Steering Wheel Very Tight At Start-up

[LexKid630]

I just went out to move my daughter's 04 ES330 in the driveway and noticed that it was VERY hard to move the steering wheel. It's been sitting outside since 8 this morning so i'm thinking it's just the cold? It's ~ 24 degrees F. My daugher is saying that she hasn't noticed any trouble with the steering lately...

I've never really noticed this before....

Thanks

[Toysrme]

Maybe so. The streering racks are very power assist dependant. It takes great effort when the powersteering pump (engine) is off.

Check the powersteering fluid level, flush it if you feel like it. I guess you could always make sure everything is still lubricated etc.

[bob95603]

A temperature of 24 degrees shouldn't affect power steering fluid. I noticed a problem once when it was below zero, so I doubt 24 degrees would be a problem. I'd suggest you flush out the current fluid and put in new fluid. It may be contaminated with either crud or moisture or may have air in the system which would give you a problem with hard steering. As a quick fix, siphon the fluid out with a turkey baseter (?) or a pump. I use a pump from an old shampoo bottle. Once you hear the pump taking in air, fill up with new fluid. Do that every few days for about a week. You'll probably notice a difference. The fluid I got out of mine was a murky brown and adding new fluid made a difference.

[monarch]

Check the tire pressure when it's around 24 degrees F. It might be below the factory spec of around 29 PSI. Also check PS fluid level in the morning, before starting the car, to make sure it's within the COLD range (not under or overfilled). If fluid is above the COLD range then suck some out using a turkey baster or some vinyl tubing you can get from a hardware store.

The factory fill PS fluid won't need changing for another 3 years or until the car hits about 60,000 miles

In the rare event stiff steering persists despite the above checks, take car to Lexus dealer for a warranty check out and repair.

[LexKid630]

Check the tire pressure when it's around 24 degrees F. It might be below the factory spec of around 29 PSI. Also check PS fluid level in the morning, before starting the car, to make sure it's within the COLD range (not under or overfilled). If fluid is above the COLD range then suck some out using a turkey baster or some vinyl tubing you can get from a hardware store.

The factory fill PS fluid won't need changing for another 3 years or until the car hits about 60,000 miles

In the rare event stiff steering persists despite the above checks, take car to Lexus dealer for a warranty check out and repair.

Wow...i just took it for ride to the store and is it in bad shape! REALLY bad shape!

1. The problem with the tight steering...at start-up and even at 10mph in the parking lot 20 minutes later. It's not just the cold :(

2. When i backed it out of the driveway, put it in D, and slammed on the gas, it didn't move for a good second then it jerked foward!!! It only did it once ten minutes later going from a red light. I've driven this car before when it was new and it didn't do it

3. When i let go of the wheel for a split second @ even 35mph the car immediately pulled to the right.

4. The steering wheel was shaking like YOU COULD NOT BELIEVE even at low speeds ~35mph.

I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow to get this crap fixed. I'm not even going to try to fix this stuff myself, i have no clue what i'm doing It's under warranty so i'm not going to think twice. A car that's just below 2 years old shouldn't be having these problems...

I can't believe what bad condition it's in

Thanks for your help anyways guys!

Check the tire pressure when it's around 24 degrees F. It might be below the factory spec of around 29 PSI. Also check PS fluid level in the morning, before starting the car, to make sure it's within the COLD range (not under or overfilled). If fluid is above the COLD range then suck some out using a turkey baster or some vinyl tubing you can get from a hardware store.

The factory fill PS fluid won't need changing for another 3 years or until the car hits about 60,000 miles

In the rare event stiff steering persists despite the above checks, take car to Lexus dealer for a warranty check out and repair.

I just checked the tire pressure in all 4 wheels.

Front right: ~25 PSI

Front left: ~30 PSI

Rear right: ~30 PSI

Rear left: ~30 PSI

Is it still safe to drive? Looking at the car you can't tell that it's tilted or anything.

[Toysrme]

I wouldn't drive far on 25psi. Easy to hydroplane. Aint gonna kill you just driving around on a sunny day - most of us use 20- 25psi for traction racing, but that's not for driving.

32psi is the Toyota/Lexus spec. 38psi is the Toyota-Europe spec for cars that stay on the highway for long periods of time, or 90mph+.

Most Camry/ES/Solara/Avalon people I know run 38psi year round for 92-01. Keeps the front tires from bulging & looking sad as they age, better gas mileage & stability. Wear continues to be even.

[LexKid630]

I wouldn't drive far on 25psi. Easy to hydroplane. Aint gonna kill you just driving around on a sunny day - most of us use 20- 25psi for traction racing, but that's not for driving.

32psi is the Toyota/Lexus spec. 38psi is the Toyota-Europe spec for cars that stay on the highway for long periods of time, or 90mph+.

Most Camry/ES/Solara/Avalon people I know run 38psi year round for 92-01. Keeps the front tires from bulging & looking sad as they age, better gas mileage & stability. Wear continues to be even.

My daughter's never changed the tire pressure since i bought it for her 2 years ago...She's in college and drives a lot; mostly highway to and from college...

[Toysrme]

Just telling you what people run & why/what happens when you run it. It's low now, that's all you need to know. Inflate them back up.

[LexKid630]

Just telling you what people run & why/what happens when you run it. It's low now, that's all you need to know. Inflate them back up.

I'll fill all of them to 35 you think? I've got the compressor warming up LOL

[hybridamp]

I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow to get this crap fixed. I'm not even going to try to fix this stuff myself' date=' i have no clue what i'm doing It's under warranty so i'm not going to think twice. A car that's just below 2 years old shouldn't be having these problems...[/quote']

I know it's an old post, but my wife's 04 ES330 is doing the same exact thing when cold (wheel pressure is at spec). Actually, she never mentioned it to me, I just happened to drive it yesterday and when I asked her she replied, "Yeah, it has been doing that for a while". Do you happen to remember what the dealer did to resolve the issue? I'm planning a PS fluid flush and replace...

[SW03ES]

Check the PS fluid level...

Could be a bad pump...

[hybridamp]

Fluid level is correct. Probably the pump I guess, though the steering behavior is normal at > 45F

[SW03ES]

Mine was never like that...

[hybridamp]

Hrm, I think I'm going to replace the power steering fluid first myself, if that doesn't work then I guess I'll have my dealer take a look even though I'm not looking forward to that day. lol I will report back here in case anyone else develops this problem down the road. She has around 118k on the vehicle at the moment.