Bulgdoom

I did an inspection the other day and found everything fine but the P.S. fluid was black. Ive only got 32.5k miles on the car, 07. I went snooping around and Tuffy wanted 80$ and Midas 60$ for a flush. Firestone didnt even offer the service.

Normally this should be cheap because the fluid overal is what 1 qt? Thats 4-5$. The thing that bugs me is that its a hydraulic system after all and getting air is bad, as there needs to be no compression of air for it to work fine like the brakes. Yet ive still seen people do it themselves with a Turkey Blaster and stuff, but it doesnt get all the black bits and pieces which is what i want out. I also dont have perfect conditions to do it myself since im in college now and live in a dorm with no garrage. It is however in my opinion 2 much for such a service.

Is the flush they do in the shop really that much better? Im guessing they have a machine that effectively gets rid of all the debris and keeps air out. Also im not sure but i saw another guy on the forum use flush and a drain and refill differently, as if a flush is something else? Just wondering if i really should go pay 50-60$ for this kinda maintenance. Generally P.S. fluid is not even mentioned in most service manuals for some odd reasons, but it does seem an important thing after all!

yellowxhoodie

iTrader: (16)

unplug one of the hoses to let all the old fluid drain out.
plug the hose back in.
refill the tank.
bleed the system.

you might have to do it a couple times to fully get all the debris out but it will still be cheaper than taking it somewhere.

07_Tc_blacksandpearl

To be honest its most likely a drain and refill, just like yellowhoodie is explaining. I would simply drain it and refil. You don't need to worry about air because it is a self bleeding system. Just start the car and turn the wheels back and forth. Don't hit full lock on either side until you've bled it atleast a little.

yellowxhoodie

iTrader: (16)

^exactly.

i actually moved my PS reservoir so i had to refill it.
it will make some funky noises at first but like 07_Tc_blacksandpearl stated just turn the wheel back and forth to bleed it.

you may have to top off the reservoir a couple times and there will be some foam in there at first, dont worry. thats normal.

Bulgdoom

How much fluid would the steering take???? 1 qt? Il go do it myself prolly this weekend. Looks like il just use a turkey baster and wont have to disconect the cables.

For the turning the wheel tho, im thinking of just jacking up the car from the front middle under the transmission because i dont have jack stands which should be alrite? Also to warm up the fluid so i get more of the debris out i should probably go for a drive, then when i take it out and replace it with the new, do i just turn the wheel with the engine off and then with the engine on to bleed it correctly or how would i go about?

yellowxhoodie

iTrader: (16)

you do it with the car on.
the reservoir is really small so you should be good with just 1qt.

you dont really need to jack the car up or go for a drive.
just leave it in the driveway, turn the car on, and turn the wheel from side to side.

Bulgdoom

Well im gonna jack it up so as not to rub the tires for nothing. One thing tho... what did u do with the dirty fluid? Do you just give it to Auto Zone or something for recycling?

yellowxhoodie

iTrader: (16)

mine just poured all over the ground. hahaha

Bulgdoom

Hahaha

07_Tc_blacksandpearl

If you go drive the car it may be a little more beneficial. But, what I can tell you will be more beneficial is to pull the hose and not just drain the reservoir. Draining the reservoir will work, but it will probably make the new fluid look almost the same. 1 qt of fluid will probably do it, but it never hurts to have an extra qt laying around. If you do pull the hose, just becareful you don't rip it or tear it. Also, don't worry about "rubbing" the tires on the ground, its not going to do anything negatively if its just for a few turns.

Jan06xB

Better to jack up both wheels and drain the fluid from the reservoir then take the return hose off and connect it to a clear hose to a waste bottle, with the engine OFF or else you can damage the seals in the pump spinning it . . . turn the wheel back and forth and that will pump the fluid out until you get some air then start filling the new fluid in the reservoir and continue turning the wheel back and forth until clear fluid comes out. Watch the return fitting connection so you don't over fill it while the hose is off. My xB took about a pint to flush everything out. It turns black in about 2 years of driving - changing it sooner will make your PS pump and rack last a lot longer.

Bulgdoom

Is there like a DIY with pics? How would i just drain the fluid, is there opening that i gotta open so it flows out or do i just do it with the sucker gun which is what i was about to do anyways? I thought there was only 1 hose there to disconnect and that was supposed to be the return hose. Also instead of buying another hose i can just put a container underneath the return hose. I was watching a DIY on some other car and what the guy did was drain the fluid with a sucker gun like im about 2, and then he disconnected that return hose which seemed to be the only one and then channeled it to the waste container.

Jan06xB

The additional clear hose makes it easier to see when the new fluid starts coming out since you have to be in the car to turn the steering wheel back and forth. Not really needed just makes it easier for a one man job. The top of the reservoir holds a little fluid then you hit the screen that prevents you from sucking out the rest of the fluid. Then you have to pull the return line - some will driop out of the reservoir pipe fitting and the rest will pump out of the return hose once you start turning the steering wheel back and forth. If you need a wrench you are trying to remove the wrong hose! Don't loosen it or it will probably leak forever.