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Power Steering Leak and other stuff...

3K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  2009CamryLE 
#1 ·
I returned from my 2nd Deployment on the 5th of July and noticed I had no (what I thought to be) brake fluid. SO i bought some DOT 3 and filled it. A month later(2 days ago ish) I re-filled again with DOT 3. As I put the cap back on I noticed it said power steering... :facepalm: So I found the guide here and flushed the power steering completely. I thought that maybe the brake fluid had just been squeezed out of the lines somehow but I was wrong. Sitting, the car drips power steering fluid. A resevoir every 12 or so hours. I looked at it and found that it is not coming from the resevoir or lines or from the pump area. Instead it is coming from what I assume is called the boot? It is on the driver side. Where the half shaft comes out from the tranny there is another smaller piston arm looking thing that is hooked up to the power steering system and from there it is just dripping out. Here is the above the motor picture if where it is :




Here is the underneath of the car:



And the fluid on the actual arm or w/e it is called.



Has anyone had this issue?


Issue # 2: Anytime I turn the wheel all the way left or right I hear a pop from that side of the car to which I turn. Any others have this as well? Or could these two issues be related?
 
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#2 ·
That is the rack and pinion. The boot is called a bellow and it protects the rack piston and seal from damage.

I would bet that your use of brake fluid damaged the rack seals. Now fluid is gushing out of the seal. The only fix is to replace the rack (I don't think you can buy a rebuild kit and even if you did its not worth the time). My buddy did this a long time ago on his Eclipse. Poured brake fluid in and destroyed the rack.

The pop could from a number of things (rack mounts, tie-rod, ball joint, strut mount) so Internet diagnosis will be hard.

First replace the rack and while you are it have the shop (or you if done yourself) check out those parts.
 
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#5 ·
Called Toyota shop and they said for a new Rack and Pinion it would cost me $2,000.00. $800.00 for labor and $1,200.00 for the part. I said you have got to be kidding me. I will be heading to Oreilley's to get the $300.00 one. Expect a guide soon for how to remove and replace! Maybe even a video guide! But let's not get our hopes up just yet :p
 
#7 ·
Rack replacement is a huge pain and requires a lot of knowledge. Lots of things can go wrong.

That price is outrageous. Even the dealer should have a reman rack option. That seems like a brand new rack price (unless Toyota doesn't offer a reman yet for Gen 6). If you have never done a rack buy the part yourself and have a shop install it.
 
#10 ·
I don't think you can blame the brake fluid for causing the leak. He said that it was empty before he added brake fluid, so there was obviously a leak already.

To be honest, the brake fluid would probably work as a power steering fluid for awhile! They're both hydraulic fluids, albeit quite different. Not sure if you should consider a new power steering pump or not though. Definitely all of your lines need a COMPLETE flush before adding power steering fluid.
 
#11 ·
06 Camry

My 06 camry has also been advised to have a power steering leak with $2000 in expenses.

At 60,000 miles this is a big expense. How can we get toyota to replace this? I have seen other threads with similar issues. My drive is hardly taxing to cause such an issue. Round trip 25 miles everyday.
 
#13 ·
My 06 camry has also been advised to have a power steering leak with $2000 in expenses.

At 60,000 miles this is a big expense. How can we get toyota to replace this? I have seen other threads with similar issues. My drive is hardly taxing to cause such an issue. Round trip 25 miles everyday.
I am going to call Toyota again tomorrow as my warranty went up while I was deployed and the issue happened. I don't know why this is happening tbh. Sh*tty parts?
 
#12 ·
Brake fluid doesn't have the same lubricity as power steering fluid. So that deffinately didn't help the situation if there was a small leak to begin with. And it may have even swelled the seals up which in turn made them blow out.
 
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