Revived

It seems to be barely leaking but that inspection point failed nonetheless. Do you believe the pump need to be replaced or is there another fix?

mmatheny

That would depend on WHERE the leak is!

Revived

It's not dripping. It's just that when you place your finger on the bottom of the pump, there is a small amount of fluid on your finger.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

Is it the high pressure line hose closer towards the front of the passenger side firewall? I know that hose is slightly weeping on my 2004, but the dealer said not to worry about it

Revived

Is that hose difficult to replace? I would much rather try this first.

Revived

Also, can you elaborate on the hose? Maybe a part number or something like that?

mmatheny

I've never heard of an inspection where they feel the bottom of your PS pump!!

Oro

+1. I've seen less thorough prostate exams!

You can replace the upper section of the high pressure line easily with fuel hose from the auto parts store, no need to special order something. First though, see if that is the source of the drip. Start at the inlet on the PS reservoir and trace it down, it will be wet somewhere along the length if that is the case. Normally it hardens at the inlet itself and weeps from there, running downward to your pump and collecting on it.

808mcv20l

I know the leaks well on these cars.

I resealed the power steering pump with an OEM seal kit only to discover the leak was not from the pump.

Don't be so quick to assume the leak is coming from the pump itself.

Rather, do this, wipe the pump clean, follow the upper hose (high pressure line) This is a metal fitting that runs into a U in back of the intake manifold, if it's wet keep looking. You will see a plastic coil that covers the rubber portion of the hose.

On 2 cars the leak was here, temporarily remove the plastic coil cover over the hose, start the car and have someone turn the wheel while you inspect this hose with a high power flashlight.

on 1 car the hose was cracked and fluid was oozing out. on the other car the crimp where the metal meets the rubber was compromised and it was coming out from there.

I have a hunch that your leak is here, and dripping down from the high pressure hose onto the pump making it look like the leak is from the pump.

BTW, the hose is a $300 dollar part from Lexus/Toyota.

Edelmann sells an aftermarket part for about 70 bucks. The quality of the heatshielding is a bit lacking compared to OEM but the fitment was great. you do need to remove the brackets from your old hose to reuse. I got my hose from Amazon for around 70 bucks 2 years ago.

Revived

Great info. Would you not recommend a fuel hose as mentioned in the post above? $70+ sounds excessive unless that particular hose is highly recommended.

808mcv20l

It really depends on where your leak is.

Like I mentioned, look around the high pressure hose that runs behind the intake manifold, if it's wet, it's likely leaking under the plastic COIL, pull it off to see.

Not sure what fuel hose they are referring to above, sounds to me like a section of hose off one of the reservoir return lines. I've also used fuel hose to replace those hardened rubber lines. you can buy hose by the feet at your local O'reillys or parts store.

The high pressure hose I replaced on 2 of my vehicles is this one:

The OEM one is 300 bucks, it's a pretty car specific part so can't just use any generic hose to replace it.

If you find that the source of your leak is here, I would suggest you take it to a mechanic to get it installed if you aren't mechanically inclined. It was a b1tch to install but not impossible just a pain in the azz and lots of cramped spaces to work in.

tomf

Ditto
I replaced the high pressure hose in my 95 Camry V6 1mz-fe engine (same engine on the ES300s). The problem with replacing this hose is limited access. I ended up removing the power steering pump so I could disconnect the hose. The problem with the other end of the hose was that there was no room to turn the nut with a wrench. This repair is DIY-able if you are mechanically inclined but will take some time. I also used an EDELMANN hose. It was way cheaper than OEM.

fortitude

I took 808mcv20l advice and purchased the Edelmann replacement (rockauto) when the high pressure line was leaking on my '02 . The trouble spot is the end that connects with a short metal tube that then goes into the rack. This connection is covered by a cross member. What I did was disconnect the short metal tube (using a flare nut wrench) from the rack, then removed the other end of HP hose at pump. Once out, I then split the connection from HP hose & short metal tube. Watch for the small rubber O-rings - they need to be in place when re-installing.
Another comment is make the car has cooled down considerably before getting your hands in there. The exhaust components get raging hot....