Quote:
Originally posted by Eldorado
how would I go about flushing out the fluid in the power steering system on the car?
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robm-951 has pretty much nailed this one down
PS Tank
Replace the PS tank. They tend to accumulate "stuff" in the bottom of the tank where there is a coarse filter. You could wash out the tank however for the reasonable cost of a new tank you also get a new cap with its seal.
Steering Rack
You will NEVER drain all the fluid from the rack by turning it lock to lock, sideways, upside down or right side up. The fluid system in the rack consists of the lines, spool valve with housing and the cylinder; try to extract to your hearts content and I can insure you that when to start to take it apart ... you'll have "fluid" coming out. And then there is the object of the subject "contamination" or bits and pieces of sludge (carbon from hoses and metal files from a noisy pump). The sludge or film typically lays in the cylinder and bonds to the rack shaft between the seal contact points. More on how to flush the rack later.
Lines or Hoses
You have a few lines to deal with. Starting at the pump's output or high side the "pump to rack" line, between the rack and the PS Tank the "return line" which has a funky or somewhat senseless cooling loop, between the PS Tank and the pump the drop or return line to the pump. Depending upon the condition of the rubber sections of the lines you could disconnect them from their end points and squirt "brake clean" down them (typically a half a can per line) however if the hoses are brittle or soft they will absorb some of the solvents so you are left air drying them or using shop air.
How To Flush
Here is a suggest method that seems to work, though not 100% perfect, it does do a good job:
Disconnect the return line, or line between the rack and the PS tank, at the tank and put the tank side in a large empty clean coffee can (I enjoy Maxwell House however you can use what ever floats your boat). Cap off the connection point at the PS tank where you disconnected the line. Find yourself 4 quarts of Dexron Type III (or II) non-synthetic; any brand will work. Insure the PS tank is full. Start the car and monitor the PS tank level, here is a where a buddy, spouse or the kid down the block comes in handy. Turn the steering wheel lock to lock (normal turning speed). As the PS tank level drops pour additional Dexron into the tank, at the same time continue to turn the steering wheel lock to lock. This procedure will help move, to the most point, old fluid and any loose sludge out of the rack, out of the lines and the pump.
As noted before, there will always be some film of small amount of sludge left in the rack cylinder or on the shaft however this method is the next best thing to either disassembling the rack or replacing the rack.
With regard to rebuilding a rack, or in this thread a mention of "resealing" a rack, there are a few articles posted here and there. Naturally it would not make sense to replace just one seal. Some DIY's have been successful with rack resealing (not to be confused with remanufacturing perse). "Success" we would wish to think are based upon a smart or innovative choice of tools and wisdom from experience. However neither will help you in a situation, other than to tell you to stop where you are, if the rack shaft is pitted or undersized from a previous rebuild attempt, or should the spool valve housing ("tower") have ring grooves. It is fun and rewarding to DIY on some projects, on others is better to compare your needed efforts to the replacement part's cost per mile.