sneakyazn

My gf has a 1993 ES300 with 140k. I noticed a grinding noise while turning in my gf's car the other day and popped the hood to find that the power steering fluid and the coolant were extraoridinarily low. 5 days later I noticed the same noise and I popped the hood and they are both empty again. Anybody have any ideas on what the problem is or if they might be related?

p_action

check where the car is parked. See if it's leaking onto the ground.

Red + Slimy = PS fluid
Green or Red and Watery = Coolant

~ Peter

sneakyazn

I think they are both leaking, but they are both leaking at a very fast rate it seems. I filled up both reservoires and they are almost both empty 5 days later. Unfortunately I don't know anything about cars, but it seemd odd that they both had that issue and I wasn't sure if they shared any same lines within the system or not. I did notice that when I washed the car and sprayed water on the right wheel, it looked like there was fluid being washed from the front right wheel because it had that rainbow effect in the water. I was just curious as if this was a normal problem within es300's like the power steering pump is a typical problem in sc400's.

3000

This is typical for a 92-93. Get the H20 system checked out. Check for over heating issues.

BadViper22

+1 on checking your water pump and coolant system. And there have been a handful of members who have had PS pump problems.

byf43

The two can go hand-in-hand.

The radiator cooling fan on the '93 es300 is ran by hydraulic pressure generated by the power steering pump.
IF the pump is leaking fluid, there might not be enough pressure to drive the fan, which in turn, will cause the radiator to 'boil over'.

sneakyazn

Thanks for the help guys! So I guess its the pressure hose and the return hose that needs to be replaced. Unfortunately the mechanic said it will run about $720 to fix that... Does that seem a bit high? Any chance that is easy enough for me to fix? Keep in mind I'm fairly retarded with cars, but not completely inept.

byf43

There are two sets of hoses coming from the power steering pump.

Set number 1. This is the power assist lines.
Set number 2. This is the radiator fan motor lines.

Which set is bad? Power assist? Radiator Fan Motor?

In my not-so-humble opinion, if you don't know that much about cars, take it to a REPUTABLE repair shop.

I've turned my fair share of wrenches in my 54+ years, but, with back problems and knee problems, I let someone else do the major stuff, now.

With that said, I have heard and read that a Toyota facility will be less expensive than a Lexus facility. Same parts. Less cash.
(Sounds like a commercial for one of those lite beers, doesn't it?)

sneakyazn

Thanks for you input byf43. A friend of mine who works at Ford's service department took a look and agreed with another mechanic that said the power steering pressure hose and the power steering return hose needed to be replaced. I was going to order the parts online, has anybody ever heard of Beck Arnley brand and if they have decent quality parts?

byf43

Beck Arnley has been around for years.

I don't know if they actually make the parts. They might be a 'jobber'.

For hoses to last 15 years as the originals did, I wouldn't be too concerned about the durability of the replacement parts, as long as they are the correct hoses and not just some 'one size fits all/none' type of deal.