power steering leak out of a bolt?

Hi, I just got a 97 4runner two weeks ago and I am new at this, but I'm having a leak on the passenger side under the power steering reservoir. It seems to be dripping off a bolt and not sure what the bolt is heading into or what its holding together and I'm not sure what is causing the leak (at first). but now its kind spraying all over when I am driving I think. because its getting all over the engine bay now. guessing it is happening when Im turning the wheels. the picture here is where i can see the drip off the bolt. I noticed the (not sure if this is what its called) power steering pressure port gasket? is bent and believe it is supposed to be flat? any info on about this or how to fix this would be very appreciated. thank you. sorry if the picture quality isn't good.

 

The above picture is from the Factory Service Manual, or FSM.

That bolt is actually called a "union bolt", and it holds the Pressure Feed Tube, essentially the tube carrying the pressurized fluid that goes to the power steering actuator, from the pump. The device that actually moves the wheels. It looks like the gasket involved is a pair of crush washers held together with a connector. I'd wager that the previous Owner (PO) unscrewed the bolt, for whatever reason, and didn't replace the gasket when he did. Any time a union bolt that has a crush washer or two used for a gasket on it, like the fuel filter for example, they can NOT be reused. If the bolt is tightened down onto them, even slightly, and then removed again, they must be replaced. They're not really very expensive, and usually readily available at you local Toyota dealership.
Alternatively, and if this is what happened, you've got a more expensive situation facing you, he cross-threaded the bolt when he put it back in somehow. If that's what happened, you may wind up needing to replace the pump. The whole thing.

You could try snugging the bolt down a touch tighter to stop the leak. Personally, I would back the bolt out a little bit, then re-torque it to the recommended value again. The torque values are in the box under the part's name. In this case, 35 ft/lbs. If this doesn't stop the leak, replace the gasket entirely with a new one, torqued to the correct value.
If the bolt is still canted off, and the bolt still leaks, my next thought would be the entire pump. AND the bolt. Personally, I strongly recommend OEM parts. Don't bother getting some cheapo Chinese made part for your truck. ANY part. If you do, chances are you'll wind up re-replacing it again much sooner than you otherwise would.

I hope this is some help...
Pat☺

 

Thank you! That was very helpful. Yeah the previous owner said he put in a newish jdm motor in. so I believe that he had to of taken it off to put the new engine in. knowing all that you said would make sense why the flat part on the gasket was tweaked. But I'll get a new gasket and see if that fixes from there it and torq it to 35 ft/lbs. But again thank you for your response it helped a lot for me knowing all about that.