just been the steering stops... but I agree with previous poster you need to clean the engine well then drive it for a bit doing full lock to lock turns... a few tight 3pt turns would work for this... then pop the hood and see what's wet [or not]...
how are the other fluid levels ... ie oil/coolant?
good luck and welcome to the family

 

Yeah Im very familiar with the sound of the stops grinding, I grease them. Radiator fluid is full and clean, oil is clean on the dipstick and at the fill cap (no foam). Ive got about 230,000 miles on it, motor was rebuilt at 200,000 by a machanic who owns the same truck and has professionally worked on and modified these trucks for 20 years. New radiator this past summer. Head gasket redone at end of summer(bad rad cap led to overheat in the Sierras).

I will clean it up and see where its coming from. I was hoping someone had a similar experiance and could tell me that its just a hose knocked lose or something, hey a guy can dream

The great thing is...I really like working on her hehehe.

 

Update.
Cleaned up the oil (it was engine oil), ran the engine and found the leak. It was the seal on the oil pump. Replaced it, got the engine steam cleaned, now she's all purdy again! I guess the belt breaking was just coincidental.

 

Glad to hear you got it solved.