I believe my 98 is leaking power steering fluid. What are the possibilities for this problem?

 

There are a few possibilties for leaks. Rack and Pinion, power steering pump, hoses. Have you noticed any wet spots around any of the components? Or is it driping on the ground? There really isn't to many places for it to leak from.

 

Many Toyotas do not use power steering fluid at all...they use ATF in the PS reservoir...look on yours and it should tell you.

 

Any spots on your driveway after you park?
You're going to have to get under the vehicle and look for leaks.

Brian's right too, make sure you put the correct fluid in, 98 4runners use ATF in there!

 

Cause if you had ATF in there and go to fill it up with PS fluid...guess what it going to happen...LEAK city.

 

small puddle on the garage floor... I can see a small drip coming down...however, cant see where it is coming from. If I were to guess I would say the drip is right under the ps resovoir. Btw: never put anything in it until today... used regular ps fluid. Oops... guess that will have to come out. Are there hoses that could be leaking or could it be the ps seals? My steering has become real difficult and noisey. My check engine lite has also been on for about a week or so. Just havent had time to bring it to the dealer.

 

Went to check my PS reservoir on my 85 when I first got it. It was low. Put in PS fluid since I assumed that is what went in there. Leaked about a week later...discovered I should have filled it up with ATF...I had to replace the seals in the PS pump as that is where it leaked. The two fluids just don't play well together if the seals were used to one and then you hit them with the other..especially going from ATF to PS fluid.

 

Solved... have to replace the return PS line. My mechanic says no big deal... One of the hazards of living in the NE with all of this corroding salt.

 

yeah I made this mistake as well, I was leaking maybe a silver dollar sized spot then threw regular power fluid in, yeah lets just say paper towels hold liquid better.

 

Hey thats nothing. Just don't cut your pressure line and try to fix it with hose clamps. hhaha

 

anybody know what fluid a 96 takes? i am leaking like crazy from a truck I just bought... The guy i bought it form topped it off with PS so i could take it for a test drive

 

my dad just put PS fluid in mine, What should I do, suck it out and replace with ATF? Or just start searching for a new pump (I think I need one anyways)

Mostly I dont want to hurt the rack.

 

Wow! It says "Use DEXRON ATF III" right on the cap. What else could have Toyota done? Have the truck issue a voice warning when the cap is opened?

 

Just replacing what's in the reservoir won't help, because it is a continuously circulating system, so the whole thing is contaminated. You need to flush it out. You can do it at home yourself. I explain the flush process here.