Power Steering Fluid Flush

[dewm1]

The power steering fluid in my car looked dark, smelled burnt and the steering was stiff until it warmed up. Here's what I did to flush the old oil out myself.

Tools needed: Flat screwdriver, pliers, 10 mm wrench/socket, suction gun, 5/16th OD plastic tubing/hose, funnel, oil bucket, 4 Liters ATF+4, A plug (to fit over the hose connector on the bottom of the reservoir, I used a large vacuum cover that I had, I'm guessing it's 5/16th's ID)

Time needed: less than an hour.
Difficulty Level: A little more than beginner, not much, but some.

1.) Remove the air filter box. 1 clamp on the air intake hose, 1 air box hold down bolt towards the grill, and remove the hose running from the air intake to the manifold. The air box lifts right out.
2.) Use the suction gun to suck as much oil out of the reservoir as possible.
3.) Stuff a rag down under the hoses(for when you pull off the hose).
4.) Locate the smaller of the 2 hoses on the bottom of the reservoir and use the pliers to squeeze the hose clamp and pull the hose off.
5.) Take the 5/16th clear plastic tubing and stuff it down the hose and use the existing clamp to secure it.
6.)Put the plug on the hose connector on the bottom of the reservoir.
7.) Put the funnel in the reservoir and fill up the reservoir with new oil.
8.) Put the 5/16th hose/tubing in the oil bucket. (hang on to it, there's lots of pressure!)
9.) Have someone else start the car and crank the wheel while you pour the new oil. The new oil wouldn't pour out of the container fast enough. The reservoir would suck dry fairly quickly so have the other person shut the car off as needed and refill the reservoir before restarting.
10.) Repeat until you see good clean oil coming out the hose. (I used 3 liters, probably way more than needed.)
11.) Put everything back together as it was and refill the reservoir to the correct level. Be sure to crank the wheels lock to lock a few times to purge any air out of the system and once it's been driven for a while, check the level again.

Here's a picture half way through so you get the idea.

[Northern300]

Great idea, I will be doing this myself soon as well.

But by looking at your fluid, it didn't look too bad.

[mr.niftie]

. . . A plug (to fit over the hose connector on the bottom of the reservoir, . . .
What exactly did you use to plug that resevoir?

[fnkychkn]

soooooo.... did this help the steering feel when cold?

[dewm1]

. . . A plug (to fit over the hose connector on the bottom of the reservoir, . . .
What exactly did you use to plug that resevoir?

It was a vacuum cover/cap. I bought an assortment pack at the local auto parts store once upon a time and one fit nice.

soooooo.... did this help the steering feel when cold?

Somewhat, it's still stiff, but not as bad. I think the stiffness is just the nature of the beast.

[concussion]

interesting.

[jsanfilippo5]

sorry to bring up this old tread- but what else can you use to plug up the resevoir when you pull the return?

[dewm1]

Anything that will seal the hole,,, I dunno, how about a chunk of the right size hose with a bolt in the other end,,,,,

sorry to bring up this old tread- but what else can you use to plug up the resevoir when you pull the return?

[stevesrt8]

next time you change your oil just pull the hoses off the rack and let the system drain into the used oil pan.

Then reconnect and refill.

A lot easier.

[tony324]

i have a suction machine, can i just suck all the oil out where i add oil? or will that not remove all the oil compleltly?

[fnkychkn]

i have a suction machine, can i just suck all the oil out where i add oil? or will that not remove all the oil compleltly?

that will only remove the fluid from the reservoir, not the lines or the rack.

[drag_racer]

It was a vacuum cover/cap. I bought an assortment pack at the local auto parts store once upon a time and one fit nice.



Somewhat, it's still stiff, but not as bad. I think the stiffness is just the nature of the beast.

Could it be your power steering pump leaking? Mine has stiff steering but we recently ran some uv dye through it and it's leaking at the front. My parent's SE doesn't have any stiff steering (mine is an R/T AWD)

[munci]

Hello All:

After flushing and adding lucus oil conditioner...

I found that the RACK is serviceable. I had a moan in my steering and tried everything to do with the fluid. MY car had low mileage and I refused to replace the rack. However, I do leave it parked outside.

I fixed the moan/groan. The answer was to remove the dustboots and grease the spools of the rack with clear silicon grease after cleaning them. Turn left and right 10 times with the front end off the ground so that the grease can coat the seals. Grease them while extended.

While your at it you can clean the inner tie rods and do them if they are not too loose. Put the boots back on and place clamps on and your done.

What a difference.

If the problem comes back or gets worse... the rack will have to be changed. What I do not understand is that my wife's Mazda has 225000km with the original rack. Go figure.

[Overkill]

To update this thread, I used a 3/8" hose and 3/8" barbed fitting to connect the return and drain hoses. Seemed to be the correct size instead of 5/16". 3/8" vacuum fitting on the bottom of the reservoir.

Fluid moves VERY fast if you do the start and stop routine using the engine. Doing it again, I would have tried to use a fluid transfer pump to suck the fluid through.

I also used a Dexron VI/Mercon LV/SP equivalent Amsoil synthetic ATF which is thinner than regular ATF as car companies hope for better gas mileage. It seemed to make the steering feel lighter. I initially used regular Amsoil ATF.

Measured cSt @ 100*C, ATF+4 has a minimum rating 7.3 while Dex VI has a max rating of 6.5, Mercon SP maximum of 6.0. Lower numbers = thinner oil. Regular Amsoil ATF is 7.6, Amsoil LV is 6.0.

Its only been a few days since the low viscosity switch. I'll update in a few months if any long term issues arise but I don't anticipate any.

HTH

[georgiaslim45]

next time you change your oil just pull the hoses off the rack and let the system drain into the used oil pan.

Then reconnect and refill.

A lot easier.

Hmmmm interesting. May try that.