LONG overdue change of power steering fluid today. I did not think it was as bad as it was until I got the old fluid out. For new fluid I used CFH 11S. One container (I think 33 ounces?) was just enough. I dont have any pics of the procedure because I did not expect this to be complicated, and it was not.

First I used a Mityvac to drain the reservoir then I pulled it upwards to remove it from the coolant expansion tank. Next I removed the smaller rubber hose from the underside and "capped" the nipple on the reservoir with a silicone hose I could kink to prevent fluid from coming out. Then I filled the reservoir with fresh fluid. For the smaller line I inserted a clear hose the Mityvac came with, it fit well but just a little loose. Still, it was enough to seal for suction without pulling any air. I simply pumped out old fluid while keeping an eye on the reservoir and keeping some fluid in there to prevent air from being sucked Ito the system. You can probably fill it full the first round or two, but you dont want to fill it too much towards the end of the process since the reservoir will be removed for cleaning. So after you see clean, new fluid coming you can stop and proceed to remove the larger hose from the reservoir. Now the system has all new fluid, but the reservoir has a screen inside that probably needs a cleaning. When I first emptied mine it was black all around the bottom. I thought it was a large black piece of plastic, a filter or such. I did not know it was mostly off-white and just REALLY dirty! So with the reservoir removed you can easily clean it with solvent and dry it out as best you can. Then reattach both lines and fill the reservoir! Start the engine and top off if needed.

Doing the above resulted in no air in the system and no noise from air bubbles caught in the lines. Did not have to work the steering back and forth. And the reservoir now has a very clean filter screen. I would not say my steering is heavy or light, but for me there was no noticeable change in steering power. But I am glad I am now running fresh fluid.



Wish I had a before pic, it was completely black inside!

 

Is there a recommended interval for changing PS fluid?

LR Manual, Atlantic British, etc. only refer to "check and top up" - but not a full change.

 

I am not sure of there is a specified interval and could find noting in RAVE or the maintenance list. So not clue really. But I would think less than 100k miles and guess that 75k miles may be a good interval. I am not sure if mine was ever done and with how black teh screen was with debris I plan to replace all the power steering hoses soon.

 

my PO service records show my power steering fluid flushed at 65,000, 75,000, 90,000, 108,000

I never understood that frequency, unless mistakenly reported "flush" instead of "top off"?

I planned on waiting til 200k for my turn to flush haha

 

Wow, thats crazy! I just Googled and the recommended is 75-100k miles. So I would guess that those were indeed top-offs.

 

If I understand correctly, you're pulling vacuum on the line that connects to the bottom of the reservoir and plugging that hole on the reservoir itself, and as you pull vacuum and simultaneously fill the reservoir with clean fluid, it cycles throughout the whole system and into your vacuum gun's reservoir? Was this a hand-held Mityvac? I've had a hard time getting enough vacuum pressure with mine to do things like this effectively.

 

Correct. And I updated the post to clarify things a little. But yes, drain it all then remove the smaller hose. Then cap off the nipple on the reservoir the smaller hose was attached to. Now re-fill the reservoir and use the Mityvac to pull vacuum on the smaller hose, the hose mine came with fit right in. And yes, its just a $60 hand held and hand pumped Mityvac. Worked well for me.

Also of note, I did not notice it really at first but I can say there actually was improved steering after the fluid change. Oddly in one area, road feedback has been reduced a bit. The steering wheel itself seems less impacted by the road surface.

 

I went ahead and did this before you responded, because it made sense, and it worked perfectly! Thanks for the tips! I'd say I agree about the steering feeling better after the flush. My filter was pretty dirty before I cleaned the reservoir out, I'm sure that didn't help.

 

I have a feeling that a really dirty filter, filled with black material, may mean that the power steering soft lines are on their way out and that the inner rubber lining is starting to fail. Make take years to leak but I am considering replacing mine.

 

Not a bad idea....I replaced just about anything rubber in 2014 (9 years old for my vehicle) prior to a trip to the cold a$$ Yukon Territory.