I also am a little unclear what this dipstick/fluid reservoir is. I’ll be checking over a few engine diagrams to find out, but any help would be appreciated.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Should I flush the system since I erroneously just added some PS fluid to top it off?Don't use p.s. fluid. It says right on the top of the reservoir..."Dextron"....aka....transmission fluid.
You just reminded me to top it off with some power steering fluid. I’ve been hearing some steering groans and what I thought was just a cold system might’ve been low fluid. I’ll have these lines swapped out soon at the shop then.
I flushed mine just to get some crud out of the steering gear. I put a 5 gal bucket under the return hose, disc it from the reservoir and capped the reservoir return barb with a short piece of hose with a bolt clamped in it. Next jack the truck up and put it on jack stands to get the front tires off the ground. Open at least 2 qts of ATF and have them ready to pour in the reservoir. Have someone turn on the truck and start turning the wheel stop to stop while you quickly pour the fluid. Make sure they turn the truck off as soon as you get it filled the last time. Try not to let the fluid get too low in the reservoir or it will cavitate and draw in air...not a huge deal but not good for the pump. Reconnect the return hose and top off the reservoir. Turn the motor on and turn again from stop to stop to get any air bubbles out. I got plenty of metal crumbs out of my system and probably saved my steering gear for a few more years.
I pump it out (or most of it) by removing the Neg coil wire and just giving a few quick starter turns with the return line into a bucket. There's not much in there... There's no drain on the PS gearbox.
I like the suggestion above of just spinning the PS pump by hand. I may try that next time to see if it works to get most of the fluid out. I find with the Amsoil and Magnefine, fluid stays clean and bright a long time...