Power Steering Fluid Change
 

Hey guys I had a couple questions about changing the power steering fluid after doing some research on previous threads. Does the dealership do a power steering fluid flush or a simple drain and refill? Also how do you guys change it when you do it yourselves? Do you disconnect a hose and let it drain out or do you use a baster and suck out as much as the old stuff and refill it till it looks clean?

Oh yea and what fluid do you guys prefer?

Sucking the old stuff is by far the easiest approach but you don't get a 100% swap. It is pretty easy to pull the hose off the PS cooler (just a sping clamp) and get most of it but you'll need to remove either the fascia or undertray for access. So do the lazy way but just do it a couple of times unless you are pulling the fascia off for something else.

I used the Redline D6 ATF with good results.

bump

which one is a better choice, the Redline ATF D6 or the Redline Power Steering fluid?

D6 ATF! Our vehicles are designed for Dextron VI which is automatic transmission fluid, never ever use regular power steering fluid as the viscosity is different.

alright sounds good, just ordered some!

What does changing the fluid do<protect and lube parts ?OR can u feel the difference
?

General maintenance. No difference in feel. The only fluid swap that was noticeable to me was the manual transmission fluid.

just wanted to bump this. does anyone know how many quarts of PS fluid we need to do a simple flush and refill?

The system only holds about 1 quart of PS fluid. I bought 2 when I did mine just to be safe and have some spare.

Can the line be removed from the bottom of the fill tank instead of off the cooler for a full flush?

That will get most of it. There is always some fluid left in the rack and it is usually best that it stays there to make bleeding the air out easier.

I'm thinking of running it with the return hose in a bucket and filling it at the same time to avoid running dry. What do you think?

I think you're over thinking it :) If you're doing the fluid change at a reasonable interval then the stuff you're taking out isn't brown and black goo (like I've seen on some older cars) so I wouldn't sweat the 10% left behind.

My fluid has been in there for 2 years and still looks pretty good, but I will probably change it this winter anyway.

Are you talking about just taking what's in the fill tank out and replacing that and letting it work through the old stuff?