Steering Question?

[eurogreek1]

I have an 01 4.4 with the stock 20's on. These last few months, I have noticed that my steering is getting harder and harder to turn. Any ideas as to why this is happening?

[flyingmachine]

any noise? I'd say check your power steering fluid level first.

[jst2878]

check your power steering reservoir. could be a leaky o ring

[amacman]

also check tyre pressures

[eurogreek1]

where would I look for the power steering fluid?
Sorry, not to much of a tech.

[flyingmachine]

look for the reservoir shown in here

it's located near by driver side headlight. first check if it's wet outside the reservoir and 2 rubber hoses beneath it. then twist cap to open it. there is a dipstick attached on the cap.

[faz]

Originally Posted by flyingmachine

look for the reservoir shown in here

it's located near by driver side headlight. first check if it's wet outside the reservoir and 2 rubber hoses beneath it. then twist cap to open it. there is a dipstick attached on the cap.

Speaking of wet reservoir, I noticed that reservoir to be sweaty on my 05 3.0i. No leaks, and fluid level is ok... but the whole top part was kinda sweaty. I twisted the cap off to measure the fluid, and noticed it has some kind of an air vent that comes out of the cap without any hoses attached to it on the outside... so I assumed that made the whole thing sweaty. Is that how it is supposed to be??

[eurogreek1]

Thanks for the picture. I opened it up and the fluid was low. Not empty but really low. Do I just top it off? Do I get it from Pep Boys or do I need to go to the dealer?

I don't see or feel any leaks either.

[flyingmachine]

Originally Posted by eurogreek1

Thanks for the picture. I opened it up and the fluid was low. Not empty but really low. Do I just top it off? Do I get it from Pep Boys or do I need to go to the dealer?

I don't see or feel any leaks either.

you need to top it off first. if you're running it too low, you might end up losing the PS pump or even the rack. you can get the dexron(III or IV) from pep boys, autozone, ...etc.

next you need to find out where the leak is. common leaks are pressure hose(you need to remove the splash guard under the car to check), two rubber hoses beneath the reservoir as you seen in the picture(the clamps might fail but not hose), o ring on the cap (if your reservoir is wet, the o ring is gone)