P/S fluid (very old) thick like honey - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

***fenixus*** · 03-27-2010, 07:33 PM

ehhh, today wanted to pump out the p/s fluid from overflow tank and have to say it surprised me. i had a cheap siphon pump with me and failed to pump the fluid out. it appears to be very thick (golden brown color) and remind me of honey (doesn't smell that good though hehe).

any ideas ? is this normal with old p/s or atf fluid ? i can imagine my leaky turkey baster wouldn't suck it up strong enough either ...

what did you use to do it ?

73sport · 03-27-2010, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixus

what did you use to do it ?

Do you really want me to answer that? lol

Warm it, or start it and pump it out. Connect the return line to dump pail and have helper add new fluid when its running so you don't suck air!

Do a quick search, saw it a week ago I think. Maybe a 3/8" ID hose and pan.

DxElite · 03-27-2010, 09:28 PM

In the FAQs sticky:
DIY: Power Steering Fluid Change
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t19334.html

***fenixus*** · 03-27-2010, 10:24 PM

thanks hehe, i know the DIY and so, but got no things like hoses and fittings to do it. i will try warming it up first and then sucking from tank. let's say i don't want to disconnect the return hose yet, it's messy. wanted to do it quickly on top of other things ... i guess i shouldn't have tried it on cold car (compression test and rear o2 sensor replacement took me a while).

***JohnGD*** · 03-28-2010, 01:52 AM

This is a gallon sized pump? About $7 I think at Harbor Freight. (Can't find their info, but bought one for the taller bottles). There is a ~$5 one for the quart bottles. O'Reilly's got them.

http://www.alltradetools.com/catalog...-oil-pump.html

This is like $10 at Autozone. This may be more cost effective because the plastic ones are only a few bucks cheaper:

http://www.alltradetools.com/catalog...ction-gun.html

***fenixus*** · 03-28-2010, 01:55 AM

thanks

will figure something out one way or the other

***JohnGD*** · 03-28-2010, 02:04 AM

BTW, sounds like the PS fluid has never been changed from the factory.

It should call for Dexron II/III type fluid. In that case I'd use Walmart SuperTech Mercon-V (suitable for D-III). It's more shear stable than dino D-III. Or you can use synthetic blend Castrol Import Multi-vehicle ATF that's suitable for D-III. Both are available at Walmart.

***fenixus*** · 03-28-2010, 02:13 AM

actually i got a better idea

tomorrow will use a hand vacuum pump with a few feet of clear tube for brake bleeding (got myself a 100' spindle of this size recently)...

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnGD

BTW, sounds like the PS fluid has never been changed from the factory.

It should call for Dexron II/III type fluid. In that case I'd use Walmart SuperTech Mercon-V (suitable for D-III). It's more shear stable than dino D-III. Or you can use synthetic blend Castrol Import Multi-vehicle ATF that's suitable for D-III. Both are available at Walmart.

yes, i suppose so. it might be 10 yrs old in fact.

i bought Valvoline P/S fluid (3 qts) recently on sale. will use that to slowly drain&fill it through return tank. don't have a correct size hose to plug the tank and extend hose in case i wanted to go through DIY steps.

***fenixus*** · 03-28-2010, 05:08 PM

dang, i just realized i might have taken the wrong type fluid from store...

http://www.valvoline.com/products/br...ering-fluid/29
is that wrong ? it seems to be designed for chrysler/ford, not for hondas, etc. cannot find what type exactly this is...

is it all right for '00 toyota power steering ?

all i found is that it meets GM part number 1050017 (Spec. 9985010), Chrysler Spec. 5931, Ford Spec. and M2C128C & D.
and it is a premium blend. does it mean it's a synthetic blend compatible with Dexron-III, can use it (mix it) with original one ?

thanks.

Hajoca · 03-28-2010, 06:08 PM

Any generic power steering fluid will be fine.
For all intensive purposes Jack oil will be fine for the P/S system.
Dexron is a high quality hydraulic fluid with friction modifiers and anti wear additives.

Right now your priority is to get the old fluid out. After the "not for honda" fluid is in and starts to work well, you can leave it in. I use Walmart P/S fluid for servicing Toyotas because 3309/T-IV ATF is what I have been keeping in my garage and cost more.

***fenixus*** · 03-28-2010, 06:24 PM

so i understand this means good to go with valvoline i got, right ? by generic you mean compatible with GM/Chrysler/Ford and "not for honda" ?

will do it tomorrow in daylight, have no car today. i noticed that power steering was feeling stiffer since some time, now i think the old thick "honey" fluid is causing it.

***fenixus*** · 03-31-2010, 06:57 PM

so i did what i said. sucked the honey like fluid with a hand vacuum pump into a bucket. geeez it was thick, even vacuum pump had trouble sucking it at first. i hope my power steering pump isn't fried, because of that fluid.

PIC1 - first p/s tank contents in bucket, look how dark (and thick which you can't see) it is

PIC2 - old fluid stuck in a tube of a little siphon pump, from Monday.

PIC3 - comparison of fluid color, old and new (after draining and pouring tank 3 times, about 1qt of new fluid used)

even though i pour in new transparent fluid it mixes well with old one and becomes darker like old brake fluid now. hoping to do the drain&refill a few more times in a few days after fluid circulates well inside.

between drains&refills I used p/s a lot in parking lot making either ~30 steering wheels turn from edge to edge or kept it for 30 secs on one edge than other. was trying to make the fluid recirculate faster.

how much time does it need to fully mix ? already replaced 1qt of fluid (in 3 tank drains & excercise). still have 2 more valvoline qts waiting to pour in.

*sorry for crappy pics, taken with a cheap cell phone*

***fenixus*** · 06-03-2010, 09:32 PM

ok, so over time i drained and poured in the other 2 qts of Valvoline P/S fluid and now like a month later all seems to be working fine, fluid stays liquid and transparent and so on. no major trouble.

just a question, can it stay in there, meaning i can safely drive with it, wanna make sure i'm not destroying toyota's pump or killing some seals, o-rings or whatever there is...

this is a pic of what i used:

is this safe for gen4 camry p/s system in long term or rather not ? thanks.

on some weekend, i may drain it through return hose (like in DIY) and pour in something better/safer like Castrol Import multi-vehicle ATF (that's what i would use for tranny drain & refill in future).

71Corolla · 06-03-2010, 09:43 PM

Maybe someone else can chime in here, but if it was me I would just put DexIII in there. But I'm pretty picky I like to use what Toyota recommends. Maybe that PS specific fluid is fine I don't know.

***fenixus*** · 06-03-2010, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 71Corolla

Maybe someone else can chime in here, but if it was me I would just put DexIII in there. But I'm pretty picky I like to use what Toyota recommends. Maybe that PS specific fluid is fine I don't know.

that's OK, i trust whatever Toyota recommends as well

... but i like experimenting with synthetics

I love their cleaning over time feature and longer OCI (in case i need it).

With that P/S fluid purchase i made a goof back then, but it was said before it can go in there ... though it's still unrecommended - is it some generic P/S fluid ? what is it exactly ? those numerical compatibility applications for GM/Ford/Chrysler mean nothing to me ... All I understood from sticker was "Not for Honda" hahaha!

that's what i want to clear up. don't want to leave in there something that might be harmful for toyota parts over time.

thanks for reply though.