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Hello, I have a 99 es300 with 170k my power steering is leaking badly and I plan on replacing lines and possibly replacing the pump and rack. Does anyone recommend that instead of replacing, I rebuild the pump and rack? There is some play in the rack but I think I can get rid of the small slop with the rack adjustment screw. Is it worth the time and money saving or at 170k is it worth the extra money to go ahead and start with an all new power steering system? Its only going to run me around 500 for an all new system. Thank you.
Hard to say, heavily depends on your plans for a car.
OEM rebuild kits for both the Pump and Steering Rack are out there and not that expensive, with that, they would only be of help if the system doesn't have any faults other than some leakage. I did rebuild my pump in a 2000 ES300 about a year ago by now, still going strong, and the process wasn't too complicated, aside from dealing with the fluid that is, but if your pump is whining or loosing strength, that kit likely won't bring it back, you will have to find a used one and rebuild that one instead.
As for the rack, it's a little trickier. If it is leaking, there is likely a good reason for it, which is not something that can be solved simply by throwing a rebuild kit, even if it is OEM. Take the boots off at least and look at the rack itself, see if there are any scoring on the shaft, also making sure there isn't too much fluid leaking out of it, if so, you will either have to get a replacement, or resurface the existing one, which will be a lot more involved. I would frankly suggest looking for a used OEM on eBay or at the junkyard, depending on the condition, it will last you a good while, at least a lot longer than a lot of rebuilt junk on eBay marketed as "new".
Lastly the lines, OEM ones are still out there, and are probably the way to go if you need a quality repair for a long time, but if you are only looking for it to last a few years, aftermarket should do in a pinch, and no, this is not the place where I suggest getting used OEM, chances are you will end up with the same issue in the near future, as it appears to be a common weak spot for those cars.
Almost forgot about the fluid. The manual calls for Dexron III, which is surprisingly tough to get a hold of these days. I used Amsoil OE ATF as per one member's advice, and I am quite happy with the result, while it won't grow you system back to new again, it's a solid option as a Dexron substitute. If not that, make sure to never use Dexron VI in there, marketed as a "replacement" for all previous types, it has vastly different properties, which can damage your freshly rebuilt system.
Hard to say, heavily depends on your plans for a car.
OEM rebuild kits for both the Pump and Steering Rack are out there and not that expensive, with that, they would only be of help if the system doesn't have any faults other than some leakage. I did rebuild my pump in a 2000 ES300 about a year ago by now, still going strong, and the process wasn't too complicated, aside from dealing with the fluid that is, but if your pump is whining or loosing strength, that kit likely won't bring it back, you will have to find a used one and rebuild that one instead.
As for the rack, it's a little trickier. If it is leaking, there is likely a good reason for it, which is not something that can be solved simply by throwing a rebuild kit, even if it is OEM. Take the boots off at least and look at the rack itself, see if there are any scoring on the shaft, also making sure there isn't too much fluid leaking out of it, if so, you will either have to get a replacement, or resurface the existing one, which will be a lot more involved. I would frankly suggest looking for a used OEM on eBay or at the junkyard, depending on the condition, it will last you a good while, at least a lot longer than a lot of rebuilt junk on eBay marketed as "new".
Lastly the lines, OEM ones are still out there, and are probably the way to go if you need a quality repair for a long time, but if you are only looking for it to last a few years, aftermarket should do in a pinch, and no, this is not the place where I suggest getting used OEM, chances are you will end up with the same issue in the near future, as it appears to be a common weak spot for those cars.
Almost forgot about the fluid. The manual calls for Dexron III, which is surprisingly tough to get a hold of these days. I used Amsoil OE ATF as per one member's advice, and I am quite happy with the result, while it won't grow you system back to new again, it's a solid option as a Dexron substitute. If not that, make sure to never use Dexron VI in there, marketed as a "replacement" for all previous types, it has vastly different properties, which can damage your freshly rebuilt system.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Thank you for the time you took to respond to my questions I appreciate your effort very much, about 30 minutes ago I topped of the power steering fluid to nurse the system until I decide how I will go about the repairs. As I was inspecting I noticed a pretty big sized puddle under the car this time and jacked the car up to see. The first thing I noticed is the rack and pinion boot on the drivers side is now ripped and off and the system is leaking very badly on the drivers side. There is a fair amount of dirt all over the teeth in the gears confirming I will now have to replace the rack entirely. As for now replacing basically my entire power steering system, I am looking at new parts on rock auto, but you were suggesting I find OE used replacements. Are the aftermarket replacements that bad?
I have the following replacement options: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=7388&jsn=3212 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=7388&jsn=3213 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=7388&jsn=3214 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=7388&jsn=3215
Thank you for you're time and efforts.
When I search that it comes up as a Toyota something else but I’m sure they are all the same unless you know it’ll come up for an es300.
Are the aftermarket manufacturers really that bad compared to a reman Toyota rack and pinion? It’s about $100 dollars cheaper if I buy a whole brand new rack
I would say that I never had much luck with aftermarket assemblies like that, especially the ones that claim to be brand new, they usually end up being nothing more than a mediocre paperweight at best. If you do want to save, I would strongly suggest looking through eBay for a Used OEM option, it will last you a lot longer than most of the aftermarket ones, though not as long to an OEM rebuilt.
I would say that I never had much luck with aftermarket assemblies like that, especially the ones that claim to be brand new, they usually end up being nothing more than a mediocre paperweight at best. If you do want to save, I would strongly suggest looking through eBay for a Used OEM option, it will last you a lot longer than most of the aftermarket ones, though not as long to an OEM rebuilt.
I might be doing that, it’s cheaper and all of my p/s lines are shot. The high pressure is leaking, the return is leaking, all of them are leaking the engine bay is insanely greasy. When I do all the work I plan to end up taking the alt out rad etc. I needed to replace the thermostat with an Oem one anyways and the upper and lower hoses so this is a good opportunity to really get into everything that needs dealt with. I’m gonna do a little more research on those aftermarket racks and see which one I think would be the best and pull the trigger and I will keep you guys posted.
Thank you again for all the information I really do appreciate it.
After hearing that Toyota also does remanufactured racks, and that they won't cost a few kidneys, I figured I it may be worthwhile get one instead of rebuilding it myself, as even the price of parts I need for the rack is not even that less than an already rebuilt rack. The only problem is that, for the life of me, I couldn't find any information about them other than the fact that they exist, no pictures, no other mentions of anyone even knowing about them. After talking to a few dealerships that assured me it is basically new and it is hard to make a difference between new and rebuilt, I decided to bite the bullet.
The joy of picking it up from the dealership was short-lived though, once I got home and took a closer look, I was deeply disappointed in the quality that they offer. The paint is simply flaking off as no one made any preparations before painting it, some of the paint was laid directly over the oil and grease, the rubber boot, gaskets, pretty much everything is painted over, and the quality is very bad.
The inner tie rods are different, while they should be the same Part Number, they also feel a little different with one being stiffer than the other, and one also has some bite marks as if it was used somewhere else. The clamps they used for the boots are unconventional as well, they are designed such that they can't be removed, which is understandable, but there is now no way to look at the shaft under them. The main reason for the rack starting to leak is the scoring on the rack shaft itself that tears the seals, if the shaft is not replaced or at least resurfaced, no matter how many times you rebuild it, leak will return. With the level of quality, it's a 50-50 chance of getting a good one.
The part that drove me over the edge though is one of the mounts, the one that Toyota doesn't have a Part Number for, and the one that is quite tough to replace. It was damaged at some point during the previous life of the rack, so instead of replacing it, they filled it with some silicone and called it a day. I didn't realize it at first as it was completely painted over, it's only when I scraped the paint off did I see it, which is a very shady move, as it is already looser than mine, and it will only get worse with time.
The worst part is the warranty that they offer, while it is for 12 months with no mileage limit, there is a very strict list of criteria that need to be obtained for the warranty to stay valid. For example, they require flushing the system and then using the filter to verify there are no metal particles in the oil, that part is clear and understandable, the bad part is that it has to be detailed and catalogued in a special bulletin for you to be able to claim the warranty if it fails, so unless you work at a pretty established service location or a dealership, you can forget about getting warranty replacement should it fail again.
I will likely be returning it and sticking with original plan of doing my own rebuild, as it is unacceptable in my opinion, which is very disappointing as I thought of Toyota as one of the companies still to be trusted, and was expecting the level of quality that Denso gives ... or at least gave the last time I got a rebuilt alternator. The moral of the story, don't trust anyone but yourself, even OEM parts can be full of surprises, so always make sure of what you are getting before using it.
Wow that is messed up. I'm betting Toyota is now using the same shops in China as aftermarket brands. Very disappointing. At least now we know, at your inconvenience unfortunately.
03-01-23, 10:50 PM
3rd gen Power Steering questions
