Changing Power Steering Fluid

My car has over 265,000 miles on it. I was looking at the power steering fluid the other day and it looked like used diesel engine oil. So I decided on a plan to flush it out and it seems to have worked. First take out the two bolts that hold the reservoir in place. (Marked in yellow in my photo.) Next move the hose clamps (Marked in Blue) out of the way by squeezing them with pliers and sliding them a couple inches down the hose. Since you have already dismounted the reservoir you can twist it around while holding the hose and the hoses will break free from the reservoir. At this point you will lose some fluid so have an oil pan under the car. After I got it off I looked inside the reservoir and it was like black mud in the bottom! I got a can of carb cleaner and spayed the heck out of the inside of the reservoir. It cleaned right up. There's a screen in the bottom so make sure you get it cleaned too. This dries up in a few minutes. So I put it all back together except for the clamp that I have drawn a red circle around. Don't hook it up yet. At this point I took a few feet of 5/8" heater hose and clamped it on where the hose should have gone. I put the other end in a container. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY DO THIS WITH TWO PEOPLE. I started it up and poured new Mercon ATF into the reservoir as it pumped the black crap out the heater hose. It took probably 30 seconds to run two quarts through. I then hooked the steering hose back up, worked the steering wheel back and forth then topped it off. Seems to have done a good job. It's far better than it was. Keep a garden hose nearby so you can wash off the area around the reservoir where you spilled a little (or a lot!) of fluid. (This is probably illegal in California.) So this is something to do if you get bored some day!
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/500/353032Steering-med.jpg

Thanks, that is great information. I have a 99 and the fluid is looking kind of bad so I may do the same thing when it warms up. -3 F this morning not a good day to work on a car.

I used 3 quarts. Dumped 2 in the reservoir and saved the 3rd to top off. I'd been using the clear 'Power Steering Fluid' from Wal-Mart found found in the owner's manual that it uses Mercon ATF.

Supposed to be around 70 here today :smokin:

Good idea! I replace my PS fluid a little bit every time I change the oil. I take a turkey baster (tube with a rubber bulb on the end) and suck the fluid out of the resevoir until it's empty then fill it back up to the full mark. I've done it once a month for about the last 2 years and the fluid looks clean. Hey, Az. What do you use that toggle switch for?

I have a couple of 100 watt Halogen 'off-road' lights on the front of my car. I wired them so they come on whenever I hit the hi-beams of my stock lights. I only use them out on the open road so the toggle switch turns that circuit off when I'm not using them. (Stops plastic covers from melting!) Basically, I've been too lazy to put the switch inside the car! But you have to get out anyway to remove the light covers. The switch is mounted on a relay (the gold box). That's how I feed the 200 watts worth of light. Direct from the battery via the relay. I think it's a MOPAR headlight relay. The lights are $20 at Wal-Mart. They said 'BAJA' on the cover but I painted over that. They come with 50 watt bulbs but I bought a couple of 100 watt bulbs and installed them. Here's two pictures. One shows the lights uncovered and the other shows them covered with my home-made grill!
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http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/500/353032grill.jpg

Yeah thats great info. Damn 256k? thats awesome! how long have you owned the car? I used to have a 94 mercury tracer, it was my first car, untill I totalled it. I loved that car, but then I got a 97 for a really good deal, but man i miss the power windows of my 94 that my 97 doesnt have.

I bought the car in February of 2000 with 131,000 miles on it. It came from Death Valley National Park (an employee) so it has seen some severe service temperture wise. I was working in Death Valley but lived in Nevada. Every day I'd go from 90 feet below sea level to over 4,000 feet elevation in a matter of 15 miles. In July it was typically over 120 degrees and I'd have the A/C on max. That car never even came close to overheating :bigthumb:

I went in the Army at 17 so I guess my first car was a tank :smile:

AzTumbleweed, thanks for the info...I printed out your post/pic and put in my Haynes - good job.

My 93 1.9L 188k miles was like yours - black mud in the reservoir.

One thing I found (the hard way, of course) - After you unclamp the return line to the reservoir (red circle), then put vise grips or small c-clamp on the short (~ 10") hose that is attached to the reservoir. I left it open - kept wondering why with the engine off the reservoir was taking a qt?????? Well, it was shooting out the short hose - duuuh.

I would bet the mud will damage your ps pump before too long.