Power steering flush, any tricks or tips? (1 Viewer)

[kcjaz]

Is this the PS fluid to use?:

Toyota Dexron III

 

[2001LC]

No, use Toyota WS ATF in all Land Cruiser / LX from 04- up Transmissions!, Yes Power steering use Dexron II or III

Edited: Sorry was tried didn't read incorrectly, working to many threads.... Yes Dexron II or III in power steering. I use only Mobil 1 MV ATF.

 

[Hokie99]

My understanding is the Power-steering fluid is still the old ATF fluid, not WS.

I would check your owners manual but all of my Toyota’s new or old take the old T3/4 ATF

 

[bloc]

No, use Toyota WS ATF in all Land Cruiser / LX from 04- up

Incorrect.

My understanding is the Power-steering fluid is still the old ATF fluid, not WS.

I would check your owners manual but all of my Toyota’s new or old take the old T3/4 ATF

Correct.

Technically the factory fill is a gold colored fluid and not red like ATF, but last time I checked no one was able to track down a source, and the manual calls for T3/4. I’ve been putting Dexron 6 in mine since the flush due to backward compatibility and higher temp tolerance than conventional base stock ATF and it has been working fine.
Realistically ATF-WS probably would work fine, but that is not what is called for in the manual.

 

[2001LC]

Sorry was tried didn't read incorrectly, working to many threads.... Yes Dexron II or III in power steering. I use only Mobil 1 MV full synthetic ATF.

Edited above miss quote!

 

[afgman786]

Did a quick and dirty fluid exchange today. Please let me know if I screwed something up and there is something else I need to do before driving the 200.
1. Put front on jack stands
2. Took all the fluid that was in the res out and replaced with new fluid
3. Had vehicle in "on mode" without running and turned steering wheel back and forth and holding 3 times
4. Took fluid out of res again and replaced with new fluid and repeated this 2 more times.
5. Used a total of .5 qts and made sure the fluid was at the right level

I did not ever turn the vehicle on and turn the wheels or remove the return line. I was only exchanging at the res since I was trying to rush before dialing into a meeting. I understand there is still probably old fluid in the system, and the res is dirty. I think I might need to take it out to clean or replace as some of the old fluid was a bit thick.

 

[TLC2013]

Did a quick and dirty fluid exchange today. Please let me know if I screwed something up and there is something else I need to do before driving the 200.
1. Put front on jack stands
2. Took all the fluid that was in the res out and replaced with new fluid
3. Had vehicle in "on mode" without running and turned steering wheel back and forth and holding 3 times
4. Took fluid out of res again and replaced with new fluid and repeated this 2 more times.
5. Used a total of .5 qts and made sure the fluid was at the right level

I did not ever turn the vehicle on and turn the wheels or remove the return line. I was only exchanging at the res since I was trying to rush before dialing into a meeting. I understand there is still probably old fluid in the system, and the res is dirty. I think I might need to take it out to clean or replace as some of the old fluid was a bit thick.

Thats sounds correct and what i did. I did a few more cycles and went through 1 quart. Used redline ATF fluid. Next time ill do a full flush and disconnect the return line to get all the old fluid cycled out.

 

[04UZJ100]

I’m just going to swap out 2 quarts of M1 ATF with a turkey baster in the reservoir.
Easier and accomplishes 90% of the complete drain and fill.

 

[kcjaz]

I did a complete flush but I had the whole front end apart and replaced the PS pump too so flushing the whole system was easy and it would have been silly not to given I had already gone that far. Plus, the old fluid may have been original fill from 150K miles ago. That said, the "complete" flush isn't that incrementally more difficult. All that you need to do is disconnect the return hose from the reservoir and temporarily plug the hose barb so the reservoir doesn't drain all over. Then position the hose out the wheel well or bottom of truck aimed into a bucket. Then crank the steering wheel back and forth while watching the level drop in the reservoir without letting it suck any air. Keep refilling the reservoir until you see clean new fluid come out of the hose or until a couple quarts go through. Reconnect the hose and repeat until no bubbles belch from the return line. You could also disconnect the return line down low if you wanted to. If you do this often enough, sucking out some fluid with a turkey baster and replacing is probably just fine. The biggest thing is probably just paying attention to the color and smell of the fluid to get a warning of some issue.

 

[mcgaskins]

I did a complete flush but I had the whole front end apart and replaced the PS pump too so flushing the whole system was easy and it would have been silly not to given I had already gone that far. Plus, the old fluid may have been original fill from 150K miles ago. That said, the "complete" flush isn't that incrementally more difficult. All that you need to do is disconnect the return hose from the reservoir and temporarily plug the hose barb so the reservoir doesn't drain all over. Then position the hose out the wheel well or bottom of truck aimed into a bucket. Then crank the steering wheel back and forth while watching the level drop in the reservoir without letting it suck any air. Keep refilling the reservoir until you see clean new fluid come out of the hose or until a couple quarts go through. Reconnect the hose and repeat until no bubbles belch from the return line. You could also disconnect the return line down low if you wanted to. If you do this often enough, sucking out some fluid with a turkey baster and replacing is probably just fine. The biggest thing is probably just paying attention to the color and smell of the fluid to get a warning of some issue.

Out of curiosity, why did you replace the power steering pump? Were you having any issues? I'm about to do a refresh on an older 200 and replacing the steering rack among several other things and trying to determine what to do "while I'm in there". Looks like a new PS pump is under $300 so might be a good time to replace it.

 

[kcjaz]

Out of curiosity, why did you replace the power steering pump? Were you having any issues? I'm about to do a refresh on an older 200 and replacing the steering rack among several other things and trying to determine what to do "while I'm in there". Looks like a new PS pump is under $300 so might be a good time to replace it.

No issues with the PS system. I got carried away and was concerned that the fluid had never been changed plus I needed to move it out of the way to get the alternator out. I bought all of the parts thinking I was going to get in and get out and didn't want to have to stop if I needed to get a part like the PS pump. As its turned out, I'm in week 6 and the project has drug out anyway and my "in and out" strategy was unrealistic given my skill and knowledge level. Don't regret this at all though. Have learned a ton.

The fluid was pretty ugly but the pump seems completely fine. I could not tell any difference in how the bearing felt compared to the new one. It is also rebuildable which is what I would do in hind site to same some money. In the grand scheme of things the pump is $250 and a rebuild kit is <$100. Swapping the pump out is of course easier than rebuilding one. I am hoping that the old fluid did not cause damage to the steering rack. Like I said, I was not having issues, so we will see what happens. I now has a spare PS pump. I may rebuild it for fun (after the 10,000 other things I want to do).

If I was replacing the steering rack, I would look at the pump. If you can afford the time, pull it out and assess it then decide to replace, rebuild, or reuse it.

 

[mcgaskins]

No issues with the PS system. I got carried away and was concerned that the fluid had never been changed plus I needed to move it out of the way to get the alternator out. I bought all of the parts thinking I was going to get in and get out and didn't want to have to stop if I needed to get a part like the PS pump. As its turned out, I'm in week 6 and the project has drug out anyway and my "in and out" strategy was unrealistic given my skill and knowledge level. Don't regret this at all though. Have learned a ton.

The fluid was pretty ugly but the pump seems completely fine. I could not tell any difference in how the bearing felt compared to the new one. It is also rebuildable which is what I would do in hind site to same some money. In the grand scheme of things the pump is $250 and a rebuild kit is <$100. Swapping the pump out is of course easier than rebuilding one. I am hoping that the old fluid did not cause damage to the steering rack. Like I said, I was not having issues, so we will see what happens. I now has a spare PS pump. I may rebuild it for fun (after the 10,000 other things I want to do).

If I was replacing the steering rack, I would look at the pump. If you can afford the time, pull it out and assess it then decide to replace, rebuild, or reuse it.

Thanks for the info! Yes this truck is coming up on 200k, so it's getting a new rack, new CVs, LCAs, belts, etc. all OEM and also aftermarket UCAs, springs, shocks, armor, etc. The power steering pump made the slightest groan this morning, but it was only 10 degrees and the truck had been sitting outside for days. I think I'll add the pump to the list.

 

[kcjaz]

Thanks for the info! Yes this truck is coming up on 200k, so it's getting a new rack, new CVs, LCAs, belts, etc. all OEM and also aftermarket UCAs, springs, shocks, armor, etc. The power steering pump made the slightest groan this morning, but it was only 10 degrees and the truck had been sitting outside for days. I think I'll add the pump to the list.

Mine is at 150K and it all started with a coolant leak and me knowing the water pump had never been replaced. @bloc advised me to look at things with bearings in them and he was right. I found a few that were nearing their end of life. Others were fine. Nothing was obviously about to bite the dust. I may have made it to 200K except for the leak (bad hose). Even the water pump seemed fine. Fan bracket pulley bearing was noticeably more free spinning than the new one, just like @bloc 's video.

The starter is next. I am considering doing the CVs or at least one just to learn how.

 

[BigMF]

... I was only exchanging at the res since I was trying to rush before dialing into a meeting....

If you were a REAL man, you would have dialed in and worked on the truck while on the conference call.

 

[baggar11]

Just performed this service using a MitiVac Fluid Evacuator. It was incredibly easy.
1. Drained reservoir with MitiVac
2. Pulled return hose off reservoir, inserted MitiVac hose into return hose.
3. Pulled all fluid out of rack and lines
4. Plugged return bung with home made plug
5. Filled reservoir with new fluid, add vacuum with Mitivac, continue adding new fluid until fresh fluid is pulled thru return line and into evacuator.
6. Re-attach return line, start truck, top up new fluid, test drive, re-top up.

I used almost 2 quarts of fluid, because I flushed thru too much new fluid, but I wanted to make sure it was 100% clean.

Just added a 2011 LX to the lineup and was looking up the procedure for a PS flush. This is the exact procedure I have used on the '94 and '02. Works well and takes about 5 minutes. Glad I can use it on the newer LX. Next step, I need to take off all the plastic covers to get access!

 

[lovetoski]

Just added a 2011 LX to the lineup and was looking up the procedure for a PS flush. This is the exact procedure I have used on the '94 and '02. Works well and takes about 5 minutes. Glad I can use it on the newer LX. Next step, I need to take off all the plastic covers to get access!

Going to do a PS flush as part of baselining my new to me 2008 LX. Manual says to use Dextron II or III. Local dealer says their shop only uses Toyota T-IV. I saw that referenced in an earlier post in this thread, but just want to make sure I use the right fluid. I can get Dextron III from the local NAPA/etc, or is T-IV a better choice? TIA!

 

[04UZJ100]

Going to do a PS flush as part of baselining my new to me 2008 LX. Manual says to use Dextron II or III. Local dealer says their shop only uses Toyota T-IV. I saw that referenced in an earlier post in this thread, but just want to make sure I use the right fluid. I can get Dextron III from the local NAPA/etc, or is T-IV a better choice? TIA!

Just use M1 Synthetic ATF and be done.

 

[TX4Runner]

@SWUtah I'm not trying to diss you, but feel very strongly it's important to flush PS system.

No way to know at this point if rack was failing from not being flush over the years (before the 110K miles) or if Dealership screwed up. If not flushed, seals develop deposits and this will dry them out. That flushing may then clean seals of gunk and they leak. Often times these leaks can be fixed by adding 1.35oz of AT-205 restore. This plasticizer (At-205) adds back in what time leaches out of rubber. Dirty seal(s) will age fast then clean ones.

Also, old fluid will develop solids that damage seals, gears and pump. These solid can be seen in the screen in the bottom of the reservoir. On first flushing, I always clean the reservoir. I've seen some screens that were 90% plugged with solids, and those take hours & hours to clean out. This cleaning only needs be done once if flushes kept up with, or never if regularly flushed from day one.

Additionally the lubcation value of old fluid will be diminished over time.

It's very import to flush power steering on a regular basis. Power steering fluid (ATF in Toyota) turns dark faster than any oil in our rigs. That the dark color indicates oil is breaking down.

You can't over flush, the more often the better IMHO.

What size tubing will fit inside the return line to drain? 3/8” OD? Hard to find locally. Best to order online? Thanks for the info!

Also - where do you find a plug for the reservoir return? Curious what homemade option may work - balloon and a zip tie? Haha.

 

[bloc]

Also - where do you find a plug for the reservoir return? Curious what homemade option may work - balloon and a zip tie? Haha.

I keep various diameters of cheap clear vinyl tubing in the garage for random projects. Found one that fit tightly, and just attached an ~8" section to the nipple and tilted that upward. Gravity kept it in the hose and nipple

 

[Johnny396BB]

I used the dilution method. Just sucked out fluid from reservoir and refilled took a drive and repeated 7-8 times. Worked out well.
Was probably orginal fluid inside as it was clear but no issue with PS system.
Now on i just suck out and refill each time i do a engine oil change. Should keep the fluid in good condition