none of my manuals have a power steering fluid change interval. i have only changed one in my life having owned about 15 cars.
anybody change their power steering fluid or run a filter?
- Thread starter montero91
- Start date
- Status
I do a flush on all my vehicles yearly.
And install filters if room allows.
Replace with synthetic fluid too.
And install filters if room allows.
Replace with synthetic fluid too.
Unless you have a leak, no shop manual has a change interval. Some just use a turkey baster and over time replace the PS fluid. I just cracked the pressure side of a line and drain using the pump. First sign of noise, stop and replace fluid and run the steering stop to stop a couple of times to bleed and top off resevior.
Hootbro
Hootbro
This exact procedure may depend on the exact type of rig, but I disconnect the return hose from the reservoir, run it into a bucket (blocking off the open fitting at the reservoir), stand by with lots of fluid at the reservoir while a helper starts the engine and works the steering back and forth. I dump fluid until it runs clear into the bucket, reconnect top off and clean up. I have a 4x4 and have rockcrawled a lot. The temp gauge on my P/S hit 250 at times, and I have watched my fluid go black in just a few months, so I regularly change the fluid and installed a cooler. A synthetic hydraulic fluid that meets the spec of your car would be a good choice as mentioned because PS systems get hot... even on ordinary cars.
i've never replaced any fluid unless it leaked out. If i replaced it, it was with the same kind it had originally. Used stop leak a few times, it worked and is still working years later.
I've also never replaced a pump or rack in approx 0.5 million+ miles.
so what have we proved?
that it doesn't matter.
I've also never replaced a pump or rack in approx 0.5 million+ miles.
so what have we proved?
that it doesn't matter.
if you have ever replaced a p/s pump then you have to ask youself what you would have done different? supposedly the ageing hoses add debris to the fluid. my last rack and pinion car turned the fluid black very fast. it also had a cooler. the non rack cars have used Dexron and have not burned the fluid.
Kestas
Staff member
Ken, you haven't proved anything. Though you haven't had to change a pump or rack in over 500K, I have had to change one pump and three racks on my fleet. This is before I learned about ps fluid maintenance. I don't relish the idea of wear debris (possibly abrasive) constantly circulating through the system. I now prescribe a ps flush every 30K for my fleet.
The turkey baster is a good idea... better than nothing. I prefer to be more anal about this maintenance. This is the procedure I use, similar to what Jim Allen wrote. You'll need a helper. The steps are rather simple.
1. Lift front tires off the ground.
2. Disconnect the ps return line, drain ps reservoir.
3. Plug open connection at the reservoir.
4. Secure the return line to a generously-sized container (at least one gallon). If needed, add a length of hose.
5. Fill reservoir.
6. Line up your bottles of new fluid for quick pouring.
Here comes the fun part...
7. Have helper turn car on, and immediately have him go through full range of steering motion (left and right) and shut off car, all the while you are trying to keep the reservoir filled.
8. Button everything back up.
9. Clean up mess.
10. Top off fluid.
The front tires must be off the ground so the system is unloaded, otherwise a lot of fluid is forcefully pumped out. The return line must be secured to prevent a big mess. Keep at least a gallon of ps fluid on hand. The helper must know what they are doing.
I strongly recommend using power steering fluid rather than the Dexron stuff that is probably recommended for your vehicle. Modern Dexron formulations are different than the Dexron formulations present at the time when your car was built. Power steering fluid is the same as Dexron, but without the additives that may be harmful to the steering system.
The turkey baster is a good idea... better than nothing. I prefer to be more anal about this maintenance. This is the procedure I use, similar to what Jim Allen wrote. You'll need a helper. The steps are rather simple.
1. Lift front tires off the ground.
2. Disconnect the ps return line, drain ps reservoir.
3. Plug open connection at the reservoir.
4. Secure the return line to a generously-sized container (at least one gallon). If needed, add a length of hose.
5. Fill reservoir.
6. Line up your bottles of new fluid for quick pouring.
Here comes the fun part...
7. Have helper turn car on, and immediately have him go through full range of steering motion (left and right) and shut off car, all the while you are trying to keep the reservoir filled.
8. Button everything back up.
9. Clean up mess.
10. Top off fluid.
The front tires must be off the ground so the system is unloaded, otherwise a lot of fluid is forcefully pumped out. The return line must be secured to prevent a big mess. Keep at least a gallon of ps fluid on hand. The helper must know what they are doing.
I strongly recommend using power steering fluid rather than the Dexron stuff that is probably recommended for your vehicle. Modern Dexron formulations are different than the Dexron formulations present at the time when your car was built. Power steering fluid is the same as Dexron, but without the additives that may be harmful to the steering system.
Kestas
Staff member
You're right, nobody has run controlled studies on this issue.
In the rockcrawling world, I have seen lots of failures due to PS fluid degradation. I suppose my input is kinda the orange in your apple discussion on car maintenance, but when you think about it, the rockcrawling just turns 100,000 miles of regular driving into just a couple of trips. Sustained 250 degree temps (that's how hight the gauge goes, so it could have been higher), will oxidize any fluid real fast and then you start eating into seals and hard parts. While it's true that a lightly stressed machine might get to 100,000 miles with no service, how many cars are lightly stressed in city traffic, parking and hot temps? I change the fluid in my cars at 50K and can see the change in color of the fluid indicating a certain amount of degradation. Also, I have noticed the decrease in steering performance (increased steering effort, buzzing, etc.) that comes when the fluid is on borrowed time.
I include a PS flush with the other maintenance I do every 100,000km(60k mi) for my fleet of taxis. It only takes 1L of oil to do it so it's cheap insurance.
For you guys who start the engine to flush the system, you generally don't have to do that. It introduces air into the system and it can take a long time to work it's way out.
So hook everything up like you already do, but instead of starting the engine, just turn the steering wheel from lock to lock repeatedly. The action of the steering rack will pump the fluid out the return line at a nice controllable rate. Keep the resevoir topped up and no air will enter the system. I've used this method on a few different cars and it works perfectly.
For you guys who start the engine to flush the system, you generally don't have to do that. It introduces air into the system and it can take a long time to work it's way out.
So hook everything up like you already do, but instead of starting the engine, just turn the steering wheel from lock to lock repeatedly. The action of the steering rack will pump the fluid out the return line at a nice controllable rate. Keep the resevoir topped up and no air will enter the system. I've used this method on a few different cars and it works perfectly.
Kestas
Staff member
Good point on air getting in the system. One car in my fleet (01 Sable) has that problem. It took 20 miles driving to work the air out.
I wasn't changing the PS fluids in my 2 cars for 120k (corolla) and 165k (integra) respectively.
When I used the turkey baster to change it, the corolla fluid looks milky black and grose, that I can't stand it and have to change it 6 times (OCI 1 day) to get it to a tan color (with clear white PS fluid).
The integra fluid stink when it was poured out, and looks dark brown. I guess the Honda fluid is synthetic as people claimed.
It may not cause damage if I left it in there, but common sense tells me it is a right thing to do and the steering response improved significantly. Worth the effort to change it (using turkey baster) every 30k.
When I used the turkey baster to change it, the corolla fluid looks milky black and grose, that I can't stand it and have to change it 6 times (OCI 1 day) to get it to a tan color (with clear white PS fluid).
The integra fluid stink when it was poured out, and looks dark brown. I guess the Honda fluid is synthetic as people claimed.
It may not cause damage if I left it in there, but common sense tells me it is a right thing to do and the steering response improved significantly. Worth the effort to change it (using turkey baster) every 30k.
Turkey Bastering on a P/S is the easiest fluid change on a car. If the color of the fluid doesn't look good, just change it.
TC*, that worked for m. I bout acar with about 40k miles and some real rank PS fluid. I did the turley baster trick about every other day until the fluid was fresh smelling and looking.
Now, each timne I change the oil, if the PS fluiod doen't look and smell close to new, I'll do one resevoir change with the baster. So far, about 15k miles since the turley baster purificatiuon ritual, the fluid hasn't needed and help.
Now, each timne I change the oil, if the PS fluiod doen't look and smell close to new, I'll do one resevoir change with the baster. So far, about 15k miles since the turley baster purificatiuon ritual, the fluid hasn't needed and help.
What is there to prove? It's a hydraulic system. The biggest killer of hydraulic systems is contamination of the fluid. Nuff said.
which is lower cost, a couple quarts of PSF/ATF, an inline filter and 1/2 hour work, or a pwr steering pump replacement or rack replacement every couple years.
I have changed my Power Steering Fluid on my '96 windstar. It is important to use the correct fluid as specified...as the wrong stuff could damge seals and such. I use Redline Power Steering Fluid.... which lists the Ford Specification number that my car calls for.
I installed a inline filter. The filter should be installed in the fluid return line....to the pump. This is the low pressure line. The filter that I installed is made by Magnefine...and is sold under a number of other brand names.....like ATP.
I installed a inline filter. The filter should be installed in the fluid return line....to the pump. This is the low pressure line. The filter that I installed is made by Magnefine...and is sold under a number of other brand names.....like ATP.
I'm not convinced about the efficacy of a filter in the power steering system. And Jim Allen makes a good point about the heat issue.
Has anyone opened up a filter from their power steering system to see what might be in there? I doubt you'll find much. Heck, even Gary Allen mentioned in another thread somewhere he didn't see much in a filter he had on the trans for 80k! That's gotta be alot harsher environment than the PS.
Now a cooler OTOH, makes alot of sense to me. Ever notice how the police package options always include power steering coolers? High-speed chase generates alot of steering friction as does rock crawling. Excessive heat wreaks havoc with oil in anywhere. Changng PS fluid once in awhile is probably all most people need. Install a cooler if your into some sort of severe service enviroment, or just like the idea of keeping things cool to extend the long-term service life of the equipment.
Has anyone opened up a filter from their power steering system to see what might be in there? I doubt you'll find much. Heck, even Gary Allen mentioned in another thread somewhere he didn't see much in a filter he had on the trans for 80k! That's gotta be alot harsher environment than the PS.
Now a cooler OTOH, makes alot of sense to me. Ever notice how the police package options always include power steering coolers? High-speed chase generates alot of steering friction as does rock crawling. Excessive heat wreaks havoc with oil in anywhere. Changng PS fluid once in awhile is probably all most people need. Install a cooler if your into some sort of severe service enviroment, or just like the idea of keeping things cool to extend the long-term service life of the equipment.
- Status