How to change the power steering fluid. (3 Viewers)

[RT Cruiser]

Changing the steering fluid is one of the easiest maintenance jobs on the Cruiser. I highly recommend doing this every 20k-25k miles. Each time after I change the fluid, the steering feels like smooth melted hand-churned butter dripped across soft-silk chocolate.

You will need:

• Pliers
• Small clean glass bottle or similar
• Small disposable cup or similar
• Drip pan
• Floor jack – every now and then Harbor Freight has these on sale
• Wheel chocks
• Clean sock
• 1 ear plug (or 2 if you drop one in the engine bay and can't find it)
• Glovers, rags, tissues
• Suction device
• Something to prop up the return line such as wood, a long breaker bar, a small loop of string that can go around the coolant reservoir top and down to hold the return line.
• Steering fluid that is applicable to your year. I have a 2008 and use Valvoline Max Life Synthetic ATF (red bottle). It’s the same fluid I use for my transmission case. I've been using this as the steering and transmission fluid for the past 70k miles/5 yrs with no issues. Sometimes Amazon has this cheaper than anywhere else. I cannot remember how much fluid I used, but somewhere between 2-3 quarts. You are advised to get fluid that meets/exceeds the specs for your Cruiser.

This guidance is for when the engine and fluids are cool because there are COLD and HOT fill levels for the steering fluid. I prefer to do this with the fluid cold.

1. Put on your working gloves and chock the rear wheels. Not sure how necessary it is to chock the wheels, but it looks cool and makes your family think you're doing a big maintenance job.
2. Fold in the mirrors, put the driver’s window down.
3. Jack up the front axle, in the middle. You might need to remove the bash plates first. The front tires need just enough clearance so they can move when turned by the steering wheel.
4. Place the drip pan under the area where the fluid reservoir is located, near the coolant reservoir.
5. Use the suction device to remove the reservoir fluid. Removing the reservoir fluid now is helpful, but not necessary. You can proceed either way.
6. The top reservoir line is the return line. Yes, you guessed it and get a point. This is where the fluid returns to the reservoir. Place the disposable cup and rags under the top reservoir line so it can catch the fluid that is about to come out. Place the ear plugs nearby.
7. Remove the clamp from the return line.
8. This is where it can become messy... the plan is to pull off the return line while minimizing the mess from both the line and the reservoir connector pipe. Here is what I do and I'm sure this would pass scrutiny by any ASE certified mechanic: I place the small disposable cup snug below the lines with rags/tissues under and around it. I have rags/tissues by the reservoir to use as needed. I pull the reservoir off its metal holder. I pull off the return line from the pipe and hold the pipe upward with my right hand, while using my left hand to lift the reservoir such that the pipe will drain into the cup. If you can suction the reservoir fluid out before this, then there will be less mess.
9. Prop the return line upward with something so it does not move, to keep fluid in the line like a block of wood or a circle of string that connects to the coolant reservoir.
10. Take one ear plug. Roll the small end into a cone, then stick it into the housing pipe. Feel free to add your Willie Nelson and Snoop Dog jokes below. Have a 2nd plug ready in case you drop the first one.
11. Fill the reservoir up at least to the hot fill line with new fluid. For me, I use a small clean glass bottle to make it easier to pour the fluid directly into the reservoir… not that I would ever pour outside the top fill hole and have to reclean the outside of the reservoir and under it… just a thought.
12. Empty the used fluid in the cup and unprop the return line. Use your Jedi mechanical powers to place the line downward into the cup. Be sure the cup and line will not move. If the return line is not pointed downwards, fluid will be carried by the exterior of the line down to a hidden area where the Toyota engineers have no clue where it is.
13. Remove the glove from one of your hands. If your hand is clean, then go to step 14. If not, put the clean sock on it. Feel free to do puppet gestures if there are children around but ONLY if children are around... your neighbors don't want to see you talking to your sock puppet alone. The reason why I use a sock and not a new rubber working glove is to tell my brain to not touch anything greasy with my right hand so as to keep the steering wheel clean.
14. Turn on the ACC power. Do not under any circumstances turn on the engine. I made this mistake and sprayed ATF fluid where it did not need to go. We have a 2008 with over 300k miles, so at some point this helps the Cruiser build character. Close the driver’s door.
15. Turn the steering with your sock hand all the way to the right, or the left, depending upon how you lean politically.
16. With your other hand, empty the cup. Note how much is in it AND the color of the fluid. Place the cup back under the return line with the line pointed downward.
17. With your sock hand, turn the steering all the way in the other direction. If you are into sailing, then yell, "Hard to port!"
18. Empty the cup. Place it back under the return line. Refill the reservoir with new fluid.
19. Repeat 15 – 18 several times. When you see new fluid coming out of the return line, you know the end is near like when Mahomes starts nailing 1st downs in the 4th qtr. When you see new fluid showing up in the cup, don't refill past the COLD line.
20. Eventually you will see mostly new fluid in the cup. At this point, or whenever your OCD nature tells you, it’s time to stop pumping out the fluid.
21. Turn off ACC power.
22. Set the cup aside while keeping the return line propped up. In a fast motion, pull the ear plug while you quickly attach the return line back to the pipe. Fasten the clamp.
23. Clean the exterior of the reservoir. Clean the inside of the cap with a clean cloth then tighten to the reservoir.
24. Set the Cruiser’s front wheel back to the ground, unchock rear wheels.
25. If your rig is on a mostly level surface, fill the reservoir to the appropriate COLD level. Even if you started this process with hot fluid, the new fluid in the reservoir is cold… unless you are in Texas in July where everything is over 100F, even at midnight.
26. The next few times after a drive, inspect the fluid level and add as necessary.
27. Tell your friends you changed the steering fluid in your Cruiser. They will think you have special Jedi mechanical powers.
28. Add your tips and suggestions below. I hope another member can provide wisdom on how to make this an easier process.

 

[skrypj]

The Valvoline Maxlife looks way better than whatever nastiness came out of mine. I did it at like 52k miles too.

 

[TheComedian]

Stupid questiln. Do you feel a difference or is it just to prevent that the fluid starts to contain water?
I mean, I don’t know the service history of my 200 except the fact the the friend I got it from changed every 5000km the engine oil. Maybe last change was in 2016 when he was T-Boned by a semi and they had to redo the front suspension and atuff around that…

 

[OregonLC]

FWIW, I use a little mighty-vac and just exchange whatever volume is in the reservoir with each oil change. Not a complete flush by any means. But it keeps it fresh enough that it doesn't ever get dark.

 

[PDoyle]

Showing off that new floor jack

 

[RT Cruiser]

Showing off that new floor jack

Oh, I love that thing!

Stupid questiln. Do you feel a difference or is it just to prevent that the fluid starts to contain water?

Not a stupid question. Yes, the difference is noticeable - mostly at slower speeds.

FWIW, I use a little mighty-vac and just exchange whatever volume is in the reservoir with each oil change. Not a complete flush by any means. But it keeps it fresh enough that it doesn't ever get dark.

Hey, that's a good way to continually be inserting new fluid. Eventually I might get a Mighty Vac. Not sure if this is a good comparison, but from when the day I did a full transmission fluid and filter change, all I do now is empty the tranny fluid out of the pan about every 25k miles and add what was removed (and using the Toyota method to verify the correct level).

 

[bloc]

FWIW, I use a little mighty-vac and just exchange whatever volume is in the reservoir with each oil change. Not a complete flush by any means. But it keeps it fresh enough that it doesn't ever get dark.

Same, (almost) every oil change, after an initial fluid exchange at about 120k. Using an old Pela oil extractor from my euro car days.

Fluid is still nice and bright red at 200k currently.

The PS fluid volume is so small you could easily do the job with cheap 60mL syringes on amazon and a little vinyl or silicon hose to extend the tip.

 

[skrypj]

I literally used the $3 turkey baster from the kitchen with some hose shoved in the end. It worked great.

It didn’t go back in the kitchen, but we also don’t eat much turkey.

 

[gasman4u]

Great write up! I'm a (visual) guy, so a video would be awesome with all of your spare time to shoot, light, edit, promote (click like and subscribe - aMiRIgHt?!?) too.

I too am usually just changing the reservoir volume every oil change with the Idemitsu PSF. You can tell a difference between the old fluid and new, but it's not quite as stark as old vs new transmission fluid.

With that said, this is on my list of PM when the time comes to do a legitimate total fluid change and this write up will be awesome to follow.

 

[RT Cruiser]

Great write up! I'm a (visual) guy, so a video would be awesome with all of your spare time to shoot, light, edit, promote (click like and subscribe - aMiRIgHt?!?) too.

I too am usually just changing the reservoir volume every oil change with the Idemitsu PSF. You can tell a difference between the old fluid and new, but it's not quite as stark as old vs new transmission fluid.

With that said, this is on my list of PM when the time comes to do a legitimate total fluid change and this write up will be awesome to follow.

The reality is it would be best for someone with mechanical skills to shoot such a video. I do my best but it isn't much fun to observe.

At least you are changing the fluid. As you said, it does make a difference.

The only hard part is catching the fluid as it returns back to the reservoir in a cup or similar. Maybe if you master this, you can post a video!

 

[gasman4u]

I finally got around to the full fluid change this past weekend. I got around 4 pints run through total to get new looking fluid out. I used a dead end cap on the return nub of the reservoir after filling it exactly one time without. Pretty neat trick. 0/10 recommended. Idemetsu and whatever oem psf fluid fill remaining out - new idemitsu fluid in!