PS fluid = damaging?

[Pontius Pilate]

tried to drain the ps fluid, the other day i turkey bastered all of it out and removed the reservoir and drained it then hooked everything back up and refilled.....fluid was still red/foamy (new fluid is clear) so i waited until today and did it all again except i wanted to drain the pump too (93 civic) and hooked the tube to the wrong hose and it blew PS fluid all over the engine and driveway....DOH!. wiped as much as i could up with a rag, will the fluid cause any damage to engine metals/hoses/paint? also what would cause PS fluid to look foamy?

i turned the wheel side to side to get all the air out.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

Power steering fluid is oil, so it will burn on the exhaust and collect dirt just like motor oil. There's nothing special to worry about otherwise. You could clean things up with a degreaser product or the low-pressure engine cleaner at a car wash.

Did you start the engine during this procedure? If so, I would assume the foam came from air getting into the system. (A less messy way to flush p/s is to jack the front end up so the tires just clear the ground, and turn the wheel lock-to-lock with the engine off.)

 

[Pontius Pilate]

yeah i started it, i backed the car up on ramps cause i THOUGHT there was a bolt that, if loosened, would drain it out but it wasn't to be... i stuck the hose in what i thought was the return line and started the car....blew everywhere, inside the hood, all over the entire engine, even some on the fenders, then all over the driveway.... anyhow i said screw it and turned the wheel side to side anyhow to get everything out and the PS pump started making ugly noises so i shut it down, put it back together and filled up.

fluid is still half red half clear, few months down the line will use the turkey baster again only to get more of the old out since i procured some honda PS fluid at Walmart for $1.48 a bottle

 

[Kestas]

I may be missing something here, but I believe the fluid comes out forcefully even from the return line. When I do the flush procedure, I secure the line to a drain receptacle and lift the tires off the ground to reduce the pressure coming out of the line.

Plus, it sounds like you're doing this alone. You'll definitely get air in the system that way. Even with a helper you'll get air in the system. I'd never atttempt this procedure alone.

 

[Jim 5]

When you say you got honda PS fluid at Walmart, what do you mean.

Was it the Bardall stuff I've seen, or some other brand?

 

[Rand]

On my ranger i just sucked out the res. 2-3 times in a week with a suction pump. Since thats aprox 1/2 the capacity of the system it gets it clean without the mess... now when I flushed the transmission.. the tubing i was using kinked.. that was messy...

 

[Pontius Pilate]

jim 5 - it was made by champion... said right on the front in yellow letters "honda" then went on with other manufacturers listing them in white, so they emphasized honda in yellow....basically yelling "yes this is ok for honda" i think they are 12oz bottles, black..... $1.48

beats paying $2.99 at autozone for the coastal honda ps fluid