'91 power steering

[jalauer]

My power steering has been fading quickly. No leaks. My mechanic says the pump is working and rack appears to be working. He thinks it's the slip joint that's binding and may need to be greased or go with a new part (what part?). He tried to loosen the steering shaft to get at the knuckles but quit for now because he couldn't figure it out. Any ideas? Thanks.

[TBayToyotaBoy]

I'm a little unclear on what got your mechanic stumped. All you have to do is loosen the bolt binding the steering shaft to the u-joint, smack the fitting a few times to loosen the rust that's probably fused the two parts together, and then drop the rack down off the column shaft.

Is that what you mean, or am I misunderstanding the problem?

As for the initial problem, is your mechanic sure the pump is working? Usually the joints can take a royal beating without binding-up or wearing badly enough to notice, so my money would almost always be on the pump malfunctioning. Especially if it's a reman unit.

[jalauer]

Regarding the initial problem - yes the power steering is about 80% gone and while I'm not engine saavy my gut feeling was hydraulics and the pump failing. The mechanic described that the pump was operable based on it building pressure when he cranked the steering wheel all the way to either direction and you'd hear the high-pitched noise. He said if the pump was bad you'd hear it whine and the steering wheel would jerk while making a turn. Right now, I'm describing it as very hard to turn and return the wheel to center. So, pump, rack, u-joints??

Here's a tip I didn't mention earlier. There was a steering line fluid leak a few weeks ago for the first time and I had lost power steering. The mechanic had ordered and replaced a new section of hose from about the fluid canaster to the block. The leak was stopped, power steering retuned but sure enough I'm having these new set of problems with no power steering -spooky!

I read in some other search post with a similar steering issue that a guy put oil on the knuckle/u-joint and the problem went away. Could it be that simple? Thanks in advance for your help.

[TBayToyotaBoy]

Well, considering the simplicity and low expense of oiling the u-joint, I would try that first. Hopefully it improves the situation, but I'm skeptical.

If a section of line was replaced recently, it may indicate that the reservoir had been run dry (when the leak first developed). Very low fluid can stress the pump and lead to failure...

One more question: is your mechanic experienced with Toyotas?

[jalauer]

I was watching the reservoir when the leak was first found and I don't believe the fluid was too far below the min line and I kept adding to it until it was fixed. Good point though about the pump stress. I will have to wait until early next week to get the car back in. As far as his Yota knowledge, he's worked on all car and truck brands but I don't know. He may have some limitations, that's why I'm dialing up you folks for help!