Toyota - Camry :: 2005 - Power Steering Rack Leaking And Front Struts Cracked
Nov 14, 2013
We have a 2005 Camry XLE, with 102,00 miles on it. It has been very well cared for, and only serviced by our Dealer. We would like to keep the vehicle for another 50,000 miles. We have had an assessment of the vehicle done by the Dealer, because our brakes were very soft.
He found a great deal of air in the lines and flushed them out. He also found:
1.) Leaks in the power steering rack, which he graded as a level 8 severity on a 10 point scale. Repair estimate is $1100 to replace and align.
2.) Both front struts are cracked and graded for severity as an 8 on a scale of 10.
What do you think:
A.) Are these safety issues ?
B.) What are the consequences of delay ?
C.) Are these problems indicative of other likely problems ?
D.) Is it better to have a Dealer perform the repairs ?
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My 2006 Toyota Camry LE (4cyl) is in the shop today for its 120,000 mile maintenance. The Toyota shop says my power steering rack (or boot?) is leaking, the whole thing needs to be replaced, and this is a $1200 repair. I had an accident in this car on 01/03/13, I was hit on the front passenger side tire, pushing it in and under, along with damage to the front lower corner of the door and the whole fender. I got the car out of the repair shop last week and immediately noticed a lot of banging and bumping that was not there before. I called the repair shop, they said bring it in and they will look at it, I was planning to take it in tomorrow. Meanwhile my car was due for an oil change and the 120,000 mile maintenance, so I dropped it off this morning and you know the rest of the story. I asked Toyota if this could have happened in the accident - they said while it could be that the banging and bumping noises are the boot rattling, it was not likely this would have happened in the accident. What do you think, is it possible or likely the power steering rack could have been torn in the accident or in the ensuing replacement of parts on the undercarriage?
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I was replacing the oil in the transfer case and came across this under the passenger side. Power steering rack seems to be leaking through the rubber boot, but I have not noticed anything on the garage floor in recent months...
Can the boot itself be replaced? I hate to think the whole system needs to be replaced.
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My husband noticed that our 2001 Camry was driving strange. He thought it was a problem with the brakes locking up. When I drove it, I felt like the front of the car was a little wiggly and thought we might need an alignment. When we took it in, they said that the brakes are okay, but that the front struts are "soft." They said that the front struts need to be replaced, which includes an alignment, and we should replace the rear struts at the same time. They said we should get new tires at the same time.
I've been trying to research it some, and we don't have a lot of the problems associated with bad struts. We haven't noticed any bouncing or anything like that. I think they are honest mechanics, but my husband doesn't trust them. We don't have enough money to get all that work done right now, so my question is, can we wait until we notice bouncing or the tires get worse to have the work done? (We would be trying to save up the money in the meantime.) Or, can we just take care of the front struts and wait on the tires and rear struts? Should we just get a second opinion? (The car does have 145,000 miles on it, and I've never had the struts replaced. I bought it with about 65,000 miles on it.)
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Last week I took my 2004 Honda Odyssey in to Firestone for a rear brake job and they ended up selling me an oil change, two new tires, alignment, an alternator drive belt, and two front engine mounts as well. When I picked up the vehicle late Friday afternoon, I noticed the power steering was making a whining noise and the steering seemed a little stiff. I took it back to Firestone Saturday morning, and they looked under the hood and said my power steering fluid was low, so they topped it off. That fixed the whining, but the steering still had a bit of a kink in it. They said it might be an air bubble in the line that would work itself out. Monday morning on my way to work, the whining was back and the steering very stiff and getting noticibly worse by the minute, so I took it directly back to Firestone.
It turns out the rack and pinion is leaking, and Firestone denies that it could have happened while they had the vehicle. The manager I spoke to said "all we did was replace a couple of belts -- didn't even get near the rack and pinion." Well, that's not all they did, but if anything they did could have caused the current issue. I know there were no suspension or power steering issues before I took it in, and after I picked it up suddenly it's leaking fluid like crazy. What can I do or say to press my case?
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I have a 2002 Celica GT and the cooling loop on the power steering that runs out in front of the radiator (or AC condenser) is cracked and leaking. I need to replace it, I have a few questions:
- Where to get a replacement, likely Toyota?
- Find out how much work it is to replace myself?
- Does the system auto bleed any air or will I have to bleed it?
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Mine is leaking badly from both tie rod ends. I am guessing the seals got nicked up when the tie rods were replaced. Is there anyway to replace just the seals? I would really like to avoid replacing the rack.
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The steering rack on my 2009 Sonata was previously replaced under warranty but now it start to leak seriously.from the two boots at the ends of the steering rack ends. Is it possible to replaced seals only where it leaks?
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I'd noticed an oil leak drivers side and upon investigation it appears the rack has developed a leak. I lifted the car on the vehicle lift and when I did noticed oil pouring out of the boot surrounding the steering linkage coming from the steering rack. With the tires dropped the full amount this created a tilt of said boot allowing the oil that had filled the boot to drain out. My conclusion is the rack has developed a leak with the boot being full of oil.
I did a "steering rack" search but nothing of value appeared.
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I just had my oil changed and was told that my rack and pinion was leaking also my valve cover leaked I had the gasket change about a year ago an the leak is so slight it wont even show up in my dip stick, is it possible the valve cover leak is getting on the rack boot. Also can I change just the boot car has 15000mi in great shape an well maintained.....
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2009 Sonata 2.4L ... About 60 000km ago, the complete steering rack was replaced under warranty. Now I notice the PS fluid going down in the PS reservoir. I checked for any loose fittings, all look OK. But I did notice PS droplets hanging from the steering rack boots. So today I replaced the PSF4 fluid with Amsoil PS fluid. I suspect maybe some seals are leaking. Any good product I can use to maybe stop the leaks?
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my mechanic thinks there is a problem with the car's frame. Alignment testing showed the front right wheel sitting just behind the position of the left front wheel. He thinks he can fix it. Is that why the struts are leaking so quickly? or could there another reason?
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I took my 2010 Camry LE for its 70K service to the mechanic to find out there is a leak in the rack and pinion. The tech said that this might happen due the wear and tear as the seal might get eroded or so. He showed me the leaking part and interestingly I never found any oil leak on the garage floor until the day. Anyways I just got the basic powertrain warranty on my camera so will have to take the repair costs on my own. They suggested replacing the rack and pinion with a quote of $1.4K (out the door which includes tax, labor and wheel alignment etc). Not sure if its a rip off being a novice in the auto field. Now my question is, is there a way to get this leak sealed or should i go for the replacement of rack and pinion? Also is it dangerous to drive around in the car which has this leak?
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I have a 2009 XLE v6 with 82,000 miles. I have decided to replace the struts because they are leaking bad and beginning to see unusual tire wear (cupping). Based on what I have read, I have decided to use KYB struts. Should the springs be replaced at the same time?
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My 14 IS350F's front struts are leaking. I only have 11k miles on it. Taking it in tomorrow, but wondering why is it failing so soon.
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I noticed my 2009 AWL Santa Fe (3.3L if it maters) had been 'bouncing' in the front end...so i brought it in to have it looked at.
The dealer here has advised me both front struts are leaking, and its still safe to drive.
This car bounces a lot, but on city roads, its not bad...On highway, you hit a little hump in the road, and it seems to bounce A LOT...for a bit of time, then settles. City driving isn't' that bad, its the highway that's freaky.
This coming weekend, I'm going camping, and tow 3500lbs with my Santa Fe, i have a weight distribution system/bars on the trailer to the vehicle. so it moves some of the weight to the front.
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I have a 2004 2.7 liter toyota tacoma with 135000 miles. the head cracked and was leaking coolant into the #2 cylinder. it wasn't catastrophic and was still running with just a stumbling idle at start up when cold. That said i took it apart, found the crack and I am in the process of replacing the head at home, my mechanic did all the diagnosis work.i don't remember overheating or when the head could have cracked.
Question is.....what should i check or replace while the head is off so that i don't crack my new head??there were never puddles of coolant under the truck. I just don't want to replace my head and crack a new one.
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I just replaced my Toyota Camry Solara 2005 Front Struts on Thursday to pass State Inspection. On Friday we had a mild snow storm(2 inches) and when taking a turn, the brake didn't work properly and the tires slipped and my car went over the curb and hit a pole. I was going at about 30 mph. My tires are a little old but since they passed the inspection on Thursday I'm guessing that they weren't that bad. My question is did replacing the struts have anything to do with this or was this just my distracted driving...
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Last night, I replaced both front struts with Monroe complete sets (new springs, mounts, boots, struts, etc) and I had my front rotors smoothed out. That cleared up about 75% of the noises coming from the front of my car Except for one.
Whenever I'm braking, there is a noise coming from my front left wheel. It's not a brake squeal, but more like a creaking sounds that comes around with each rotation of the wheel. It slows down with the car, and I can make it last longer by doing a slow roll with the brakes one. So when I'm fast it sounds like "Crk! Crk! Crk!" When I'm going slow it's "Creeeeeak... Creeeeeeak... Creeeeeak..."
Last night, I also replaced the sway bar link on that side. The brakes are smooth and the tires were balanced a couple months ago (no steering wobbles at any speed)
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How often do I need to get new shocks and struts - I've been told mine are weak Car is 10 yrs old with 165,000 mi.
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Someone stopped by the shop today with a problem with the power steering leaking. I checked it out and the return line from the rack to the pump is rusted through and needs to be replaced. The pressure line looks just as bad and will develop a leak soon too, if not replaced. While chatting the customer revealed that while stuck with no power steering, he put motor oil into the reserve tank because that's all he had. It did get him home. My plan is to replace the pressure line first, then cut the return line below the car (where it can be accessed better). Then use my evacuator.
hooked to the return line from the rack. Start the siphoning and fill the reserve tank with the proper fluid to flush everything out. I figured that it would flush the reserve tank, pump, pressure line, and rack. Then replace the return line and top off the tank. Will I have to have the engine running while I flush, and do I need to work the steering wheel left and right too.
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