Power steering pump problems

[camry314]

I went out of town 2 weeks ago for a week and I came back, and there was no power steering fluid in my res. I was out of town last week for 4 days and I come back to an empty res again. The ground is wet, so I am thinking it is from the pump since its just behind and inside of the passenger wheel. Now what goes wrong with these things? could it be a loose line? When I start the car and a bit of fluid returns to the res, its foamy. Anyone have any ideas?

[sk8ersublime]

foamy prolly means that air is in the line or getting sucked in. I had my pump replaced 5 times in a matter of months....it was horrible. If you get it replaced, make sure you get Toyota OEM.

[Retrospekt]

Put a piece of cardboard under your car, get in the car, and start it. Then turn the wheel all the way left and all the way right for about a minute. Shut the car off and look at the cardboard. If it sprayed droplets, it's probably the power steering pressure hose.

[Eye8Pussies]

if it's a steady drip, it could be the seal behind the pulley....doesn't happen often, but when it does, it'll have to be swapped out

[96paseo]

Originally Posted by camry314

I went out of town 2 weeks ago for a week and I came back, and there was no power steering fluid in my res. I was out of town last week for 4 days and I come back to an empty res again. The ground is wet, so I am thinking it is from the pump since its just behind and inside of the passenger wheel. Now what goes wrong with these things? could it be a loose line? When I start the car and a bit of fluid returns to the res, its foamy. Anyone have any ideas?

Did the reservoir go empty while the vehicle was sitting or from normal use? Reffering to the bold text above, it sounds like it leaked out while the car was not being driven. If that's true, I would suspect a broken or cracked hose or a cracked reservoir. If it goes empty during normal driving, pump shaft seal and/or end seals on the rack are likely culprits.

[camry314]

Thank you everyone for the responses. It is a slow steady drip. I drips on the subframe, then onto the ground. I know its not the reservoir. I was thinking that it might be a leak from the connection between the hose and the pump housing.

96paseo, yes, it is draining from just sitting, not normal driving. Actually when driving, its fine. In a month, my car is going to have to sit for 3 months while I am on OCS for the Navy. I am worried that its just going to dump out and possibly cause issues.

I know that the foam means air in the system somewhere, but I am starting to get annoyed with it. I have to drive my Camry to Newport RI in a month, so it needs to be running well.

[camry314]

Anyone have any other ideas?