Flushing the Power Steering -- Procedure?

[Rich911E]

I have noticed that my power steering fluid is looking pretty black these days and want to replace the reservoir and flush the system.

Does anybody have a procedure for this and indicate which of the two hoses going to the reservoir is the feed line to the power steering pump and which is the return line to the reservoir?

I was planning on pulling off the return line and putting it into a container and then feeding ATF in the top until it came out clear, but I don't know which of the two lines is the presure and which is the return. Couldn't find it in the Bentley manual either.

Thanks in advance.

Rich

[jase007]

Rich:

I wouldn't worry about cycling out the fluid in the pump. If you pull the hose from the reservoir (at the pump) and drain the fluid you'll be getting most of it out. I did mine and was kind of amazed that there is no recommended maintenance interval for this procedure in the Bentley or the owner's manual. The fluid was nasty.

I also inadvertantly did it when I replaced the rack at 130K miles. have 207K on it now.

Jason

p.s. What are you doing with a GT3? Nice to see your new acquisition hasn't dampened your spirits to wrench on your E30. BTW most of the track E30s lose the power steering and slip in the M3 rack (better lock to lock ratio). :-)

[Rich911E]

Jason:

Well, a few pennies from heaven came my way and I decided that I always wanted a 1973 RS 2.7 but I also wanted a new Porsche of my very own. So, I bought the modern reincarnation - the GT3. It is an amazing car but it belongs on a race track!

I will still wrench on my E30 -- I think this car will run forever! I just like driving it and it is so easy to drive and has a lot of space for kids and groceries and the like. So practical but so fun to drive. Next is an LSD unit for it -- spins the inside tire on tight right turns. After that (depending on this power steering issue) I will get an M3 rack. The slow steering is really the only annoyance I have with this car.

I am also considering doing a bit of rallying with the old 911. I love watching the WRC races and the old 911s were great rally contenders. I took it off-roading last night and had a lot of fun sliding around. People in SoCal sure look at you funny when you have a reallllly dirty 911.

I will keep doing my own work but I must say the GT3 is awesome.

Thanks for the message and for noticing.

Rich