Steering Flush & Cleaning (1 Viewer)

[jammingator]

Completed this project this past week. Very easy and very needed! Reservoir was pretty gunked up but cleaned up easily despite never having been cleaned before. Used degreaser to loosen then used flathead screwdriver to gently remove thicker gunk. Followed that with a bottle brush and rinse multiple times to get it about 95% clean. Also replaced the two hoses. Both came from NAPA - #NPS 71207 for the 5/8” suction hose (~17") and #NPS 73303 for the 3/8” return (~30"). No problem getting old hoses off and used Syl-Glyde to help install the new. Flush went great, used about 1.5 qt Mobil 1 ATF to flush and fill along with 1.5 oz AT-205 to see what it will do for leaks. Will keep an eye on the fluid and flush again when seems right - want to keep the screen in the bottom of the reservoir clean and flowing. Here’s a few pictures:

 

[2020 Rocks]

Has anyone put an inline filt on the return hose? Does it help or reduce flow? I am replacing my steering rack tomorrow and was thinking of adding a filter.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

Has anyone put an inline filt on the return hose? Does it help or reduce flow? I am replacing my steering rack tomorrow and was thinking of adding a filter.

i was going to put a magnafine filter inline but napa gave me the wrong part AGAIN so i just skipped it. they're about 25 bucks. you need 3/8ths size and it goes on the return side. they have a flow direction so pay attention. also heard they have a safety bypass if it gets clogged but ir should be fine for 200k miles +

 

[LndXrsr]

Do all years have a screen in the tank? My '00 LX has no evidence of one, though from pics here, I'm still not entirely certain where I'm looking for it. Is it horizontal across the bottom of the tank? Given that the car has had dealer PS flushes in the past, I'm wondering if they destroyed the screen somewhere along the way.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

Do all years have a screen in the tank? My '00 LX has no evidence of one, though from pics here, I'm still not entirely certain where I'm looking for it. Is it horizontal across the bottom of the tank? Given that the car has had dealer PS flushes in the past, I'm wondering if they destroyed the screen somewhere along the way.

it runs horizontally. you can see it here

 

[LndXrsr]

Oh yeah, that is totally gone in mine. Interesting. Pics are super helpful, thanks.

Probably best to have it, but I suppose many miles have passed without it in this case also. Maybe I'll try to find a deal on a replacement in the future.

 

[UGN]

Replaced the power steering fluid again with Mobil ATF D/M and added 1.7 oz of ATP AT-205 as the rack still leaks on both sides. I did not see any drops on the ground, just the bottom of the boots were wet.

Question: I have 3 ton jack stands only and could not lift both front tires completely off the ground. They were touching the ground just a little but it was difficult to turn the steering wheel back and forth. Would it cause any excessive wear inside the steering column or the rack itself as the pump was off when I turned the wheels?

 

[LndXrsr]

I did essentially the same thing with mine. Weight offloaded but tires still just touching the ground. As long as your force required to turn the wheel isn't extreme, there really shouldn't be any issue. Especially for just a few turns.

 

[2001LC]

Replaced the power steering fluid again with Mobil ATF D/M and added 1.7 oz of ATP AT-205 as the rack still leaks on both sides. I did not see any drops on the ground, just the bottom of the boots were wet.

Question: I have 3 ton jack stands only and could not lift both front tires completely off the ground. They were touching the ground just a little but it was difficult to turn the steering wheel back and forth. Would it cause any excessive wear inside the steering column or the rack itself as the pump was off when I turned the wheels?

If #1 skid plate off, some floor jack don't have enough lift. In this case I add a block(s) of wood or hard rubber between jack and lift point. With bottle jack I place wood between jack and floor. BTW: I use oak.

Output shaft leaks are hardest to stop. They're also difficult to determine if leak stops. Fluid gets built up in the boots. This sometimes makes appears as if still leaking. As a further confirmation, I watch reservoir level.

 

[Deity X]

Hey all, I just did a flush yesterday (engine off, front end off the ground). Gave the reservoir a quick cleaning but definitely could have used more love (PITA to get hoses out from the reservoir).
After I started the car again there was quite a bit of noise coming from what I assume is the steering rack, drove it around a bit and seemed to go away after about 10 minutes of driving, should there be anything to worry about?
Will check the reservoir level and underneath the car for any leaks in the afternoon.

 

[LndXrsr]

Mine was much noisier after a flush as well and that's to be expected based on what I've read. It does improve with time back to usual. However, your fluid will likely look like trash pretty rapidly again. That's okay too, but for the really OCD folks, it may take a a few flushes to really get any old grime out and keep relatively fresh fluid circulating.

 

[Deity X]

Mine was much noisier after a flush as well and that's to be expected based on what I've read. It does improve with time back to usual. However, your fluid will likely look like trash pretty rapidly again. That's okay too, but for the really OCD folks, it may take a a few flushes to really get any old grime out and keep relatively fresh fluid circulating.

Good to hear that the noise its a common after a flush. I don't mind doing a few flushes in short intervals to get it clean, especially now that it should be () easier to get the hoses off the fittings the second time around.

 

[UGN]

If #1 skid plate off, some floor jack don't have enough lift. In this case I add a block(s) of wood or hard rubber between jack and lift point. With bottle jack I place wood between jack and floor. BTW: I use oak.

Output shaft leaks are hardest to stop. They're also difficult to determine if leak stops. Fluid gets built up in the boots. This sometimes makes appears as if still leaking. As a further confirmation, I watch reservoir level.

The fluid level dropped from the Max line to the middle between Max and Min lines over 6 months. I will continue to watch the fluid level periodically.

I was thinking of buying a concrete square step stone 12"x12" to put under the jack stands on both sides but not sure if they could hold the weight. Otherwise did I do any damage without lifting the wheels off the ground completely?

 

[2001LC]

Noise after flushing, is air in the ATF fluid. The pump does not like being run dry or with air mixed into fluid.

Bleeding air from steering fluid/system:
1) Starts with wheel off the ground engine off. Than by turning steering wheel to lock (as far as you can turn) one side than to the other side slowly 3 times. This pushes fluid through the entire system. Holding at each lock for 3 seconds, is key, while keeping fluid level above min. Air bleeds off as fluid enters the reservoir.

2) Than put wheels/tires back on ground. Start engine and repeat lock to lock and hold at lock, doing 3 times again. Watch reservoir level and if foaming repeat. Foaming indicates air in system. Just keep repeating lock to lock until foaming stops.

Turning steering wheel with engine off and vehicle weight on tires, is not a good practice. If vehicle rolling, it fine as steering turns easily. But stationary this put a great deal of stress on steering column and rack gears. Likely doing once in while will not cause any damage, but I'd not do anymore than absolutely necessary.

 

[Patron100LC]

Flushed my steering fluid last weekend followed 2001lc write up.
First off, thank you for all your articles and videos, I think they are essential to the community, already used them for my CV’s reboot and brake service. Got a 2005 LC with 250 k miles about 8 months ago, bought at auction unseen, and got lucky with a well maintained truck that ended up keeping.

Just to add from my personal experience, got impressed with the cleaning capabilities of White Gas, which if not mistaken it’s kerosene that has been refined to avoid smoke when used in gas lamps.
Used it to clean the mess left by a torn boot on my cv, and did wonders melting the grease.
Used it again to clean the power steering reservoir and it was a breeze, no brushes needed, just flushed and marinated in the kerosene for a few minutes, all gunk melted, and just flushed again with some clean stuff just to remove some leftover.
Dries in minutes, and doesn’t leave residues behind.
Got it at Wally’s for $8-9 a big can at the camping isle.
Thanks again 2001lc for helping us keep these great trucks alive.

Pablo.

 

[UGN]

Turning steering wheel with engine off and vehicle weight on tires, is not a good practice. If vehicle rolling, it fine as steering turns easily. But stationary this put a great deal of stress on steering column and rack gears. Likely doing once in while will not cause any damage, but I'd not do anymore than absolutely necessary.

I extended the 3-ton jack stands to the maximum height and the tires were barely touching the ground (I was short maybe 1/2 inch or less from lifting them off the ground completely). I would never turn the wheels with full weight while the engine is off.

 

[OwnerCS]

I've often wondered why the opening on the PS reservoir is so small. I have 2 or 3 other vehicles where the reservoir opening is the size of the inner diameter of the cap. Having a larger opening allows me to insert a clear flex tube into the reservoir and use a fluid extractor like MitiVac. It is also large enough to insert a 2nd tube for supplying fresh fluid. It takes some quick timing but I can fill and extract at approximately the same rate to do a quick flush from within the reservoir.

 

[OwnerCS]

Flushed my steering fluid last weekend followed 2001lc write up.
First off, thank you for all your articles and videos, I think they are essential to the community, already used them for my CV’s reboot and brake service. Got a 2005 LC with 250 k miles about 8 months ago, bought at auction unseen, and got lucky with a well maintained truck that ended up keeping.

Just to add from my personal experience, got impressed with the cleaning capabilities of White Gas, which if not mistaken it’s kerosene that has been refined to avoid smoke when used in gas lamps.
Used it to clean the mess left by a torn boot on my cv, and did wonders melting the grease.
Used it again to clean the power steering reservoir and it was a breeze, no brushes needed, just flushed and marinated in the kerosene for a few minutes, all gunk melted, and just flushed again with some clean stuff just to remove some leftover.
Dries in minutes, and doesn’t leave residues behind.
Got it at Wally’s for $8-9 a big can at the camping isle.
Thanks again 2001lc for helping us keep these great trucks alive.

Pablo.

That's my go to automotive parts cleaner. I grew up using it back when you could buy it for 25 cents per gallon. It was much cheaper than gasoline. Today, I buy it in 2.5 or 5 gallon quantities. It does a good job of cleaning and it is gentle compared to other solvents.

 

[Eyedaho]

I've often wondered why the opening on the PS reservoir is so small. I have 2 or 3 other vehicles where the reservoir opening is the size of the inner diameter of the cap. Having a larger opening allows me to insert a clear flex tube into the reservoir and use a fluid extractor like MitiVac. It is also large enough to insert a 2nd tube for supplying fresh fluid. It takes some quick timing but I can fill and extract at approximately the same rate to do a quick flush from within the reservoir.

I've looked at the price of replacing my reservoir with OEM, since at 21 years old the plastic is pretty brittle looking, and I was shocked at the price. I'm considering replacing it with an aluminum reservoir that would be more robust and more user friendly.

 

[OwnerCS]

I've looked at the price of replacing my reservoir with OEM, since at 21 years old the plastic is pretty brittle looking, and I was shocked at the price. I'm considering replacing it with an aluminum reservoir that would be more robust and more user friendly.

I picked up a Dorman on Amazon for a few dollars less than OEM. Not much of a savings though. Seems like the going price is just under $150.

I haven't used it yet. I may take the old one and ream out the inside neck just to see how it looks. My other Toyota truck from the same period has a metal reservoir and a small filter in the bottom.