Any Toyota mechanics out there? I have a 2010 Toyota Tundra with ~70,000 miles on it. If it matters I live in NW Montana and the truck is garaged every night and is only driven a few times a week. I use it mainly for hauling trash in the summer and plowing my driveway in the winter.
It’s been pretty cold during the past month and about 3 weeks ago I noticed a problem. First thing every morning the truck’s steering is very stiff. If I drive it for 15 or 20 minutes the steering loosens up quite a bit. I thought it might be a temperature related issue, but it’s warmed up lately and the truck still behaves the same.
I checked the power steering fluid and it was a little low so I topped it off. That made the problem go away for a few days, but then it came right back. I don’t see any leaking underneath the truck.
Perhaps it’s the power steering pump or the belt, but since my repair guy is 45 minutes away by the time I bring the truck to him the problem will be pretty much resolved. Any suggestions?
You said adding fluid made it temporarily go away. Have you rechecked the fluid to see if it was low again? It does sound like a low pressure problem. The part that confuses me is that you said the problem resolved itself for a few days after adding fluid. I would check the tension on the belt to be sure it isn’t slipping, a cold hard belt might slip worse than normal.
I had the same problem with my Jeep. Topped of the ps fluid but had to refill it a couple of days later. Thought it was a leak but apperently the fluid had to work all of the air out of the nooks and crannies. Check the fluid again, top it off once maybe twice a week.
It’s critical to know whether the fluid is low, and how low, when the symptom appears. If it consistently only acts up when the fluid is significantly low, then I’d say there’s a leak that needs to be found and fixed.
If it acts up when the fluid level is okay, then I’d suspect “power steering morning sickness” – seals inside the steering gear have lost some of their elasticity, but regain enough of it when warmed up a bit for the symptom to disappear.
The power steering fluid reservoir is still completely full so that may have been a coincidence/red herring. I couldn’t get to the belt so I have no idea if it’s loose or not. Time to take it in to have it checked out by someone.
Turn the car on and get it to normal operating temperature and remove the fluid fill cap, move the steering wheel side to side a few times. be careful but after a few minutes squeeze the hoses where applicable and leading to the power steering pump, if they don’t soften, the pump may not be feeding properly even though the pulley is fine. Replace it. If the power steering fluid keeps getting low, you may have a seal leak on the rack and pinion that is slowly draining into the bellows where the inner tie rods connect (hence no apparent drippage). This is expensive to fix and you can of course either do it, or buy time by using a stop-leak product. Check the drive belt for stiffness (may slip if hardened, as mention above). If your power steering fluid is dark, not nice and red or yellow, change it out (put on parking brake, get under hood will it is warm and running and suck out the old fluid, move the wheel until it gets stiffer, suck more out, once you hear it “whine” when you move the wheel, add new fluid. Never overfill the reservoir, it will only cause problems. If you find a leak in the hoses, you can replace the hose or you can use neoprene and hose clamps for a temporary repair. I hope these ideas help out.
Let me know the results after you try this and I can likely tell you the problem.