Power Steering Blues
 

So I bought an '89 7MGTE a month ago, drove it over 700 miles from California where I picked it up, and then parked it. I was finishing my college career and didn't have the time for it. So yesterday, I decided to go on a Sunday drive, and the power steering pump seems to have disappeared. I have it parked over concrete and there's no evidence of leakage. Is it the pump?

Have you actually checked the fluid level? Do so, add fluid if needed, turn the car on and turn the wheel to each side until it stops a couple times each directions to warm it up. Also wouldn't hurt to replace the belt.

i havnt had much trouble with these pumps other than leakage.
do what cre said check fluid level and bleed.
http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Librar...aspx?S=SR&P=42

Cool, and thanks guys. I'll be replacing struts on Wednesday, so I'll dig into it then and post an update.

since were on the subject of PS. I wanted to ask the opinion of Lucas Ps treatment.
Im in the camp that doesn't like using fixes in a can. But I used this once on my moms eclipse. I think its more of a band aid then an actual fix. I wounder what problems it is actually making. Like burned out pulleys cause of the extra force due to higher viscosity on an already out of spec pulley.
Im not De-railing this topic Just saying if you were thinking of adding any of that it would be nice to know the pro's and cons.
Like I said I always try to fix something outright.. Most things in a bottle cause more harm then good, Just because the squealing goes away for a month dosnt mean its magically solved.

Am against all things that come in a bottle for a "quick fix". I was taught they do not work. While it may "work" for a bit, you are setting yourself up for failure. Then most of the people in this forum push their cars past their designed limits.

If one of them says to add some brake fluid to the transmission. Go ahead and hit them, it is a sure fire way to destroy it. Quality is doing thing right, shoody is doing things wrong because it is "cheaper". Actually in the long run doing it right is cheaper.

i was actually lookin at the tsrm and there is not much to these pumps.
if you cant get it working try looking for a rebuild kit for it, or even better just buy a used pump, there are plenty of totaled mk3's sitting in yards.

yea ranma Im against it to. her eclipse is a side facing motor.. as everyone knows im no mechanic. every job I do is the first time im doing it.. when I was growing up I just threw money at my problems and let someone else fix it.. This is the first car that I cared about enough to learn how to work on it. (long story.. ) anyhow It was the middle of winter and she just had a small squeal. I did bleed it and refill it. still kept the same squeal so I added the lucas.. Im fully prepared to replace the pump / pulley if need. I dont know shit about her eclipse tho. Im learning.

So, as promised, I jumped into the struts and replaced all four corners today, but that's a topic for a different thread. I found what I can only surmise is the the filler for the power steering fluid, but it's a tube on the driver's side that routes directly into the firewall, and the cap says "Use only DOT 3 brake fluid." And there was also some strange black plastic disc inside the nozzle, beneath the cap. Almost like a perfect plastic stone. Is that the filler for the power steering fluid? If not, what the heck IS that thing?
P.S. -- After about 50 miles of not working, the power steering pump seems to have come back from its leave of absence, at least temporarily.

This? http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Librar...spx?F=3103&P=1

Yep, that's it. And I just got in to drive it, and the clutch pedal went all the way to the floor. Is it coincidence or did removing the cap and inspecting the float somehow contribute to it failing? And where is the power steering reservoir? If it's not one thing, it's another, right? The joys of owning an old car.

you have got to be joking. nobody here is going to help you with that BS.

its right next to the headlight fluid reservoir. Directly left of the canooter valve

Sigh... Toaster, the thing you were dicking with was the clutch master cylinder. If you let air in the line it'll compress reducing how far the pedal moves the clutch. You'll need to reassemble the master cylinder and bleed the lines.

The power steering reservoir is up in front of the engine bay, behind the radiator and air cleaner on the passenger side. On the N/A it's mounted on the firewall and is a clear/whitish container with a black plastic lid and on the turbo model it's a goldish, metal container with matching lid mounted by the thermostat tower/neck.

Headlight fluid? Do I need to replace that too? Do they sell that at my local Wal-Mart? Is it expensive? Jeez guys, forgive me for being new to the world of Supra and not as knowledgeable as some of you. The diagram I was following must have been mislabeled and actually for the non-turbo. No need for the sarcasm, friends.

The sarcasm flows like the advice and also the MKIII's woes.... Thick, free and without end.

There is no major difference between either engine which would cause such a mistake. Everything is in the same place, except for the PS reservoir which is mounted 10" left of the GTE's... The location of the clutch and brake reservoir are completely standard.

I'm not sure what book you're using but if it's that bad you may want to give it to someone you don't like. I recommend you buy a hardcopy of the TSRM (it's what we've been linking you to in this thread).

Yeah, all I have is a single grainy, zoomed-in sheet of copy paper, presumably from an owner's manual or shop manual or something like that. Somebody attempted to pencil in the spots that didn't come through clearly, but it's pretty rough to be sure. Thanks for the help all the same. Sounds like I need to get a more comprehensive manual and grow thicker skin. :D

Can't give you a part number for the thicker skin... I think that was a dealer option. Here's an online version of the TSRM (Toyota Service and Repair Manual) for the '91 Supra... most of the mechanical stuff is the same:

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TSRM/MK3/

Great, thanks! This will definitely come in handy. I should just print the whole thing out and have it spiral bound.

I'd buy a copy for your year in that case. It's a frigging phone book (two if you don't print it all double sided). You can usually find them for a good deal online. People complain about how much they cost new, but I think the TSRM and TEWD (for your specific model and year) are well worth it and quite frankly very cheap. I've got other dealer service manuals which cost 2 to 3 times that amount.

ive seen some on ebay for different years going as low as 3 bucks.. plus 15 bucks shipping.. lol.. that shipping charge is a killer..