Power Steering Fluid Change
 

Hi,

I have 04, Scab 4.6 V8, 4x4 and wanted to know what's the best way to change the power steering fluid.

Do you remove from PS reservoir and add new fluid a few times or can I remove one of the lines to drain?

Thanks!

Krazy

You could do it that way, but I just take a turkey baster remove fluid, run the car and repeat. Not as effective maybe but very easy.

Why would anyone want to change the fluid? When you do it, don't forget to change the air in your tires.

OMG I'm dying here! LMAO! I've never heard of anyone changing PS fluid, but if you feel compelled to do so, you can buy a kit from walmart that will extract engine oil from a lawn mower, it'll be quite effective, I have one.

Tim

I live in Canada where we get very cold winters along with big fluxuations in humidity which can lead to moisture in PS unit causing premature failure. But hey with a smart a-s-s answer like that I doubt you'd have a clue where Canada is on a Map anyway!...LOL

Krazy

Hmmm, I don't think changing the PS Fluid is all that crazy? It's only a few bucks anyways.

It can get pretty nasty actually, and it's recommended on the Super Duty models, especially if they're lifted because of the added strain on the power steering pump. Like all petroleum based fluids, they wear out and collect contaminants. You don't need to change it as often as you oil, but I did mine about every 75-100K when the fluid started getting really dark. The easiest thing to do is get length of tubing that will connect to the sending line on your PS pump. Direct that tube into a bucket and have someone turn the wheels side to side with the engine running. As the fluid in the reservior is drained, add new fluid. Takes about 20-30 minutes on a Super Duty, not sure about the F-150's.

Kidding, right? Right.
 

Ok I hope youre kidding about changing the fluid in your Power Steering. For one it doesnt have a filter so the pump pushing little chunks of deposits and sludge through the lines, putting stress on the pump and ultimately could and probably will lead to needing the pump replaced. $75-$150 if you can do it yourself, $200-$300+ if not. Luckily it happened to my Subaru and I could do it myself. Paid $75 online. If youre talking about changing from winter air to summer air...that one cracks me up every time. And 80% of the customers either get confused or believe me when I tell them it's a service, only $24.99...:-X24

You can extract fluid from the resevoir with any hand suction device. I use a Lincoln oil suction gun personally. I remove some of the fluid every other oil change and top off with new Mercon V. It can't hurt to do PM on anything mechanical.

Good idea Djack. Have you always done this for your vehicles and has your pump ever gone out on you? Since most manufacturers dont have a set interval on when to replace your PS fluid; where I work, we follow the motorist assurance program guidelines which is to do a complete flush every 50k miles, which is $79.99. I get a 50% discount, but before my pump went on my Subaru at 135k miles, I never did any type of PM except the very basic. Luckily I was able to install it myself, but still almost a $150 part.

I've only replaced one PS pump in my entire life and never flushed a single system. While I agree that good routine maintenance is never a bad thing, I'm still not going to change my PS fluid.

I've only replaced 1 P/S pump of my personal vehicles but have replaced a few of them on other friends. Also, a couple of the old type power steering sectors on F150 -350's. One common problem was excessive amount of metal in the fluid. If a vehicle is in this condition it may not be advantageous to change the fluid until repairs are needed. Like a neglected automatic transmission new fluid may cause more leaks or failure. A judgement call or personal prefference. P/M from the start of ownership is best IMHO.

These system are easy to flush, take the hose off the cooler from under the truck and place it in a bucket or container. Then have someone else start the truck and run a gallon of fluid through the system and have the other person go full lock left to right during the process.

A few yrs back, I bought a ps kit from a shyster in Iowa. (Didnt know he was til I got the box full of parts). Was for my '72 F100. Put it all together, and the pump whined like heck. Sounded like it had sand in it. So called him,and he reimbursed cost of rebuilt pump. Changed fluid again. Then a month later, steering box started leaking. Called him again, and couldnt get him to call back after several tries. Went to store, bought another one, put it on, and changed fluid again. Looked to me that he went to the junkyard, found what I needed, and sprayed a nice coat of black paint on everything. The wrapping paper in the box was partially stuck to the sticky paint. One of these days, when I get back to that neck of the woods, I'm going to look him up.

I've never changed the fluid or had a pump go bad but I only drive 35-45K per year and I didn't start driving until 1962.

Of the 15 new vehicles I have had, I don't recall one that mentioned changing the PS fluid.