Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online!
Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! 
-
Latest | 0 Rplys
Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Ford > Windstar
Reply Show Printable Version Show Printable Version | Email this Page Email this Page | Subscription Subscribe to this Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 11-22-2009, 04:11 PM   #1
serge_saati
AF Enthusiast
 
serge_saati's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,196
Thanks: 11
Thanked 31 Times in 31 Posts
Send a message via MSN to serge_saati Send a message via Yahoo to serge_saati Send a message via Skype™ to serge_saati
Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

I wanted to flush the power steering system of my Windstar 98 V6 1 gallon today. So I bought 1 gallon ATF-F fluid + the 3/8" out clear hose.

I release the clip of the return line hose.
The problem is that I cannot place my hand to pull the hose down.
There's no place to work here. And I don't have a very large hand, just as average.

I have the big A/C copper hose and pressure line copper hose that block my way. Also another A/C component.

How did you do that? I know many of you have did the work.
I need to remove the A/C hose to do that? I hope not.

Also, I'm afraid if I'm able to remove it but not able to replace it back, cause it's ever more difficult.

I thought about flushing with the turkey baster as alternative option. The problem is that mine is only 1 1/2 ouce. I cannot find bigger size. I'll waste too much fluid and take too much time.


I like the Windstar 98, but it's so hard to work on it, not enough place. 2 weeks ago, I rush a lot to install the belt and release the tensioner.







__________________
2003 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8L OHV
2002 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L OHV (sold)
1998 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L OHV (sold)
2002 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.1L OHV (sold)
2004 Hyundai Accent GS 1.6L DOHC manual (sold)
1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme S 3.1L OHV (sold)
2002 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 4.6L SOHC (sold)

A Windstar without having the check engine light is not a real Windstar.

serge_saati is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2009, 05:30 PM   #2
old_master
Advisor/Moderator
 
old_master's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Belleville, Michigan
Posts: 5,184
Thanks: 6
Thanked 103 Times in 95 Posts
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

Remove the return line from the steering gear, it's much easier to get at. Make sure you plug the return line, and attach a fitting to the gear box to direct fluid flow during the flush. Another option is cut the rubber line and and stick a bolt in the end that goes to the pump during the flush. Put a splice union in when you're done, use a couple of hose clamps... the return line has low pressure and won't leak.
__________________
You have to know how it works,
to figure out why it doesn't.
old_master is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2009, 07:44 PM   #3
serge_saati
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
serge_saati's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,196
Thanks: 11
Thanked 31 Times in 31 Posts
Send a message via MSN to serge_saati Send a message via Yahoo to serge_saati Send a message via Skype™ to serge_saati
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

Removing the hose of the steering gear sounds ever more complicated. I don't know if my arms are enough long to access this place on a Windstar.

If I cut the return line of the pump, I may not find the appropriate union and will not be able to fix it. I don't have enough space to work in this spot anyway, which is my problem.

Thanks for your input.
__________________
2003 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8L OHV
2002 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L OHV (sold)
1998 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L OHV (sold)
2002 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.1L OHV (sold)
2004 Hyundai Accent GS 1.6L DOHC manual (sold)
1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme S 3.1L OHV (sold)
2002 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 4.6L SOHC (sold)

A Windstar without having the check engine light is not a real Windstar.

serge_saati is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2009, 08:43 PM   #4
wiswind
AF Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Posts: 3,639
Thanks: 0
Thanked 116 Times in 92 Posts
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

If you don't want to mess with the lines, you can buy a turkey baster and suck out the old fluid from the resevior and replace with new fluid.....Drive vehicle and repeat the process.
1 quart of fluid is all you will need to do the job.
The correct fluid to use is Mercon V ATF.

NOTE....do NOT use the wife's turkey baster.......or you may end up in the oven for Thanksgiving.........

As noted above, if you disconnect any lines, work with the return lines as they are not under the working pressure.

That metal line in your pictures.....can be difficult to work with.
Once you get it off.....getting it lined up correctly can be a pain....and you don't want to cross thread it.
That line is the high pressure line......so any imperfection will be more prone to leak.
__________________
Moderator for Ford Windstar room only
Links to my pictures, intended as an aid, not a replacement for, a good repair manual.
1996 3.8L Windstar
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4157486...092975/detail/
2003 Toyota Sienna pictures (not much there yet)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4157486...781661/detail/
wiswind is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2009, 09:14 PM   #5
serge_saati
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
serge_saati's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,196
Thanks: 11
Thanked 31 Times in 31 Posts
Send a message via MSN to serge_saati Send a message via Yahoo to serge_saati Send a message via Skype™ to serge_saati
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

Thanks for these infos Wiswind.
Which size of turkey baster do you recommend me? And where is the best place to find them?
I went on many store, all I can find are 1+1/2 ounce basters.

Are you sure that 1qt of fluid will be enough? Don't forget that I'll remove some fresh ATF when I'll pump out the mixture.

note: the arrow in my picture points the black ruturn hose under the metallic pressure line.
__________________
2003 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8L OHV
2002 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L OHV (sold)
1998 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L OHV (sold)
2002 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.1L OHV (sold)
2004 Hyundai Accent GS 1.6L DOHC manual (sold)
1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme S 3.1L OHV (sold)
2002 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 4.6L SOHC (sold)

A Windstar without having the check engine light is not a real Windstar.


Last edited by serge_saati; 11-23-2009 at 09:49 PM.
serge_saati is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2009, 10:40 PM   #6
serge_saati
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
serge_saati's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,196
Thanks: 11
Thanked 31 Times in 31 Posts
Send a message via MSN to serge_saati Send a message via Yahoo to serge_saati Send a message via Skype™ to serge_saati
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

One thing is sure, I'll never found a baster like that:



__________________
2003 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8L OHV
2002 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L OHV (sold)
1998 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L OHV (sold)
2002 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.1L OHV (sold)
2004 Hyundai Accent GS 1.6L DOHC manual (sold)
1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme S 3.1L OHV (sold)
2002 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 4.6L SOHC (sold)

A Windstar without having the check engine light is not a real Windstar.

serge_saati is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2009, 09:25 PM   #7
wiswind
AF Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Posts: 3,639
Thanks: 0
Thanked 116 Times in 92 Posts
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

The resevoir does not hold much fluid.....so a standard baster will work.
1 quart should be enough to do about 3 suck out and refill cycles.
If you want to be anal about it like I am.....you could flush 2-3 quarts of fluid through.
I recommend using a synthetic fluid.....Motorcraft Mercon V or Mobil 1 ATF.
I have Redline Power Steering fluid in mine.

It looks like it would be hard to get at that return line from looking at your picture.
Those hose clamps are tough to get ahold of in such an confined location.
That is why I suggested the easy way out.
I did replace my power steering pump...which is how I know about the metal line.....mine even has a very slight leak....
When I put the new pump in.....I put a magnefine filter in the fluid return line.
__________________
Moderator for Ford Windstar room only
Links to my pictures, intended as an aid, not a replacement for, a good repair manual.
1996 3.8L Windstar
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4157486...092975/detail/
2003 Toyota Sienna pictures (not much there yet)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4157486...781661/detail/
wiswind is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2010, 10:51 AM   #8
82Stang
AF Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: smalltown, New York
Posts: 606
Thanks: 0
Thanked 25 Times in 24 Posts
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

I apologize for opening an old thread, but this is right along with what I'd like to talk about. 1998 Ford Windstar 3.8L.

There was a line leak, of course in the back up above the rack that blew fluid all over the cat. I thought it was the pressure hose, but after removing it, it looked good. In order to remove it, I had to remove the low pressure line first, to get up at the nut which is in a gap that allows only an inch or two of movement with a wrench. I pulled out the low pressure hose and saw the pin hole. It was easily repairable and I looked forward to completing this not so fun task, being on the ground and feeling like a stuffed sausage with Gumby arms.

I got the power line lined up and threaded and went to start the low pressure line fitting. For the life of me, I couldn't get it to start. Then after 1/2 hour of trying, it finally started, or so I thought. I started tightening it with a wrench and just when I thought it was almost all the way in........... It came out. With some interior/female threads from the rack hole. It looked to be not alot, but some metal threads were on the male portion of the line. From that point on, it turned ugly. Hands all banged up and temper starting to flare. I couldn't get the nut to start after trying for an hour.

Obviously, I'm not going to pull the rack out as that would make a mountain out of a molehill. So the only other option is to get a tap and try to thread the hole to allow the low pressure line to start threading. I measured the male fitting on the line and got approximately 5/8" by 20NPT. Does that size sound right? Any other ideas you might have for me to try also? Thanks for the response.
__________________
"When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them."
Rodney Dangerfield
82Stang is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2015, 07:54 PM   #9
Papohe
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Lancaster, California
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

I have a 98 windstar 3.8 also and the way to get to the return hose on your power steering pump is to remove the front valve cover and that it gives you plenty of room to remove the hose. "good luck".
Papohe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2015, 08:02 PM   #10
serge_saati
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
serge_saati's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,196
Thanks: 11
Thanked 31 Times in 31 Posts
Send a message via MSN to serge_saati Send a message via Yahoo to serge_saati Send a message via Skype™ to serge_saati
Re: Power steering flush Windstar 98 - No place to work

Quote:
Originally Posted by Papohe View Post
I have a 98 windstar 3.8 also and the way to get to the return hose on your power steering pump is to remove the front valve cover and that it gives you plenty of room to remove the hose. "good luck".
Thank you, that is a nice tip.
__________________
2003 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8L OHV
2002 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L OHV (sold)
1998 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L OHV (sold)
2002 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.1L OHV (sold)
2004 Hyundai Accent GS 1.6L DOHC manual (sold)
1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme S 3.1L OHV (sold)
2002 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 4.6L SOHC (sold)

A Windstar without having the check engine light is not a real Windstar.

serge_saati is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD


Tags
flush , power , steering
Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Ford > Windstar

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:25 PM.

Community Participation Guidelines | How to use your User Control Panel

Powered by: vBulletin | Copyright Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
 
 
no new posts