PS fluid flush questions

[coult45]

Hey guys, slowly working on my newly acquired van, getting her in good mechanical shape.

I have a few questions about flushing the power steering system. My engine looks like this one here (although this isnt mine)



I bought a big ol jug of power steering fluid. I'm not sure which hose to pull. I believe i need to pull the hose from the reservoir that leads to the brake booster? I went to pull that hose today in my engine, but it looks super brittle on the reservoir side, so i've ordered a new one. Can i pull it from the reservoir side, and feed new fluid in the reservoir while turning the wheel / pump brakes? Or am i thinking about a different line?

[97cargocrawler]

Procedure according to the FSM:



Believe me, THIS IS A TWO PERSON JOB! Do not try it by yourself. The fluid shoots out of the disconnected hose at an astonishing pressure and rate. Refilling as fast as it comes out is a challenge all in itself. I tried this by myself and ended up with PS fluid all over me and everything within 30 ft of the van.

Good luck.

[coult45]

haha thanks for the heads up! I understand the procedure and also own a FSM, but in my FSM there is only one diagram showing this hose i've pictured up top, and it isn't named or listed in the diagram in my FSM. Just want to make sure that this is the fluid return hose, at the pump inlet connector.

[97cargocrawler]

I believe it's this low pressure inlet on the pump.



Pull the hose, put a plug on the pipe inlet and let the fluid shoot out of the disconnected hose into a deep bucket...something it can't splash out of easily.

[BigWheelinBubba]

Mine is slightly different being a 91, but I did mine yesterday. Not really hard to do but my van has an LT1 in it and I dripped PS fluid down the motor onto the opti and now I have a miss

Good luck, yours shouldn't be hard at all.

[coult45]

that hose definitely seems like what the manual says. After watching this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YELeC2xG20Y the last few minutes this guy explains that the line i posted in the pic above is the return from hydroboost to the res.

would it be safe to say that the fluid goes from the res, to the pump (through all the cooler lines and such), back up to hydro and then to the res again? I just got that line pictured above brand new in the mail, needs replacement, and it seems easier to pump my fluid from there.

I really dont know much about the powersteering system and lines, but I feel this hose would be easier, than the inlet pump line way down on the actualy pump.

I was looking through these forums and found this thread

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=5786

Where offroad safari talks about pulling his hydro to reservoir line. But, i noticed he has a "remote" reservoir?

Any help?

[97cargocrawler]

Technically any PS reservoir that isn't attached right to the top of the pump is "remote."

Pull the line at the reservoir. Chances are the fluid will be under less pressure there than down below. It may be easier or just plain not work at all. The PS system is pretty foolproof. As long as you're not pulling high pressure hoses (the ones with the long gnarly clamps and steel line ends) you should be fine. PS is pretty forgiving as far as hydraulic systems go. You could probably run it till all the fluid came out then refill if you felt like it.

I'm also always puzzled by the folks who say to pump the brakes to help bleed the PS system. That's foolishness. Drain, fill, jack it up and turn the wheel lock to lock 20times. That's it.

BTW I added my PS filter in that line you have pictured.

[coult45]

Update:

Flushed the system through the line i pictured up top. Didn't jack the van, just had my girlfriend turn the wheel lock to lock and pump the brakes at each turn. Filled up an entire milk gallon of nasty black fluid, and only overfilled the reservoir once. seems to be much quieter, but I filled with some basic oreilly auto fluid. Think I might go for some synthetic next time. Once filled, i personally turned it lock to lock without the res cap on and made sure she was at the right level. The fluid looks and smells better, but not perfect.

[Mmusicman]

...Can i pull it from the reservoir side, and feed new fluid in the reservoir while turning the wheel / pump brakes?

YES... it's simple... that's how I do mine! Goes in the reservoir, comes out the tube! Couldn't be any easier! But I see you already figured it out!

Cheers!

[Lumpy]

You can also remove the serp belt and turn the pulley with a cordless drill or similar. Eliminate the hassle/danger of trying to do it all with the engine running.


Lump