Post Your Latest Power Steering Fluid Change

[ripcord]

1969 AMX
Full flush of PS system today, routine maintenance - fluid probably mostly original, system is working fine.
Out: Type A ATF
In: Mobil ATF D/M

Did it have the AMC 390? Vroom-vroom!

 

[marc1]

Did it have the AMC 390? Vroom-vroom!

That's the one, yes.

 

[marc1]

Nice ride!

Thanks! You have some iron too.

 

[panthermike]

Newly acquired 2006 Toyota Matrix:

Out- power steering fluid of some kind, pretty decent shape.
In- Valvoline import ATF + Lubegard Platinum

247,072 miles.

 

[Sam_Julier]

2004 Volvo S60, 115k
Pentosin CHF 202
Drain and fill power steering reservior

 

[panthermike]

2003 Toyota Matrix:

Out- mix of power steering fluid and ATF.
In- Castrol Import+ Lubegard Platinum

229,352 miles. Replaced one of the power steering hoses that was leaking as well.

 

[Sam_Julier]

2013 Volvo C30, 70k
Pentosin CHF 202
Drain and fill power steering reservoir

 

[Artemous]

2012 Chevy Captiva. 174k miles. PS fluid as black as used diesel oil and smelled burned. Pump whining loudly. It's impossible to drain everything in one shot, seems to get about 40% by draining reservoir and disconnecting return then turning wheels quickly a half dozen times, refilling then running. Did this 4 times with Amsoil power steering fluid using all of 3 pints. The 4th drain was as black as the first. Pump is quieter. Planning on getting more PS fluid and doing again.

 

[Artemous]

I'm a little surprised at what I am reading. Power steering fluid is not even on most manufacturer's maintenance and there are people changing it once a year!

When I changed mine after 7 years, I did 3 partial extract and fills a week apart. Based on the system capacity and amount extracted / filled that meant I ended up changing 60% of the original fluid.

On the 3rd extract and fill the extracted fluid looked identical to fresh fluid. Each extract and fill was only changing about 27% of the overall capacity, but over 3 treatments with time in between, it was enough to clean the system after 7 years.

I checked again several weeks after doing this, and the fluid was as clean as the new fluid.

I'll check it again in a few months to be sure, but this way I ended up only using a quart. If I need to do some more, it will be less than a quart. Heck another quart will mean I've practically completely exchanged all the fluid, with one quart used to do a thorough cleaning over time and another quart in there as fresh fluid for several more years.

In that respect, it seems a waste of fluids and $ to run 8 bottles through the system to flush it.

I'd go till its fairly clean. After flushing mine 4 times, it's still diesel oil black. I'm getting more PS fluid and going again.

 

[Artemous]

What's with all the Mobil 1 ATF? It's good stuff when in the power steering system I assume?

Only on cars that call for ATF in the PS system. Which I believe isn't usually done anymore

 

[panthermike]

2003 Toyota Matrix:

Out- mix of power steering fluid and ATF.
In- Castrol Import+ Lubegard Platinum

229,352 miles. Replaced one of the power steering hoses that was leaking as well.

Did one more D/F prior to Iowa trip. Also had put 1-2 oz of Seafoam transmission tune in there a few hundred miles before. Suspecting a worn p/s pump which was still the same. Will likely have to replace the pump, worth a shot anyway!

Out: Castrol Import/Lubegard
In: Same

229,700 miles.

 

[JeffKeryk]

2012 Chevy Captiva. 174k miles. PS fluid as black as used diesel oil and smelled burned. Pump whining loudly. It's impossible to drain everything in one shot, seems to get about 40% by draining reservoir and disconnecting return then turning wheels quickly a half dozen times, refilling then running. Did this 4 times with Amsoil power steering fluid using all of 3 pints. The 4th drain was as black as the first. Pump is quieter. Planning on getting more PS fluid and doing again.

Hook up MityVac to the return line and suck the fluid through. Easy peasey.

 

[AZjeff]

07 Ford Fusion ,sucking the reservoir dry then replacing with Supertech Mercon V. Drive and repeat. Tiny reservoir and it's crowded with no lines accessible so it's going to take a while to get a quart of new in.

 

[JackWildfeuer]

One of my return lines rusted through on an old Toyota and the systems leaked out and ran dry. Took the kids where they needed to go at the time with moaning powersteering pump thinking it is will be fine. Took a week to get all the parts in the mail. Buttoned it up refilled with at the time Red Line MTL because that is all I had on hand. 15 years latter I refilled with Red Line Power Steering Fluid still going strong.

In fact I have had a spare power steering pump sitting in a box for that car for like 15 years. Running it dry did not seem to hurt the OEM pump at all. Prior to that I just always topped it off with ATF and Lube Control or LC20.

 

[JackWildfeuer]

Originally Posted By: rjacket
I'm a little surprised at what I am reading.....In that respect, it seems a waste of fluids and $ to run 8 bottles through the system to flush it.


I think it's really car-dependent. In my past Volvos, I did a flush with Pentosin @ 50K-75K. It always looked pretty good, and never had any PS issues. With my Ford, the pump was screaming like a scalded cat @ 40K. I did a full flush @ 40K, then do an evac/fill at the reservoir one a year (Mobil 1ATF). The fluid starts to get pretty dark, and I actually notice a difference after the drain/fill, so obviously the old fluid is getting beaten up for some reason. I can only guess that the routing of the hoses and the amount of heat the unit sees has something to do with it.

I flushed the original fluid in a friend's CRV @ 60K and it looked pretty good, felt fine. A year later the fluid is still completely clear. So I guess "it depends".

Back in the day most companies gave you a power steering cooler Volvo and Toyota did for a long time then nothing!

 

[Gullible]

2023 Tacoma 35,000 miles. Full flush w/Toyota ATF/PS fluid.

 

[Tempest1]

2002 Toyota Tundra. Return line developed a leak so replaced hoses.

Was using Lubegard Syn PSF prior. I contacted them to see if using the thicker Honda fluid would be OK (it's hot here) and they said yes.

About 1/2 quart of the Honda Power Steering Fluid went in and the pump is now much quieter. Will probably do some drain and fills of the reservoir to get even more of the Honda fluid in the system.

 

[Towncivilian]

Just got a 2007 Scion tC. I flushed the system by disconnecting the return line, capping the reservoir's barb, and turning the wheel with the engine off to push out the fluid. The manual specifies Dexron II/III. I filled with clearance Valvoline Hybrid ATF which is spec'd for Dexron VI. Used just under a quart. The old fluid was quite brown and burnt smelling, possibly the factory fill. The PSF reservoir is quite stained.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Just got a 2007 Scion tC. I flushed the system by disconnecting the return line, capping the reservoir's barb, and turning the wheel with the engine off to push out the fluid. The manual specifies Dexron II/III. I filled with clearance Valvoline Hybrid ATF which is spec'd for Dexron VI. Used just under a quart. The old fluid was quite brown and burnt smelling, possibly the factory fill. The PSF reservoir is quite stained.

Nice work...
I hook up the MityVac to the return line, suck the old stuff out, fill the reservoir and suck it through.

 

[cutlassvillager]

2006 BMW 325ci 93,176 Miles
Out: Valvoline MaxLife ATF
In: More Maxlife - changed using the turkey baster method several times until clean again