Power Steering Fluid Change 02 Rx300

[JIrvine]

Hi...I have an 02 RX300 with 97500 miles on it. Almost all miles are highway. I have been taking it to Toyota for service. Last time I was there, they indicated that my power steering fluid looked a little dirty or discolored and recommended a flush and fill. They want 100 dollars to change it. Is it normal to have to flush the power steering fluid and change it? How hard is it to do this yourself? I have checked through the forum and found no mention or instructions for performing this. Any information people could provide would be appreciated...thanks....

[tjmc11]

You can fluch the fluid. Mostly, the only reason to flush the system is if you have metal flakes in the fluid or you notice a dirty fluid. Take a light and shine it into the resovoir and look at the condition of the fluid. You can drain the fluid, but to completely drain the fluid, you would need to disconnect the lines which run into the rack along with the lins fromthe resovoir. I did not replace mine until 240K....yes 240K. When I replaced the rack. Just verify for yourself that the fluid is indeed in bad shape, then worry about the flush. Most mechanics have machines to flush the PS, and I do not know about the cost though, but 100 dollars seems a little high.

[JIrvine]

You can fluch the fluid. Mostly, the only reason to flush the system is if you have metal flakes in the fluid or you notice a dirty fluid. Take a light and shine it into the resovoir and look at the condition of the fluid. You can drain the fluid, but to completely drain the fluid, you would need to disconnect the lines which run into the rack along with the lins fromthe resovoir. I did not replace mine until 240K....yes 240K. When I replaced the rack. Just verify for yourself that the fluid is indeed in bad shape, then worry about the flush. Most mechanics have machines to flush the PS, and I do not know about the cost though, but 100 dollars seems a little high.

Thanks for the info. I will take a look at the reservoir and see for myself. Is the rack hard to get to? I would assume that you have to get under the car to remove the hoses? 240K is unbelievable...at what point did you change your timing belt?

[Lexusfreak]

For the PS fluid, all I do is pick myself up an empty spray bottle at the dollar store......drain as much fluid out of the resovoir as possible (which is almost all of it) & refill it with Amsoil Synthetic ATF (makes a huge difference over conventional Dexron III ATF....especially in very cold weather). Total cost is about $6.00 & I do it every 2 years or 30k miles. I've been doing that for years now on my power steering systems......never had a single problem. ;)

[carguy07]

For the PS fluid, all I do is pick myself up an empty spray bottle at the dollar store......drain as much fluid out of the resovoir as possible (which is almost all of it) & refill it with Amsoil Synthetic ATF (makes a huge difference over conventional Dexron III ATF....especially in very cold weather). Total cost is about $6.00 & I do it every 2 years or 30k miles. I've been doing that for years now on my power steering systems......never had a single problem. ;)

What's the spray bottle for??

[Lexusfreak]

[quote name='Lexusfreak' post='286064' date='Jan 31 2008, 12:23

What's the spray bottle for??

To siphon the old PS fluid out of the resovoir.

[tjmc11]

I changed my Timing belt at 180 K +/- (I can't quite remember). In respect to the rack, it is actually not that difficult ot replace. Two anchor bolts removed along with a line bracket and the hoses going in and out then pulled it out the side. Did have a lift, but could have done it with jack stands if needed.

In respect to the syphoning of the fluid out, you can do that, but it is not always neccessary. Checking the condition of the fluid is the most important factor, and then letting that determine if you should change.

[KBRX330]

I got a fluid extractor from motive.com and use it to suction out the P/S fluid reservoir. Then refill with dexIII which is $2 a qt. Do this 3-5 times and your fluid will be fine. No need to take anything apart since the P/S system will mix the new fluid in with the old. I also drain the transmission with the same method through the dipstick tube and refill with T-IV trans fluid available at any Toyota dealer for $5-6 qt. Get a fluid extractor and save yourself some big $$.

[JIrvine]

Where did you get your fluid extractor? Thanks...

[JSmith]

I "second" that question about location of the fluid extractor. motive.com appears to be a communication company.

[KBRX330]

Go to Amazon and type in "motive fluid extractor" and it should come up. They sell for $55. I use mine for all my vehicles & boat. Very easy to change out the trans, p/s etc. without making a mess or unbolting anything. My dealer wants $168 to change the trans fluid (not flush). I can swap 5-6 qts of fluid for less than $40. So one use more than paid for the extractor. Now it's part of my regular maintenance routine. Just make sure you extract fluid when they are hot as most of the contaminants are suspended in the oil you extract and it flows easily. Tyring to extract cold oil takes 4x as long.

[dcfish]

For the PS fluid, all I do is pick myself up an empty spray bottle at the dollar store......drain as much fluid out of the resovoir as possible (which is almost all of it) & refill it with Amsoil Synthetic ATF (makes a huge difference over conventional Dexron III ATF....especially in very cold weather). Total cost is about $6.00 & I do it every 2 years or 30k miles. I've been doing that for years now on my power steering systems......never had a single problem. ;)

Or you can get a turkey baster with a short piece of hose on the end and suck it out that way, It is what I do and works great, It gets every last drop out of the resevoir. Just thought I would add this as an option.

[Lexusfreak]

For the PS fluid, all I do is pick myself up an empty spray bottle at the dollar store......drain as much fluid out of the resovoir as possible (which is almost all of it) & refill it with Amsoil Synthetic ATF (makes a huge difference over conventional Dexron III ATF....especially in very cold weather). Total cost is about $6.00 & I do it every 2 years or 30k miles. I've been doing that for years now on my power steering systems......never had a single problem. ;)

Or you can get a turkey baster with a short piece of hose on the end and suck it out that way, It is what I do and works great, It gets every last drop out of the resevoir. Just thought I would add this as an option.

Absolutely that would work too. :)

[Grumpa72]

Spray bottle to use the spray to pump out the fluid, fluid extractor, turkey baster all work. The latter adds a certain wonderful flavor to my thanksgiving meals. ;) I have used a turkey baster in the past but now I use Mity Vac to siphon out PS and brake fluid.

You can find Mity Vac at many auto parts stores or you can do a google search and buy it directly from them.

Gary

[awdonald]

Harbor Freight...$4.99....Suction gun 95468ovga.

I'm going to pick a couple up this weekend as I hope to use one to "reverse flush" the clutch cable on my other car...and the other for power steering "out" and "in" and tranny and diff "in" duties. I don't want to contaminate the brake / clutch fluid one.

The price is right.

Cheers,

Alan