P/s Pump And Rack-pinion Leaking

[chilphil]

Hey Guys,

97 es300 - 91xxx miles

Why are both my power steering pump as well as rack & pinion leaking? This is rare...it's normally one or the other. With that said, my Power Steering Pump is leaking considerably more than the rack & pinion.

I planned on limping the two components along until Spring Bonus time, for obvious reasons, but the leaking on the carport is really starting to bother me (nickel size drops daily). I just keep re-filling the fluid when it gets low....as you guys now, as long as it's lubricated you're good to go.

I saw some forum posts where people used Lucas Tranny stop for Power Steering Pump issues. I ran this by my mechanic and he gave me a hard no, stating that the to and from hoses are currently fine and that the stop leak will end up causing corrosion in the hoses...... meaning that when I want to replace the parts in 3-4 months from now, I will have to change out the hoses also.

What do you guys think? Any info. would be appreciated.

Also, just a quick hit....my car is burning white smoke (no blue, no black). About 6 months ago it was occuring only on start-up (normal stuff). Now, I seem to notice it even when the car is properly warmed up. I checked around the engine casing and I do not see any leaks from any seals/gaskets. My engine oil levels are normal as well. My radiator fluid was at the minimum level in September and now 3 months later it has hit the minimum level again. Obviously the white smoke is burnt radiator fluid. How is it that the radiator fluid is being burnt with presumably healthy valve cover gaskets?

Thank You,

Philip

[Toysrme]

What do you guys think? Any info. would be appreciated.

I ran this by my mechanic and he gave me a hard no

Ditto.

My radiator fluid was at the minimum level in September and now 3 months later it has hit the minimum level again. Obviously the white smoke is burnt radiator fluid. How is it that the radiator fluid is being burnt with presumably healthy valve cover gaskets?

How do you know the head gaskets are healthy? Have you done a leak-down, or compression test? Coolant (In vapor form) either boils out of the system, or get's in the cylinders via the head gaskets. (Cracked blocks/heads are pretty rare on Toyota's.)

[chilphil]

"How do you know the head gaskets are healthy?"

Oh I don't know....I was hoping that you all could shed some light on this issue for me. I was just trying to convey that there are no obvious leaks visually. I haven't thought of it as a huge enough issue to have a mechanic look at it yet.

I plan on doing a 90,000 tune-up in a couple of months (timing belt, fluids flushed, etc...) This isn't anything I need to fret over right now, is it? I'll probably have the head, valve cover, and maybe even manifold gaskets changed at that time.

thanks,

Philip

[Toysrme]

Eh, it's not specifically hard to do - but changing head gaskets is relatively expensive.

If you're blowing coolant out the exhaust it's most likely a head gasket. (If you're the luckyest person on Earth, there is the remote chance that a metal lower intake manifold gasket has failed & is dumping coolant in the manifold, but I can't state how inprobible this is. I don't think I've ever read it mentionioned anywhere.)

Warm the engine up then quickly do a leak-down, or compression test while it's still warm & all the gaskets are sealing. That's the only way to be 100% sure before you dive into it.

You can also crank the car without a radiator cap. Normally if there is a BHG that leaks coolant - coolant comes in the cylinder while exhaust goes out into the cooling passages. You'll see it bubbling out the radiator *sometimes*. Obviously coolant in oil is a no-brainer, but that requires blowing a head gasket at both a coolant & oil passage - which just doesn't happen every time, or warping it between coolant & oil passages.

The oil will look like milk.

If you want me to just go way out on a limb, farther than you've gotten thus far.

If you've got a pre October '97 engine, it has traditional head gaskets revised to the highest spec Toyota ever made them at. (Preforated steel sheet with asbestos & gunky junk on it to seal). If it's post October '97 It'll have MLS (Multi-Layer Steel) head gaskets that are infeasible to "blow". (Considering they're proven over 850bhp on the 5vz-fe's.) But... If you overheated it there is still the possibility of warping the heads/block. That would normally happen if it head overheated & lifted a little bit.

If you have blown head gaskets - replace them with Multi-Layer Steel head gaskets.

Obviously, this has no bearing if it is another problem. So you are pre-warned. Without troubleshooting, we're jumping the gun. ;)