Folks - CHECK YOUR PS!

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Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
I just siphon out some of the power steering fluid from the reservoir and refill it once a year. Much easier than doing a full change.
...and that's ideal, IF you are starting from new. Many of us acquire cars that have not been properly serviced by the previous owner(s) and should have a full exchange...after that, periodic drain & fills are all that is necessary.


I've never purchased a new vehicle. When I first acquire one I tend to do a couple of siphon/fills in succession. I'm not worried about getting every last drop out. At least I'm getting some fresh fluid in there.
 
When i do a drain and fill of my transmission, it takes 3.5 quarts to refill the transmission. I buy four quarts of ATF, and use the extra half a quart to swap into my PS reservoir.

I think it's a quick and easy way to keep my PS fluid fresh.
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Originally Posted By: berniedd
There ain't no such thing as lifetime fluids.


What about freon? Or battery acid?



OP, which exchange pump did you purchase?

I have two myself,one i only now use for brake and clutch and the other for oils.


Freon is a gas.
Battery acid becomes weak, loses H+ ions in solution and can no longer harness the energy from the moving ion.
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Originally Posted By: berniedd
There ain't no such thing as lifetime fluids.


What about freon? Or battery acid?



OP, which exchange pump did you purchase?

I have two myself,one i only now use for brake and clutch and the other for oils.


Freon is a gas.
Battery acid becomes weak, loses H+ ions in solution and can no longer harness the energy from the moving ion.
Originally Posted By: hotwheels
I use Pentosin CHF 202 in my Corrado. It looks like NyQuil. I've been changing the fluid every 5 years since 1999. My P/S is still working fine without abnormal noises or morning sickness.

hotwheels


Yep. Original rack and pump using Pentosin
 
Originally Posted By: crrdvr6
Freon is a gas.

And gases are technically fluids.
wink.gif
 
It does? Where do they go?

Originally Posted By: crrdvr6
Battery acid becomes weak, loses H+ ions in solution and can no longer harness the energy from the moving ion.
 
I recently did a fluid exchange on the Yukon. I bet it was the original fluid from 2005 lol. The steering when cold would feel sticky in certain parts when turning it. Replaced with fresh fuild much more smooth and no more noise either.
 
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Originally Posted By: berniedd
There ain't no such thing as lifetime fluids.


People on BITOG say this often but I've yet to see any data to prove it true or false.

Are there data to show that changing out so-called lifetime fluid extends the life of the systems compared to systems were the lifetime fluid was never changed?

To state that you changed out your lifetime fluid every N miles and it runs great doesn't prove anything because it may have still run great on the original fill.



You tend to question "Lifetime" when you can smell the stink of old ATF oil, when its black and very thin...

The PS system is not sealed. It has rubber hoses which can absorb moisture. Metal components which can wear, and release particulates into the oil and over time, oil breaks down naturally as well. All this wears down the detergent into the oil to a point where it cannot protect anymore.

It seems all oils for automotive use will absorb moisture over time, ruining their potential. Thats why brake/clutch fluid is changed every 2 years.
 
I have always pumped out old PSF, refill, turn the steering wheel and repeat several times. It gets rid of most of the old fluid.

As for the correct fluid, some BMW models used ATF, and others used some kind of Pentosin PSF. Fortunately BMW writes on the reservoir if it takes ATF or a certain Pentosin PSF.
 
Originally Posted By: B320i
You tend to question "Lifetime" when you can smell the stink of old ATF oil, when its black and very thin...

The PS system is not sealed. It has rubber hoses which can absorb moisture.

Again, that's a bit iffy. The OCD in me tends to take care of such things in my G37. But, the taxis, with respect to PSF, never went underwent a fluid exchanged, and pump failures were virtually non-existent. Of course, a taxi goes from 0 miles to the end of its service life much more quickly than a normal vehicle.

On the other hand, my F-150 has never had a PSF change, nor did my LTD with 500,000 km on it, except when it blew a hose and got fresh fluid. With the F-150, if the pump has lasted for over 30 years, neither the pump nor the fluid owe me anything. I "should" have been changing it all along, but in the big picture, it wouldn't have changed a thing.
 
How many people trade their cars every 3 or 5 years? That is a lifetime. Then some one buys the cars and posts I bought this car with a sludged up engine and how do I clean it or how do I replace the ps fluid it is black or if I do a baster brake fluid change will that be ok?
 
I maintain four cars at home. I try to do a drain & fill of each car's PS reservoir about every 18 months, which keeps the PS fluid nice and fresh. A Mightyvac brake bleeder is an excellent tool for sucking PS fluid out of a reservoir. I can do it to all four cars in about 20 minutes. My Swedish cars take Pentosin CHF 11S and in the others I use Amsoil ATF.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Then some one buys the cars and posts I bought this car with a sludged up engine and how do I clean it or how do I replace the ps fluid it is black or if I do a baster brake fluid change will that be ok?

That's what I'd do if I were concerned. In some applications, a real flush isn't that difficult, either, depending upon the type of hose fittings.
 
Originally Posted By: car51
I did the p/s fluid on my 11' Focus about 3 times since I got it, used MERCON V as owners manual states

+1....I also use MERCON V (ATF) on my 03' Focus. Every 6 months or so I 'turkey baste' about 8 oz. out....and put a fresh 8 oz. of MRCON V in.
I've done it 3 time now in the last two years.
 
Both of my vehicles have had involuntary PS fluid flushed. The jeep had one winter where the steering cooler proved to much of a restriction on the return line side so I blew out a few return lines (off-road rig with boosted pump pressure) and my truck had a high pressure line between the pump and hydroboost unit decide to get cuddly with the exhaust manifold which rubbed a hole in it.

Only had one pump failure on another truck and that was a total failure due to a manufacturers defect where the pump shaft would shatter.

I will probably flush the fluid in my truck here this spring, I'm not real thrilled with the performance of the parts store brand stuff i put in, it was all they had on the shelf when the line blew.
 
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