Howdy,

I own a '94 V6 4WD 4runner, and I'm not the main driver of this vehicle. I decide to check fluid levels, and generally eyeball things up this AM, and when I fire up the engine, I begin to hear a noise that don't belong.... hard to describe, kinda like a muffled, muted, grinding noise, but in a 'liquid' kind of a way. Also, the noise becomes louder, and higher in pitch when I simply turn the steering wheel left or right. The noise is present moving, or just sitting still. Could a power steering component be a culprit here?

Much thanks for any ideas -

Dick