NewSlang

Hello, I was just wondering as I haven't really driven many other cars other than my 1998 ES300 but I did compare the performance of the "steering" of my 1998 to my friend's 2014 ES350 and the ES350 is "buttery" smooth when compared to my ES300. That's not to say that my ES300 is incredibly difficult to turn, but that it isn't "really" smooth, and at times (for instance at times when my hands are too dry) I find that I have to exert a bit of effort in turning the wheel with one hand. My question is, can there be something wrong with the power steering for my car, or is this type of performance normal for this year of ES300? I've seen people able to turn steering wheels of cars with one single finger of one hand (which I cannot do with my car), should I be able to do this as well?

Oro

Common reasons for steering stiffness are

a) binding at the intermediate shaft from lack of lubrication.

b) neglect of fluid creating either low pump performance, or wear in the rack/pinion interface.

I would lubricate the joint and service the fluid, then re-evaluate. To service the fluid on an older car, I really think it's smart to add some Chemtool B-12 or Seafoam to it for a few days or week of driving before flushing the fluid. This has made significant improvements in PS performance on multiple vehicles in my experience.

NewSlang

Thank you for the reply!
1. How would I go about lubricating each intermediate shaft? Can I just spray WD-40 Silicone on each side, or do I have to disassemble anything?

2. I've checked my PS fluid and it is full and the fluid itself isn't dirty. I recently bought this vehicle in November of last year so I am not sure when it was last changed. In regards to adding Seafoam, are you referring to Seafoam Trans Tune? Also, when adding Seafoam Trans Tune to my PS reservoir, how would I know how much to add? I've seen some videos, one in particular by a Youtube Personality and mechanic by the name of Scotty Kilmer, where he removes some PS fluid (he doesn't state where to empty the reservoir or not) and then he adds it. Should I just add the Seafoam to the already existing PS fluid and leave it?

Arsenii

Hello,

It is a very subjective topic, everyone will have their own opinion about it.. From my experience, the power steering in ES300 is a little bit harder than usual. I am not sure about E350, but I am pretty sure that the steering in ES330 is a little softer.

Also, the similar issue was discussed a little bit earlier, you can find more information here.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

prooh

Compared to the other cars I’ve driven (Camry, civic, es.. all year 2000), the es300 has the tightest input. The civic had the loosest and could easily use a pinky finger. The good thing about having a tight steering is that when you hit small road bumps or a pothole, the car won’t go all over the place.

Oro

Don't use WD-40 on the steering; it will long-term have the OPPOSITE effect of lubricating. It will wash away grease, and leave a tiny bit of silicone instead that will wear away quickly. WD-40 is a "Water Displacement" (WD) solution for electronics originally. Not a good lube. Put real grease in there.

Personally I know use Chemtool B-12; it is much cheaper and stronger than SeaFoam (SeaFoam regular and the transtune are basically the same, just branding). Consequently, you have to be a little more careful with it, but it's great. Add about 1 to 1.5 ozs of B-12 (it is $2.20 a pint can delivered on Amazon right now - I just ordered a few more cans Sunday morning) to the reservoir. Drive the car for a week. Then drain the reservoir and re-fill with clean fluid. Personally, I'd use Lubegard PSF - has an ester oil base that keeps things clean and also conditions seals/can stop leaks. If you don't use Lubegard, I'd still add an ounce of their AT additive (put the rest of the bottle in your AT).

I recently picked up a used Volvo XC70 - it was cheap because the dealership quoted the owner $10,500 to replace the steering rack and the AT. I fixed the PS problem with $0.30 worth of B-12 and $15 worth of Lubegard PSF. I'll fix the Transmission with either the same treatement, or at maximum $200 worth of valve body solenoids and a long afternoon underneath the car. So really, give this is a try before you try any more complicated solutions.

I would:

a) add 1.5 ozs of B-12 to the reservoir
b) drive a week/few hundred miles and see if anything changes.

if so:
c-1) pull the lower hose on the reservoir and catch the fluid in a container, refill with clean PSF (do this every 25k miles, btw)

if not:
c-2) re-evaluate what's going on.