Hi, friends. Anyone know which of the two hoses on the power steering reservoir is the return line? I need to change the fluid in my 94 Camry with the 2.2 l. Alternatively, is there an easy way to differentiate between return and suction?
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The big hose at the very bottom of the power steering pump Reservoir is the feed line to the power steering pump, the smaller raised line is the return line from the rack-n-pinion or cooler (been a while)…
Number 44406 is the return line/hose…
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Thank you @davesmopar ! So much contradictory information online. I appreciate you and your contributions to the community here.
Alternatively, you could remove as much fluid as you can with a suction gun, refill with fresh fluid, run the car and turn the steering wheel full left and right, turn off. Repeat two more times. No hose removal needed.
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Your welcome…
Depends on your question and perspective.
44406 is the return line to the reservoir.
44348A is the return line to the pump.
That is the direction of flow, from the rack and pinion to the reservoir, then from the reservoir to the pump.
The next question is which one do you want to replace? If these hoses are more than 15 years old, they might split when you attempt to disconnect them.
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That might be a better plan. I’ll try this first and only remove the line if this to mix old and new too much.
p.s. Isn’t one Texas enough?
Everything in this car is over 15 yrs (including the driver) but that’s part of the fun (excluding the arthritis).
Are you replacing the fluid because it’s old . . .
or are you replacing the fluid because your power steering assist isn’t working at all?
Good luck, in any case
- It’s old. Original, maybe.
- When below freezing, there is a tight spot in the turn of the wheel. This isn’t present in spring, summer, fall; and goes away once warm in the winter.
That could also be an indication that the steering rack is ready for replacement.
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Or the u-joint in the steering column, up under the dash. Either way, the fresh fluid isn’t likely to change anything. Power steering fluid doesn’t know what position the steering wheel is in.
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In a couple years it may be leaking enough that you won’t need to change it!
If the car is not leaking after 32 years on the road, then why would it be leaking a bunch after 34 years?? That makes no sense…
I had to add power steering fluid for the first time on a 1992 this week. Last year I noticed fluid had collected inside the boots of the steering rack. First it gets trapped in there when the rack starts leaking. I believe it takes a special service tool to get the seals out. The inner tie rods were good at 215k miles though. Still stiff and self supporting and hanging straight out. Came across someone doing the seals job in their driveway on a 1994 recently.
Still doesn’t mean the OP’s will start leaking in a couple of years… lol
But with anything, it could go bad at anytime, even new parts can fail at anytime, hence the reason for warranty’s…
+1
Right from day one, my brother had a slow-start problem with his new Hyundai Azera when it was warm. He also noticed a gas smell in his garage.
When he took it back to the dealership after a couple of weeks, they found that a temperature sensor was defective, and that too-rich a mixture was being fed into the engine as a result of an incorrect temperature being sensed.
Luckily for him, that was the only problem he ever had with that car.