frustrating/puzzling powersteering leak
 

Hello to everyone. im just baffled with an issue and i hope someone would be so kind to assist me here.. i have an 89 4runner v6 . i been leaking powersteering fluid like crazy. the leak is coming down at the gear box, but its leaking out at the rubber return hose. i inspected the hose, theres no cracks. i took off the stem fitting ( the metal tube that the hose connects too) I inspected it, its not cracked or damaged. it seems to be leaking at the end of the rubber hose. i double clamped this. i drained the PS fluid and switched to ATF fluid. STILL leaking..... now my only guess is to led the ATF chill in the powersteering system for a few weeks... maybe let gaskets swell , hoping it
ll stop just by switching to atf fluid. any ideas here? why is this leaking at this hose? its doubleclamped. i just dont understand:(

The V6 is definitely a different style pump than mine.. BUT, if it's similar in it's return line being a removable fitting, there is, at least in mine, an "o-ring" that commonly fails. Mine also leaked from the front and ran down the body and along some hoses, onto the gear box, etc.(also due to Power Steering fluid being used instead of ATF... which also DESTROYED my gear box)..... PICS? That might help. Changing to ATF is good... but if that o-ring is leaking, I doubt 'reconditioning via proper fluid replacing Steering fluid' will 'repair' that o-ring in any way. Mine LOOKED ok,.... but it wasn't at all.

Again, not sure if you even have an o-ring on that style pump... can you show a pic of the fitting you removed? (or maybe a diagram from toyota with paint shop arrows? lol)

yeah i can try to get some pictures this afternoon. the fitting i took off is the stem with the threaded end, inwhich into the gear box.... is that where you said an o-ring might go? i did not see any remnants of an o ring when i took it off. it doesnt seem to be coming from the fitting tho. but from the hose. it could be from the gearbox -fitting joint. i just dont know... :bang:

If you are not sure exactly where it is leaking clean the area very well and coat it with baby powder. Where ever the wet spot starts is your leak. That's how I found my leak, it was leaking at the little vacuum valve in the side of the pump.

I had a similar problem when putting in a new power steering pump. The return hose wasnt on all the way, but it looked like it was , grapped some pliers and reefed on that sumbitch , also put new hose clamps on it, the pinchy one it had on there wasnt doing the job.

Ohhh, ok. I thought you meant on the pump, itself... Gotcha. Yeah, sounds like it's not that o-ring that I can't even know you have, lol.

YES, those ideas above work GREAT! I only had flour, but IT DID work and reveal that I DID in fact have a couple leaks... But regardless, new pump or not, my box was toast:( haha.

Yep, pics will help lots. Bring em! lol.

Best wishes in the meantime:great:

PS> OP......

The o-ring I was speaking of on my 87 22RE is where the REMOTE reservoir meets with the top of the steering pump.... Your reservoir is right on the pump itself,...so not likely you would have that o-ring anyhow.

The reservoir on the V6 is right on top of the pump, but it removes with a couple bolts. It has a nipple that pushes into the pump and there is an O-ring on that nipple. If the leak is up high it could be that O-ring, but it sounds like the OP's leak is lower.

AH HAHHHHHHH! lol... Thank you, 93toyota4x4:great: I figured it was where the reservoir actually drops into the pump(in case you crack only the reservoir and wanna replace that and not the whole pump or something.

On my 22RE it's a tapered slot on the flange that is fed by the tube coming down from the reservoir... Is it similar on the V6 one? Just curious.

And man, I've had a couple leaks from there that ran down the Steering pump brace onto the timing cover and ended up leaking from the pan, actually looking at first like a pan leak! haha.

Anyway, hope you find it and suss it up soon, OP:great: