Power steering fluid

I was looking in my Haynes manual and I don't see the part about flushing and then refilling power steering fluid. Is it in here? I have the Chilton's manual ordered but it will be several days before it arrives.

Power steering fluid should be completely exchanged every 60,000 miles or so, correct? Should I use "GM power steering fluid" or is there another brand that might be better? What do you use in your Blazers?

Thanks,
-- recurve

Search for a thread on here about power steering flushes and the like. I remember seeing one where a guy had a pretty good technique for doing it, but I don't remember when it was off the top of my head.

As far as I know-power steering fluid is pretty much all the same. Just look at the bottle to make sure it meets automotive standards.

Hi JParrott. If you don't mind, could you take a moment to help me find that post? I did a search for "PSF" and "power steering" but could not find one talking about a good way to bleed the system. Maybe it was in another forum? I just searched here in the Blazer forum.

Update: I did find that chapter 10 of the Haynes manual talks about bleeding the power steering fluid. They basically say to turn the steering wheel side to side to bleed the system. There's not a whole lot of detail, but maybe this is easy stuff. Anyway, if you have the chance, please let me know if you find that post dealing with changing the power steering fluid.

Thanks,
-- recurve

I've searched everywhere too and can't find it now either. If you'll do a google search for "power steering flush" you'll get a ton of hits. Also theres alot of good info on this website http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?

try it out for some searches.

Thanks for the link JParrott to the "oildrop" or "bobistheoilguy" pages. They have lots of interesting articles about all types of automotive fluids. Only thing I don't like about it though is that the site is funded by various people with vested interests (like AMSOIL dealers). That doesn't mean that that they give bad info, just would feel a little better if they were impartial.

I found the following link on the S-10 forum that is pretty good. It talks about two different ways to flush the power steering fluid (one using a turkey baster, and another more-or-less traditional approach by removing the drain line):
http://www.s10forum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1571256&posted=1

Thanks,
-- recurve

Quick question, how much PSF (power steering fluid) do I need to do a complete flush and refill on a '95 and '97 Blazer?

Thanks,
-- recurve

It doesn't take much. The pump impeller sits in a bath of the stuff, making up the bulk of the round body you see there under the hood and behind the pulley. All I have ever done to "flush" one of these out is siphon or vacuum the resivoir out until I can be sure I got every last drop. Then I refill to the "cold" mark on the disptick cap.

Start the truck and leave it in park. Turn the wheel from stop to stop 3-4 times. Kill the engine and check fluids again. Add fluid if needed until you reach the "cold" mark and then I repeat the proceedure above again to make sure, topping off if needed.

I never had to buy more than a quart of the power steering fluid at a time. At the most, even the most thristy designs I dealt with only took a pint and a half. And do not worry, it is not possible to get ALL of the fluid out, as there will still be some old stuff present in the steering gear and pressure/return lines. Just do it at the intervals described in the owner's manual and you will be in top shape.

FYI: Never turn the wheel and hold it with pressure against the stop for more than several seconds at a time. This may cause overheating, and acellerated degredation of fluid, pump, and related components. When you hear a slight "hiss" when the wheel turns no further, that's the stop. ;)

Just curious: can you do damage if you put too much fluid in?

Jeremy

Not really - it will spill out and if it touches a hot engine part, like exhaust, it could flash over and burn. Think of it as indirect damage if you set the engine on fire. ;) When it is cold, like sitting for several hours, it should be filled to the "Cold" mark on the dip-tube. When it has been driven for at least an hour, the fluid should rise to the top of the "hot" mark. Pretty straightforward.