Modification of Turkey Baster Method for Changing Power Steering Fluid

[IPreferDIY]

I used to do a lazy form of the turkey baster method for changing power steering fluid. When I looked into something better, I saw people talking about disconnecting one of the lines and changing the fluid with the car running. I wasn't about to mess around with high pressure fluids, so I tried this approach without the engine running. Here's the procedure:

• empty the reservoir like you normally would
• remove the serpentine belt
• put a bunch of paper towel under the reservoir to catch any dripping fluid
• disconnect the return line from the reservoir (the direction of my hose clamp required me to take off the reservoir, but not an issue anymore)
• tape a plastic sleeve over the return line (the stuff they use for covering things like long rods in new shelf units is just fine)
• cover the return hole in the reservoir (you can cut off a part of the plastic sleeve and tape it on in such a way as to cover the hole)
• put the other end of the sleeve into a container to catch the fluid
• put the front end on jack stands
• fill the reservoir with fresh fluid
• turn the steering wheel in one direction -- IIRC, turning it from center to full stop should be enough to empty the reservoir
• refill the reservoir and turn the wheel in the other direction until the reservoir empties
• keep doing this sort of thing to your heart's content -- I think it's only a 1L capacity, so I bought 2L and stopped when I only had enough to refill the reservoir one more time
• reassemble etc and refill the reservoir

I would guess that most steering box failures are the result of not changing the fluid and/or from being over-stressed by seized steering components. (My Pitman arm and idler arm were in pretty bad shape when I changed them recently.) Would anyone agree that a steering box can last a lifetime if kept well-lubed and not over-stressed?

[IPreferDIY]

I recently saw someone suggest in another thread that something similar to my method be used, but the suggested way to force the fresh fluid through the system was to turn the pulley by hand. I had actually intended to use that approach, but what I found was that turning the pulley only worked until the fluid got near the bottom of the reservoir. No matter how much I turned the pulley, the remaining fluid would not go into the pump until I added more fluid to the reservoir. It seemed that the weight of more fluid in the reservoir was necessary to help force the fluid through the pump.

This in itself would not have led me to trying my version, but I had contemplated that there might be channels in which the old fluid was stagnating and not leaving the system. I don't know the details of the fluid passages in power steering systems, but my understanding is that the steering wheel should be turned back and forth to ensure all the fluid (and air when bleeding the system) gets forced through the system.

Just my CDN.

[gadget73]

They won't last forever, but there is no reason to believe it won't last longer with clean, fresh fluid vs old baked crap. The fluid breaks down with heat, and it will pick up some fine metal flakes as parts wear. With no filter, essentially you're grinding fine metal pieces in between all the moving bits, which will obviously not do anything good for the life of those parts. Its basically the same reason you change engine oil.

[2000GMG]

There was a vid that detailed the changing of the PS fluid and he installed a changeable inline filter. It was a 95 CV.

[IPreferDIY]

There was a vid that detailed the changing of the PS fluid and he installed a changeable inline filter. It was a 95 CV. ...

That's a great contribution! I'm not a video-making person myself. And I hadn't heard of separate power steering fluid filters before. I'm not sold on the idea yet, though I'm still opened-minded. For the sake of playing devil's advocate, here's some opposing viewpoints:

• I saw something about a filter possibly putting a greater demand on the power steering pump. (Some "filters" seem to be nothing more than screens with magnets, so presumably these ones would not cause problems.)

• My reservoir already has a screen.

• I read something about some kind of car already having a magnet in its power steering pump.

• The fluid has detergents that keep most of the contaminants suspended, so changing the fluid regularly is the only real way to protect the system from contaminants. I can see how adding a magnet could be helpful, but if engine oil filters don't have magnets (do they?), then why bother using one for the power steering fluid?

Incidentally, one way to think about the effect of the contaminants in the fluid would be to compare dry sanding with wet sanding. The contaminants that get by the screen would seem to result in something like a very diluted wet sanding. I have doubts as to whether spending my poker money on a separate filter would really have an appreciable effect.

[2000GMG]

Thank the dude that posted the vid- very detailed and maybe some overkill IMO.

• I saw something about a filter possibly putting a greater demand on the power steering pump. (Some "filters" seem to be nothing more than screens with magnets, so presumably these ones would not cause problems.)

"If" and it's a BIG if I were to install a PS filter it might be of this type although I'm not a huge fan of Cardone products but this one has a screen and magnet- can also be cleaned when needed rather than be replaced. Pretty pricey though...U.S. $20.00

My belief is whenever I change any fluid it's most important to flush properly. When I last got my tranny fluid replaced (middle of winter and didn't have the time to do it myself) they wanted to do a reverse flush without replacing the filters- paid extra for a proper flush and filter replacement. It would be nice if somehow the debris in our PS upper reservoir could also be cleaned as I'm sure it eventually breaks down and flows through the system.
We're both in the same boat/ car- 2000 MGM with about the same klicks....surely we both want our car to last a long time without breaking the bank. Myself planning on selling in the next year and getting a 2011 if the right one comes along so I'm interested in selling a car that has no issues.

[miamibob]

My guess is these filters are "over kill". No scientific evidence but a "gut feel".

[IPreferDIY]

... It would be nice if somehow the debris in our PS upper reservoir could also be cleaned as I'm sure it eventually breaks down and flows through the system.
We're both in the same boat/ car- 2000 MGM with about the same klicks....surely we both want our car to last a long time without breaking the bank. Myself planning on selling in the next year and getting a 2011 if the right one comes along so I'm interested in selling a car that has no issues.

When I took off my reservoir, I saw one small piece of crud in there. I put in a bit of fresh fluid (probably with both hose connectors covered, and probably just enough to cover the screen), swirled it around, and poured it back out. This got rid of the small piece of crud.

I'm planning on driving my car until it dies or I die. Before last winter, I had exhaust and ball joint issues, and it was a matter of seeing if the car made it through the winter. Since then, thanks to all the information available on the internet, I've learned about the long-lasting nature of these cars and other neat stuff. I ended up replacing various joints and bushings and doing other maintenance work, and by doing so I've potentially doubled the typical lifespan of my car. I'm currently better off than if I had to go out and find another used car within my meager budget. Keeping the rust at bay is a bitch, but I guess that's just a part of being Canadian.

[2000GMG]

When I took off my reservoir, I saw one small piece of crud in there. I put in a bit of fresh fluid (probably with both hose connectors covered, and probably just enough to cover the screen), swirled it around, and poured it back out. This got rid of the small piece of crud.

I'm planning on driving my car until it dies or I die. Before last winter, I had exhaust and ball joint issues, and it was a matter of seeing if the car made it through the winter. Since then, thanks to all the information available on the internet, I've learned about the long-lasting nature of these cars and other neat stuff. I ended up replacing various joints and bushings and doing other maintenance work, and by doing so I've potentially doubled the typical lifespan of my car. I'm currently better off than if I had to go out and find another used car within my meager budget. Keeping the rust at bay is a bitch, but I guess that's just a part of being Canadian.

Bought a '94 TC in 2000. First thing my mechanic told me was to get it Krowned every year. Didn't listen and in 2003 both gas line and brake lines rusted out and had to be replaced. 3 yrs later the air bags failed and floor and frame rotted out. Before buying this MGM 2000 in 2006 I had my mechanic check it out and he gave me the same Krown advice. This time I listened and although nutz and bolts are still a PITA to remove the body and frame are in almost pristine condition- another plus derived from Krown oiling is the wiring and airbags show no sign of cracking.

[IPreferDIY]

Bought a '94 TC in 2000. First thing my mechanic told me was to get it Krowned every year. Didn't listen and in 2003 both gas line and brake lines rusted out and had to be replaced. 3 yrs later the air bags failed and floor and frame rotted out. Before buying this MGM 2000 in 2006 I had my mechanic check it out and he gave me the same Krown advice. This time I listened and although nutz and bolts are still a PITA to remove the body and frame are in almost pristine condition- another plus derived from Krown oiling is the wiring and airbags show no sign of cracking.

I just buy cans of Rust Check when it goes on sale. Their red liquid Rust Inhibitor is great for things like bottom door seams since it flows into them. I spray the crap out of almost everything else with the thick Coat and Protect. I spray pretty much all the visible fasteners that aren't part of the exhaust system. This isn't a cure all, so I use a wire brush on exposed threads when I can before trying to remove nuts/bolts that haven't been removed before. I used to get away with a once-a-year touch up, but based on what I saw this summer, it looks like I should start going with twice-a-year touch ups.

[IPreferDIY]

One of the things I did recently among other front end work on my 2000 MGM was flush the power steering fluid. It looked deceptively dark in the reservoir, and I’d only done it properly once (presumably with suck and fills before that), so I figured $5 worth of fluid couldn’t hurt. The old fluid was indeed notably dark, though it still had a ‘clarity’ that suggested it would have been fine for much longer.

I was pleased to see that the 2002 shop manual procedure is actually pretty close to the way that works for me. Ford wants you to start and stop the engine when turning the steering wheel. Here’s a somewhat paraphrased version of what it says:

• remove reservoir cap, suction out what you can, disconnect return hose, and remove clamp [I actually came up with a way to avoid suctioning. I got a frozen pizza box and folded and tore it as necessary to sit under the reservoir and direct the fluid into a pan below.]
• plug reservoir inlet; attach drain hose to end of return hose and place in suitable container
• fill the power steering fluid reservoir with new fluid
“CAUTION: Do not allow the power steering pump to run completely dry of power steering fluid.”
• “Start the engine while simultaneously turning the steering wheel to lock and then immediately turn the ignition switch to the OFF position.”
“CAUTION: Avoid turning the steering wheel without the engine running as this may cause air to be pulled into the steering gear.”
• refill reservoir and repeat, “turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction each time, until the fluid exiting the power steering fluid return hose is clean and clear of foreign material.”
“NOTE: It is necessary to properly fill the power steering system to remove any trapped air and completely fill the power steering system components.”
“If, after properly filling the power steering system, there is power steering noise accompanied by evidence of aerated fluid and there are no fluid leaks, it may be necessary to purge the power steering system.”

Their fill and purge procedures require a special cap and vacuum pump to vacuum air out of the system. This seems like overkill to me. As long as some fluid is visible in the bottom of the reservoir after turning the steering wheel, I don’t see how air could have gotten in, but do things at your own risk.

On this occasion, I just drained and plugged the reservoir, filled it almost full, and went from center to full right, to full left, and back to centre (with the tie rods removed to get any extra movement). That drew in pretty much all the fluid in the reservoir, though the amount that came out when I took the plug off suggested there was still enough in the bottom to avoid air in the pump side hose. After refilling to the proper level from my quart bottle, I still had a bit of fluid left over.

On the next startup, I heard a momentary but nasty ‘screech’ sound. I suppose it could have been a somewhat worn tensioner pulley bearing expressing some grief when the belt aligned itself, but I'd never heard anything like that before, so I'm doubting it. The fluid did need a bit of a top-up, so if that was actually what air in the p/s pump sounds like, at least I haven’t had any other indications that something might be amiss.

[BigMerc96]

There is a fine mesh screen inside the reservoirs, at least there is in the Aero reservoirs, that should catch any large debris. After I blew up the pump in my '97 I had to back-flush the reservoir to get the crap off the screen.

My method of flushing them is a bit simpler, although much more likely to make a mess... I just remove the return line to the reservoir and stick it into a bottle and then bump the key and let the pump...pump all the fluid out. Stop as soon as you get lots of bubbles out of the line and/or the noise from the pump noticeably changes. Refill, and bleed the system as usual and enjoy. I've done this several times on several cars and the result is clean fluid where there used to be mud. The first time I did this I had my Mom turning the key for me, you shoulda seen the look on her face after the bottle slipped and I jumped back after the line sprayed me with red ATF.

[gadget73]

I've never had to do the vacuum purge thing on a PS system, even when installing all new dry parts. Fill the reservoir and spin the pump by hand or with the starter until the level drops. Keep topping it up until it stops eating the fluid. Start it, cycle the wheel, add fluid as needed. If it makes noises after you're all done, often just letting it sit to de-foam for a while will take care of it. Its when you let the pump run at engine speed while its basically dry that you have a lot of problems with air in the system.

I did this recently on the Conti when I had to replace all of the hoses. That involves draining the pump, and the system on that car has the brake booster and the rack fed from the steering pump. Both of those pressure lines and the return lines got changed. I just spun the pump by hand until the fluid level settled out and it didn't really need much more once I put the belt on and started it. That thing is as quiet as you could want. Same on the Mark VII when I replaced the rack.

[IPreferDIY]

I learned from a recent thread that turning the steering wheel with the engine not running can cause ps pumps to belch out fluid:

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?56064-power-steering-pump-barfs-fluid&p=824963#post824963

Dunno if it's just the ones with the integrated reservoir or what, but it's something to take into account before trying my method (which works fine on my 2000 MGM with the separate reservoir).