Power Steering Flush

[miamiheat3332]

I am going to be doing a bunch of fluid changes soon, i have all my materials, the pathy is at 111xxx and i have the time so why not.

1 Thing i have been trying to locate how to do though is where i would drain the power steering, i have been looking in the FSM but cant find anything about PS refilling or draining.

so if someone could point me in the right direction on that.

also in the right direction on how to do it all, like a little step by step thing, i dont feel like just going out to do it, then find out i did it wrong or missed something

Thanks
Modified by miamiheat3332 at 4:15 PM 1/18/2010

[Densetsu]

I didn't find anything in the FSM either, but I used a method I came across either on this board or another Pathy board.

Open up the PS reservoir and take out the little white plastic filter in the middle. Take a turkey baster and suck out as much as you can (should be a cup or two of fluid). Top it up with fresh fluid and put everything back in. Take a drive where you make a decent amount of turns (20+), then repeat.

I did this every evening after driving to and from work... three days later the fluid I was sucking up was fresh and looked no different than the ATF I was putting in, so I stopped at that point.

[miamiheat3332]

i read something about a return hose but i dont remember where, and that you unplug it and put it in a container, then have the frontend on jacks for easier turning and turn the steering wheel left and right so it pushes out old fluid, then refill with new fluid, do again, then plug back in return hose, and add new fluid, turn a couple of times, then top off if needed, but where do i find this return hose ?

[Pwnin O'Brien]

The following is copied word-for-word from the Q45 forum. This is a pretty detailed explanation...

Quote »Preparation1. Empty the reservoir using the turkey baster2. Disconnect the return line going to the reservoir (small hose going upwards on the side)3. Plug the hole on the pipe going into the reservoir - I used a plastic cap the fit perfectly4. Cut a piece of approx. 3 ft of garden hose5. Connect the piece of hose to the end of the return line - the one you disconnected from the reservoir. You may want to use a hose clamp so that you don't make much of a mess....6. Route the other end of the hose to an empty bottle - I used a two litter soda bottle. You may want to set it on the floor - assuming the hose reaches. This bottle will collect all the old fluid...

Now you are ready to start "exchanging" the old fluid....but you need an assitant to help you....

1. Fill the reservoir with fresh fluid (ATF Mercon III). You can fill it up to the rim. Make sure the plug on the side pipe doesn't leak...2. While closely watching the level of the fluid, have your assistant start the car, but be ready to shut it down after just a couple of seconds3. You will see how quickly the pump starts sucking in the fluid from the reservoir and spitting the old fluid into the plastic bottle. Make sure you signal your assistant to shut the car down as soon as you see the level in the reservoir is half way down....otherwise you run the risk of letting the pump catch air...3. Repeat this process a few times until you see clean fluid coming out the other end (into the bottle)4. Have your assistant turn the wheel as far as possible to one side while the car is running. Repeat to the other side...5. Once you feel that there's no more dirty fluid coming out, start the car one more time but do not refill it. This will allow you to remove the plug on the side tube and reconnect the return line.NOTE: It may be a little challenging to disconnect the garden hose from the return line without spilling some fluid...6. Once you connect the return line to the reservoir, you can fill it - be carefull to not overfill it - the operating level is well below the rim...

I used approximately 3qts of fluid to do the whole thing.

This might not be a true "power flush" but it did exchange the old fluid....Hope this helps...[/quote]

[miamiheat3332]

ok pwnin, thanks, it seems like it will flush out most of it. once again ty.

also any idea what color the stock fluid should be if it is good? and also if it is bad/old?

[Pwnin O'Brien]

ok pwnin, thanks, it seems like it will flush out most of it. once again ty.

also any idea what color the stock fluid should be if it is good? and also if it is bad/old?

If it's actual PS fluid it should be a yellow/clear fluid. If it's ATF fluid then it should be a pink/red color. If it's dark then it is definitely bad and time to change it out.

[miamiheat3332]

is it a red like the nicoclub flag red? or more dark. mine is around dark red

[alexf20c]

dark red

[miamiheat3332]

ok thanks, mine is dark red, but im changing it out anyways, its practically free cause i saved $$ with that advance auto coupon i posted.