I use an oil extractor, works great. I've flushed them in the past but just doing a regular extraction to keep the fluid looking nice and clean is enough. I tried a turkey baster once but it was a drippy messy experience, why people use them I'll never know. I like my extractor. If I didn't have that I would just siphon it out or come up with something else. A flush can easily turn messy as well and you are more likely to accidently add air into the lines which need to be purged.
Is the turkey baster method good enough?
- Thread starter dparm
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A TB flush of PS is good.
No lines to come off, break, or leak!
No relative mess.
Fluid loss could be more or less.
PS systems move a lot of fluid around. All you have to do it start the car in between, and move the steering wheel.
No lines to come off, break, or leak!
No relative mess.
Fluid loss could be more or less.
PS systems move a lot of fluid around. All you have to do it start the car in between, and move the steering wheel.
Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
I use an oil extractor, works great. I've flushed them in the past but just doing a regular extraction to keep the fluid looking nice and clean is enough. I tried a turkey baster once but it was a drippy messy experience, why people use them I'll never know. I like my extractor. If I didn't have that I would just siphon it out or come up with something else. A flush can easily turn messy as well and you are more likely to accidently add air into the lines which need to be purged.
I had the same experience. I'm either use the Mityvac oil extractor or use the pump from a large hair shampoo bottle (the discarded one, not a new one).
I use an oil extractor, works great. I've flushed them in the past but just doing a regular extraction to keep the fluid looking nice and clean is enough. I tried a turkey baster once but it was a drippy messy experience, why people use them I'll never know. I like my extractor. If I didn't have that I would just siphon it out or come up with something else. A flush can easily turn messy as well and you are more likely to accidently add air into the lines which need to be purged.
I had the same experience. I'm either use the Mityvac oil extractor or use the pump from a large hair shampoo bottle (the discarded one, not a new one).
I just use a suction hand pump with a piece of line. It has been most useful. It is slow though. You just sqeeze it like your giving blood. Cost is minimal, easy to clean afterwards.. just run water through it until clear.
HTSS may be on to something with the shampoo spout. Seems like it would quickly empty the reservoir.
Good thread, reminded me I need to do mine. I ran about 3 pints through it over a year ago. Not to step on toes, but every oil change seems excessive to me. But I guess it depends on the OCI.
HTSS may be on to something with the shampoo spout. Seems like it would quickly empty the reservoir.
Good thread, reminded me I need to do mine. I ran about 3 pints through it over a year ago. Not to step on toes, but every oil change seems excessive to me. But I guess it depends on the OCI.
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Operator error can cause a mess of the simple and effective TB method. Can you imagine what these guys would do when taking off lines??
I never spill a drop with a TB flush.
I never spill a drop with a TB flush.
May be you have a good TB, my cheapo 49-cents TB drip the PSF as soon as I raised it over the reservoir.
Dan,
I was pretty sure when I bought my 95 E320 that it had never been done (very black, no bottom of the reservoir in sight). Given all the BITOG discussion about gentle engine sludge cleanup, I decided to take an analogous approach with the PS system. I bought one of the inexpensive siphon pumps (squeeze the bulb to suck up enough fluid to prime it), two quarts of Advance Auto store brand PSF, and one quart of M-B's OE fluid.
At home in the evening I pulled the cover, used a pair of needle-nose to remove the filter, and then siphoned the reservoir empty. Put the filter back in place, filled to the mark, started the engine to let the pump circulate, stopped and topped back up to the mark.
After the run to work and back the next day, I had black fluid again. By the time I was through my 1st quart of AA fluid, it was taking two or three days of driving for the fluid to become opaque. At the end of the second quart of store-brand fluid I could still see the bottom of the reservoir through darkened fluid that had run for two weeks. Started in on the M-B fluid. When I reached the point of only having enough for one more reservoir change-out in that quart, I replaced the filter with a new one, changed the gasket on the reservoir, refilled, and declared the cleanup complete.
That was about 5 months ago. A fluid level check before I took a trip this week showed clean fluid, only slight darkening, so I think the process scrubbed the gunk out of the system pretty well.
Cost a bit of calendar time, but not much working time. From here on out I figure I'll just remove-and-replace my way through one quart of PSF a year (mostly so I don't have a partly-full bottle to keep up with), and change the filter every other year.
When I price a replacement pump (ack), or a replacement steering gearbox (double ack), it seems like a reasonable cost and work trade-off.
FWIW
I was pretty sure when I bought my 95 E320 that it had never been done (very black, no bottom of the reservoir in sight). Given all the BITOG discussion about gentle engine sludge cleanup, I decided to take an analogous approach with the PS system. I bought one of the inexpensive siphon pumps (squeeze the bulb to suck up enough fluid to prime it), two quarts of Advance Auto store brand PSF, and one quart of M-B's OE fluid.
At home in the evening I pulled the cover, used a pair of needle-nose to remove the filter, and then siphoned the reservoir empty. Put the filter back in place, filled to the mark, started the engine to let the pump circulate, stopped and topped back up to the mark.
After the run to work and back the next day, I had black fluid again. By the time I was through my 1st quart of AA fluid, it was taking two or three days of driving for the fluid to become opaque. At the end of the second quart of store-brand fluid I could still see the bottom of the reservoir through darkened fluid that had run for two weeks. Started in on the M-B fluid. When I reached the point of only having enough for one more reservoir change-out in that quart, I replaced the filter with a new one, changed the gasket on the reservoir, refilled, and declared the cleanup complete.
That was about 5 months ago. A fluid level check before I took a trip this week showed clean fluid, only slight darkening, so I think the process scrubbed the gunk out of the system pretty well.
Cost a bit of calendar time, but not much working time. From here on out I figure I'll just remove-and-replace my way through one quart of PSF a year (mostly so I don't have a partly-full bottle to keep up with), and change the filter every other year.
When I price a replacement pump (ack), or a replacement steering gearbox (double ack), it seems like a reasonable cost and work trade-off.
FWIW
The turkey baster method works great. It's simple, easy, effective maintenance.
My truck has had only turkey baster fluid changes since new. They have been sporadic at best...maybe one or two every 30K miles. At 102K miles, the power steering is all original and working perfectly. No whining and very smooth...and I have one of the notorious Ford PS pumps.
My truck has had only turkey baster fluid changes since new. They have been sporadic at best...maybe one or two every 30K miles. At 102K miles, the power steering is all original and working perfectly. No whining and very smooth...and I have one of the notorious Ford PS pumps.
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After reading this post I went and bought a turkey baster,some Valvoline Synpower fluid,and did my clutch and brake master. On the brake fluid note,who makes the best? This is a product I know nothing about,so I just bought the "grade" spec`d by my manual and went with a trusted name brand :^)
I use the "turkey baster" method as well. However, in my case, it is a 20cc syringe (without the needle) with about 6" of cheap rubber vacuum tube line over the tip. That lets me get down to the bottom of the reservoir. Takes me about 2 minutes to empty it out, about 30 seconds to top it back off (with Mobil1 ATF). I did this every fill-up when I got my "new to me" '96 Saturn since I doubt it had ever been changed in the life of the car. After I put 2qts through it using this method, I've reverted to just doing it once each time I change the oil. The pump is MUCH quieter now, especially when it's cold.
Best,
Best,
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
After reading this post I went and bought a turkey baster,some Valvoline Synpower fluid,and did my clutch and brake master. On the brake fluid note,who makes the best? This is a product I know nothing about,so I just bought the "grade" spec`d by my manual and went with a trusted name brand :^)
I use the same syringe method on my master cylinder and clutch (different syringe/hose so there's no risk of contaminating things with the ATF). When I've got time, I'm going to replace the cap on my Motive power bleeder with one for my current ride, and bleed out the brakes completely.
Best,
After reading this post I went and bought a turkey baster,some Valvoline Synpower fluid,and did my clutch and brake master. On the brake fluid note,who makes the best? This is a product I know nothing about,so I just bought the "grade" spec`d by my manual and went with a trusted name brand :^)
I use the same syringe method on my master cylinder and clutch (different syringe/hose so there's no risk of contaminating things with the ATF). When I've got time, I'm going to replace the cap on my Motive power bleeder with one for my current ride, and bleed out the brakes completely.
Best,
The turkey baster method works very well. I would also like to add that when i was doing mine i noticed i removed a lot of buildup with a clean towel inside the reservoir.
That might vary based on the size and shape of your reservoir but it was one way i removed additional dirt from the system.
That might vary based on the size and shape of your reservoir but it was one way i removed additional dirt from the system.
Kestas
Staff member
AMRoberts, I own a 95 E320. Compared with other cars, the E320 is rather easy to do a complete fluid exchange without making a mess.
Originally Posted By: Kestas
... Compared with other cars, the E320 is rather easy to do a complete fluid exchange without making a mess.
True enough. After I read the DIYs on other forums about the technique that involves pulling the return hose and using the operating pump to flush fluid, I couldn't convince myself that it was worth disturbing a perfectly happy hose and clamp.
Fortunately for my variation on the turkey baser method, when parked on a modest downhill slope I could route the output of the simple siphon over the front grill and to a drain container lower than the bottom of the reservoir, so warmed fluid took only 2-3 minutes to drain after a squeeze or two on the priming bulb. If the engine layout had not allowed that I would have cut a new piece of tubing for the Topsider and used it to extract.
... Compared with other cars, the E320 is rather easy to do a complete fluid exchange without making a mess.
True enough. After I read the DIYs on other forums about the technique that involves pulling the return hose and using the operating pump to flush fluid, I couldn't convince myself that it was worth disturbing a perfectly happy hose and clamp.
Fortunately for my variation on the turkey baser method, when parked on a modest downhill slope I could route the output of the simple siphon over the front grill and to a drain container lower than the bottom of the reservoir, so warmed fluid took only 2-3 minutes to drain after a squeeze or two on the priming bulb. If the engine layout had not allowed that I would have cut a new piece of tubing for the Topsider and used it to extract.
The OP was asking about changing Power Steering Fluid with turkey baster, not changing Brake Fluid.
Brake fluid is needed to be flushed every 2-3 or 4 years, just changing fluid in master cylinder is not good enough, but it's better than do nothing.
Brake fluid is needed to be flushed every 2-3 or 4 years, just changing fluid in master cylinder is not good enough, but it's better than do nothing.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
but it's better than do nothing.
I agree. Plus it doesn't take long to change the brake fluid while its in the cylinder.
but it's better than do nothing.
I agree. Plus it doesn't take long to change the brake fluid while its in the cylinder.
Originally Posted By: Familyguy
I use the "turkey baster" method as well. However, in my case, it is a 20cc syringe (without the needle) with about 6" of cheap rubber vacuum tube line over the tip.
Thats exactly what I use for my clutch and brake master cylinder for 'in between' full flush changes.
I use the "turkey baster" method as well. However, in my case, it is a 20cc syringe (without the needle) with about 6" of cheap rubber vacuum tube line over the tip.
Thats exactly what I use for my clutch and brake master cylinder for 'in between' full flush changes.
I plan on replacing the power steering fluid in a 2003 Olds Alero this weekend using the TB method. Is there a special GM fluid i need to use, or any generic power steering fluid will work?
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