OK guys-

So I rented a wet vac to remove all the power steering fluid from my 03' 4.7L Runner. I then refilled with the Dextron ATF and all seemed perfectly well initially. Over the next day or so the prob became worse, as the power steering began to leave and many noises started. So when I came home last night, I parked the vehicle in another direction to see if it was leaking. Got out there this morning and discovered that it obviously was. Found out that one of the hoses that I used to relocate the resevoir did not have a tight seal at the end of its connection around the motor. My questions are this:

Does running the vehicle without fluid in the power steering hurt anything?

Once I get a new hose to tightly seal the system, should everything be fine?

And finally, Is there a possibility that I could of hurt anything else within the system, when all that I did was disconnect the hoses and add longer ones?

Thanks again,

Billy

 

Alright, everything is reconnected. No leaks and a lot of fresh fluid in the system. Steering works fine. Have a minimal rattling sound as well as some squealing when turning...I'm assuming this will all fade over time as everything gets re-lubricated. I can understand if this topic is completely uninteresting to all of you, but any basic knowledge and information would be greatly appreciated for a little reassurance on my end.

Billy

 

Glad to hear that everything is working now. Just for future reference: Yes - you can damage the pump by running it w/o fluid. The fluid does lubricate & cool the pump somewhat. Since you didn't wait too long, everything should be fine. The only other things that could be damaged would be items attached to the same belt (don't know which engine you have) or in the way of the belt when it burns through after your pump seizes because there was no fluid in it.