How to replace power steering fluid (with pictures) (1 Viewer)

[forestdan7]

How's the fluid in your power steering reservoir look? Probably like mud, if you've never changed it out. And somebody along the line most likely put some power steering fluid in it, which can degrade your pump seals. It uses ATF (automatic transmission fluid).

Either way, if it's not clean and bright red, it's time to change it out. This might take an hour if you really take your time. You'll need another person, unless you have really long arms.

Put your truck up on jackstands so the front wheels are off the ground.

Get a turkey baster or somebody else's antifreeze tester and suck all the old fluid out of the reservoir.

Find the return line to your reservoir. It will NOT be a hard line, threaded connection. Just a nipple with a soft line and a clamp (first picture).

Undo the clamp, slip the line off, and put it into a jug that will fit down by your manifold and steering shaft (second picture; kind of blurry, sorry).

Get a piece of tube that you can seal the other end of (third picture) and put it on the nipple of the reservoir.

Now have your buddy start the engine and constantly turn the wheels lock to lock, while you pour clean ATF into the reservoir to keep it full. All that nasty brown fluid will coming shooting out into the jug. As you pour in the clean ATF, you'll notice what's coming into the jug getting clean and red.

When it looks nice and clean, shut off the engine. Remove the jug, replace the return hose on the reservoir and tighten the clamp. Fill the reservoir with more ATF to bring it up to the proper level, then start the truck again and turn lock to lock till the ATF in the reservoir is not foamy.

Your pump will groan a little bit while it's working the air out, but when the fluid in the reservoir looks clear, it should quiet down.

When it looks good and clear, make sure it's filled to the proper level again, keep turning lock to lock for good measure, then shut off the engine. Check the level after a minute or so, and make sure the level does not rise more than 5mm after you shut the engine off. If it does, keep cycling till all the air gets out.

Sometimes the system won't completely bleed till you've driven it with the wheels on the ground for a little bit.

Your pump will thank you.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

Thanks Dan! FAQ'd! How messy was this job?

 

[nat88toy]

nice write up thanks!
i may have to do that soon, when it is real dam cold out my pump makes some bad wining noises for a few seconds, i think that flush might be the best thing for it

 

[forestdan7]

Thanks Dan! FAQ'd! How messy was this job?

My pleasure. No mess, as long as the hose doesn't come out of the bottle, and you empty the reservoir first.

Nice FAQ page, by the way. Tons of great info. I just checked it out at length. I spend most of my time over in the 60 forum, but with my 4Runner coming back to life, I'll be over here more and more.

 

[forestdan7]

nice write up thanks!
i may have to do that soon, when it is real dam cold out my pump makes some bad wining noises for a few seconds, i think that flush might be the best thing for it

Thanks. That whining when cold was the reason I originally did this on my 60. Really quieted it down. I'm expecting the same benefit for my 4Runner. And I couldn't stand to check that fluid level anymore and ignore how dirty brown it was.

 

[missouriman]

I just did this the hard way, and it was a mess!!!

went to go wheeling on sat, just the wife and I.
went to back out of the drive and the steering felt (heavy).
stopped got out to look, tranny fluid every where.
could not see where it came from, started it up and had a 1/8th inch stream squirting out of the high pressure line of the power steering pump.
NONE to be had in rapid city on a sunday. so had to order it.
so since the system is going dry with the hose removed I cut the end off the hydro cylinder and rotated it so the fittings would be angled down and not hit the pan anymore. Just finished up when I felt the first sprinkle.
so cylinder is hanging under the truck, hose is on its way. I ordered two of them as our trucks are the same age and what ever go's wrong with one the other is not far behind.
the hydro is great when it works.. but I could barley turn the wheel with out it.

so check your hoses, this one only had a few little checks in the outer part.

ps the one that you want for cross over steering on an 85 is the one from a 92. less bends in it.

 

[hward1]

thanks

 

[TheMAN]

I also recommend everyone to switch to synthetic... not only does it lasts longer, but the system runs cooler, quieter, and better protects it... the longevity of synthetic ATF will pretty much outlast the rest of the vehicle

 

[arndog123]

I like to do mine w/ the engine off. The fluid comes out too quick w/ the engine running and I like to take my time.

 

[TheMAN]

if you have a buddy to sit in the truck to turn the engine off, you can do it with the engine running... otherwise just take the belt off and hand turn the pump

 

[RedJed78]

Is it ok to use valvoline ATF full synthetic ( In the red botle) merc and dex 2,4, made for GM, Ford, Toyota, imports?

 

[Mudder]

As long as it's for Dexrton II you'll be fine. I personally just use Walmarts brand and haven't had an issue.

 

[RedJed78]

http://www.autozone.com/motor-oil-and-transmission-fluid/transmission-fluid/valvoline-1-gal-high-mileage-dex-merc-automatic-transmission-fluid/819367/?_requestid=47054

did that work?

 

[RedJed78]

ok that didnt work...its valvoline maxlife full synthetic ATF meets dextron 2,3,6 Mercron?LV and so on.

what causes whining in the steering system?

 

[Mudder]

Low fluid can cause it. Or the pump going out.

 

[KLF]

Putting the wrong fluid in will make it whine. Some numb skull at Meineke put PS fluid in the reservoir in my daughter's Corolla, ruined the pump. Now it makes a terrible noise. I'm driving the car now since she's deployed, I'll probably put a new pump in it this summer.

 

[RedJed78]

another question...what if the fluid color is a brownish color? did anything burn up in the pump or fluid way over due...maybe someone used power steering fluid instead of AFT?

 

[RedJed78]

P.S. Bought it with 119K, currently it has 179K

 

[Mudder]

Atf turns brown with time. I'd just do a good flush, until you see red again and call it good. I've got an 89 with the original pump still in it and someone had put some power steering fluid in it.

 

[g-man]

I know this is a really old thread but I just did this flush on my power steering. My fluid is red but I had s small vibration coming from the power steering. This method is very fast and forces the fluid with force. I put a oil catch pan on the ground, removed the overflow from the driver side of the radiator, put a long funnel down in there, turned the return line and pinned it in the funnel. Plugged the nipple on the reservoir, and let the fluid run out into the pan. You can expect to flush a qt out in about 30 sec to a minute...it goes fast so be ready with more fluid so your not sucking lots of air into the pump. The good thing is this method flushed quite a bit of crud (metal bits) out of my system as evident in the bottom of the catch pan. This did minimize vibrations. Hopefully I'll get a little more life out of it.

Note: The fluid did get pink and foamy, along with a few moments of pump groaning as I inadvertently let some air get in the reservoir. But a few top offs of fresh fluid intermixed with driving and turning the wheel quickly resolved it.