Power Steering Fluid (1 Viewer)

[renyon99]

14 LC

going to be doing my 120k service very soon. Should I do a power steering fluid change? It has never been done.

If so, is it okay to use the recommended Toyota ATF Dex II or III and just do the remove / replace of the reservoir, multiple times? I wasn’t sure if mixing fluids was acceptable since I am not 100% what is in there currently.

No issues with the system or anything, just preventative on my part. Mechanic said leave it alone, no need to change.

Thanks!

 

[bloc]

The book explicitly says dex3, but what’s in there isn’t red, when it is new it’s gold colored. But all we can do is put in what it says. I even went with the backwards compatibility of synthetic stuff and have been running dex6 for 30k with no issues.

But yes it is a good idea to do a fluid exchange. I’ve done a couple on these and prefer to do them with the engine off.

Jack up front of vehicle enough to cycle the steering with the engine off. suck the fluid out of the res to reduce spilling, remove the return line to the res. Then I like to cap the return nipple, and put the return hose into something that can catch fluid.. the disposable 1-qt paint liners at the hardware store are perfect.

Then top up res with new fluid, and when you turn the steering back and forth it will pump the new fluid into the rack replacing the old, all without the engine running. Don’t go crazy steering it before you get an idea of how quickly it pumps through.. it is surprisingly quick, and I’m sure you know you don’t want to suck air into the system.

Let me know if there are any questions.

 

[stonepa]

I replace all fluids - including power steering and brake fluid - every 50k miles or so. It is amazing how these little acts preserve mechanical components over the very long term. I have yet to replace a radiator, a steering rack, a transmission, a transfer case, etc over almost 900k miles of Land Cruiser driving.

 

[gasman4u]

good call on fluid replacement. OEM's almost always extend what should be normal intervals to make their "total cost of ownership" lower so their appeal is higher in advertising. Ultimately are people using some variant of ATF in their power steering reservoir for replacement? Amsoil recommends one of their ATF variants and I am seeing almost everyone else with Dexos III (trans fluid?) ratings equivalent.

 

[TLC2013]

I am using Redline D4 ATF for my power steering fluid. When i bought my 200 it had around 80,000 miles. It looked like most of fluids were original. Been over 30,000 miles so far with the Redline Power steering fluid and it still looks like new.

D4 ATF

Our most versatile ATF, use where Dexron III®, Dexron II®, Mercon® and Mercon V® fluids are recommended, provides a GL-4 level of gear protection

www.redlineoil.com

 

[04UZJ100]

M1 Synthetic ATF in all my Toyotas

 

[kcjaz]

Then top up res with new fluid, and when you turn the steering back and forth it will pump the new fluid into the rack replacing the old, all without the engine running. Don’t go crazy steering it before you get an idea of how quickly it pumps through.. it is surprisingly quick, and I’m sure you know you don’t want to suck air into the system.

^This. Having a helper watch the reservoir level during this is good so you don't suck air into the system. Keep doing this until you see the new fluid coming out of the return line which is easy if you are replacing OEM fluid due to the color change. I went a little overboard and pumped about 2 QTs additional through it as a "flush" as I did mine at 150K and I'm sure it was the original fluid. I was worried about that and I also replaced the PS pump but wouldn't have needed to.

 

[OregonLC]

Probably not a perfect strategy, but I simply exchange the PS reservoir fluid with new at each oil change. It never becomes completely new but never gets to the point of needing a flush.

 

[renyon99]

Thank you all for the valuable feedback. I just ordered 4x Qts of 'Toyota Automatic Transmission Fluid-(DII) - Toyota (00718-ATF00)', which should do the trick and will be replacing the fluid upon arrival. Per my user manual it shows this should be compatible

**Edit - I tried to find the specific Toyota Part number for ATF DEXRON III but it keeps translating back to ATF DEXRON II on website descriptions.**

 

[gasman4u]

Probably not a perfect strategy, but I simply exchange the PS reservoir fluid with new at each oil change. It never becomes completely new but never gets to the point of needing a flush.

I've done something similar with other vehicles. drain the reservoir, go steering lock L/R, drain, repeat x 3. I considered that good enough for them. Is everyone disconnecting return lines as @bloc referenced earlier? I figured my way would be easier as a one man op.

 

[doru]

Why are you changing the fluid? Is it something wrong with power steering and are you fixing it?
If not this is unnecessary work. Toyota does not specify this in the maintenance log today or 25 years ago. Volvo does not and Subaru neither.
I still run the original 1996 steering fluid on my other Toyota.
I only mess with that fluid if I have to do repairs like replacing the pump in my Suby or leaky reservoir on Volvo. BTW the fluid was perfect state after 13 years. The Toyota fluid is in good state after 27 years, with only some topping off over the years.
If you doing it to feel good, then go ahead but know that it is not necessary.

 

[OregonLC]

They also state the trans fluid is lifetime... This is a long rabbit hole that will end without conclusion. That you can get away with it for some period of time and that you're maintaining your vehicle as best as possible are two different things. I also change my oil at 5k regardless of what BIOG or Blackstone says.

 

[gasman4u]

They also state the trans fluid is lifetime... This is a long rabbit hole that will end without conclusion. That you can get away with it for some period of time and that you're maintaining your vehicle as best as possible are two different things. I also change my oil at 5k regardless of what BOIG or Blackstone says.

This is along what I'm thinking (aside from 5k vs 10k OCI's) about fluids. Confirmation (or normalcy?) bias aside, I too do not believe in "lifetime fluids" in anything.

@TLC2013 Thanks for the redline recommendation. I haven't used their fluids and didn't consider them, but they seem to have quite a loyal customer base.

 

[doru]

I leave this here: auto transmission and power steering are very different loads but they use the same fluid. Think about it...

 

[04UZJ100]

Why are you changing the fluid? Is it something wrong with power steering and are you fixing it?
If not this is unnecessary work. Toyota does not specify this in the maintenance log today or 25 years ago. Volvo does not and Subaru neither.
I still run the original 1996 steering fluid on my other Toyota.
I only mess with that fluid if I have to do repairs like replacing the pump in my Suby or leaky reservoir on Volvo. BTW the fluid was perfect state after 13 years. The Toyota fluid is in good state after 27 years, with only some topping off over the years.
If you doing it to feel good, then go ahead but know that it is not necessary.

Did you have it tests to verify it’s in a “good state”?

No hydraulic fluid will last that long - especially without a filter.

 

[bloc]

I've done something similar with other vehicles. drain the reservoir, go steering lock L/R, drain, repeat x 3. I considered that good enough for them. Is everyone disconnecting return lines as @bloc referenced earlier? I figured my way would be easier as a one man op.

The return and supply ports in the reservoir are both at the bottom, if you pump fluid out of and into the same container I doubt it’s getting truly exchanged.

The hardest part of my method is actually getting the return line off the nipple. Damn thing is tight. But this is easily a 1-man job, just go slow with the first turn-turn to get a feel for the exchanged volume before proceeding further.

After all that I started doing what @OregonLC does.

Why are you changing the fluid? Is it something wrong with power steering and are you fixing it?
If not this is unnecessary work. Toyota does not specify this in the maintenance log today or 25 years ago. Volvo does not and Subaru neither.
I still run the original 1996 steering fluid on my other Toyota.
I only mess with that fluid if I have to do repairs like replacing the pump in my Suby or leaky reservoir on Volvo. BTW the fluid was perfect state after 13 years. The Toyota fluid is in good state after 27 years, with only some topping off over the years.
If you doing it to feel good, then go ahead but know that it is not necessary.

The stock fluid is a nice light gold color. That fluid is DARK brown by the time these vehicles are out of warranty.

That fact and the obvious discoloration of the plastic reservoir are indicators that some physical and/or chemical property of the fluid is changing.

Changing the fluid once, then periodically drawing out the reservoir and refilling with fresh is an easy way to ensure the very expensive steering parts stay as reliable as the rest of the truck.. that gets fluids changed. There have been a few reports of people having to change leaking steering racks, personally I’d rather do anything I can to avoid that cost and inconvenience.

 

[sleepycruiser]

The return and supply ports in the reservoir are both at the bottom, if you pump fluid out of and into the same container I doubt it’s getting truly exchanged.

The hardest part of my method is actually getting the return line off the nipple. Damn thing is tight. But this is easily a 1-man job, just go slow with the first turn-turn to get a feel for the exchanged volume before proceeding further.

After all that I started doing what @OregonLC does.


The stock fluid is a nice light gold color. That fluid is DARK brown by the time these vehicles are out of warranty.

That fact and the obvious discoloration of the plastic reservoir are indicators that some physical and/or chemical property of the fluid is changing.

Changing the fluid once, then periodically drawing out the reservoir and refilling with fresh is an easy way to ensure the very expensive steering parts stay as reliable as the rest of the truck.. that gets fluids changed. There have been a few reports of people having to change leaking steering racks, personally I’d rather do anything I can to avoid that cost and inconvenience.

You are right about the hose being on there tight. I couldn’t break mine free for fear I’d break the nipple off so I just used a fluid exchange hose and took out what I could from the res and then filled it…and did that a few times. I’ll try again later when I’m not as frustrated.

 

[gasman4u]

You are right about the hose being on there tight. I couldn’t break mine free for fear I’d break the nipple off so I just used a fluid exchange hose and took out what I could from the res and then filled it…and did that a few times. I’ll try again later when I’m not as frustrated.

This is what I can EASILY see myself doing. @bloc mentioned it being tight and I could see myself getting frustrated and going full send on it likely causing damage. I've done it before and (HOPEFULLY) have learned it's not the best course of action.

 

[concretejungle]

there is no way that the original fluid will last a lifetime! I purchased my 200 new off the lot with 7 miles on it. My PS fluid looked like it was a grey sludge this last oil change which my cruiser now is at 65,000 miles. It was not red (like the 80 series that uses ATF).

 

[gasman4u]

to resurrect this thread and try to keep it on point, has anyone ever used the Idemitsu Power Steering Fluid in their rigs? My guess is the fluid color (FWIW) is likely the same as what comes from Japan and sure looks similar in packaging to the OEM Honda equivalent for their PSF. The labeling indicates safe to use in Toyotas, Hondas, etc.

I don't want to beat the horse too bad, but I am looking for compatible fluids that will save money where appropriate and still provide longevity overall.