Q: Smoke from brake fluid reservoir

asked by on January 26, 2017

My truck has been making noise from power steering. Smells really bad and when you take cap off brake fluid reservoir and smoke came out but fluid was not hot at all. I could stick finger in it. Noise got really bad today when pulling in and out of a parking spot and the smell got real bad where you could smell it while driving. What could cause this?

My car has 245000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Noise from the power steering pump could be due to a slipping belt or the pump itself could be failing. To determine if it is the pump making noise, just remove the drive belt. If the noise goes away, obviously the pump is faulty. The odor may or may not be due to a failing power steering pump, if the pump is even failing. There are many components under the hood that can leak oil, for example onto the hot manifold, and create pretty distinct odors. If you desire that this problem be diagnosed by a certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, please request a power steering system inspection/diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will get this resolved for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.

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