2000, 180K. So as of recently I’ve noticed at night and sometimes during the day I can see steam coming from under the drivers side front. Also whenever I open the windows you can just feel the heat of the car hit you... and when you step out with the door open you can just feel the hot air hitting your legs, I know old cars do this but this amount of heat is abnormal, I know this car doesn’t leak oil, exhaust is dry so nothing is dripping on it, the only thing that leaks in this car is power steering, behind the drivers side wheel you know that black box with two pressure lines? That’s where it leaks, but it’s directly on the ground so doesn’t explain the steam. I’ve opened the hood and pressed the pedal and no steam upwards, just under the car.... also I’ve been putting that cheap Walmart powering steering in every 3 days because it leaks so bad, has anyone seen bad results from not using Lexus fluid for power steering? Thanks

 

This info is based on my '91, but I'm pretty sure it applies the same to your 2000:

- definite NO on the Walmart power steering fluid. Even liquid gold Rolls Royce PSF would be bad. You need regular ATF in these cars' Power Steering systems. Specifically DEXRON III, but there are many similar alternatives to that. DEXRON VI (the new, superseded version of DEXRON III) has been reported to work, as have many other similar ATF options. Not PSF.

- based on "steam" and the location you're describing, that area is near where the coolant reservoir is, and where it will exhaust its overpressured coolant. Take a careful look at your coolant reservoir and level. You can't open that up when it is hot, at risk of a sudden geyser of hot coolant coming out. The coolant would overpressure and exhaust out of the tank there if you have an overheating condition in your engine.

These two things are completely unrelated.

 

Sounds like PS fluid is leaking onto a hot surface. Definitely dont use anything other than dextron 3.

 

Okay, but do y’all get what I’m saying, why would I buy dext and it leak out a week later, vs the ps fluid that’s cheap

 

Would be prudent to get that leak fixed

 

I have already bought the two pressure lines, but I have no idea how to replace, can’t find anything on the forum so I’m saving to just let someone else do it for the mean time