# Power Steering gone and white smoke from tailpipe

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [May 22, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595 "2012-05-22T22:43:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![snowbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@snowbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/snowbird)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595/1 "2012-05-22T22:43:29Z")

</div>

My 1995 Toyota Tacoma has 217, 000 miles and was running great. The other day it started to make a whine when making tight turns. I had just climbed a hill and was backing it into a parking spot when the steering became hard to turn and a plume of white smoke began coming out of my exhaust. There was no smoke under the hood. I had it home immediately. Does anyone know what the problem may be? I’m hoping it will not become a new planter box in my back yard.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595/2 "2012-05-22T23:05:56Z")

</div>

The “Idle up” air control valve has failed. On the high pressure power steering line at the power steering pump you’ll see a control valve with two vacuum hoses attached, disconnect these vacuum hoses and check for fluid inside. If you find fluid in the vacuum line the control valve has failed.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 6:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595/3 "2012-05-23T06:13:56Z")

</div>

What Nevada said. Should be a simple fix.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![snowbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@snowbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/snowbird)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595/4 "2012-05-24T22:42:39Z")

</div>

Thanks, I’ll give it a try and let you know how it goes.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![snowbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@snowbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/snowbird)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595/5 "2012-09-28T20:43:27Z")

</div>

THANKS guys!  
After riding a questionable scooter all summer, I finally got the guts to work on my truck, before the snow flies. Anyway, One shop told me it was a bad power steering pump and a blown head gasket, cost - $3,500. I found that the valve mentioned above had indeed failed and power steering fluid was being squirted right into the head. Toyota said I could order the part for $180. I found one in a junk yard for $2.99. That and a couple of quarts of power steering flushed through the lines fixed it!  
Thanks again!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595/6 "2012-09-28T22:27:25Z")

</div>

Thanks for the update, which we seldom get.

And that’s another merit badge for Nevada545.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rughead04\_147934](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a4c791/32.png) [@Rughead04\_147934](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rughead04_147934)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 1:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-gone-and-white-smoke-from-tailpipe/72595/7 "2019-02-06T01:58:22Z")

</div>

I just came across this post. I’m having similar issues that the original post had with my 1995 Toyota T100. The problem is, my shop is 55 miles away. Do you think that it would be safe to drive it that far?