TunerLexx

Okay, so the power steering takes Dex3--go figure. Long story short, my PS went out and leaked everywhere so I replaced the pump. I filled said pump with multivehicle import PS fluid...ok like I said, didn't know it took Dex3 at the time. The PS grinded all the time blah blah so I come to find out it takes dex3, so I decide to flush the system--just disconnected the return line and started the car letting it all run out--at which point I began pouring Dex in it (cap actually says dex2 but same thing) and I let the car run until the fluid came out pure dex (from the return line). I capped it all off and my PS was perfect until the next day (it was 14 degrees that morning...couple days ago) and my PS started frothing and foaming and some overflowed form the reservoir. I took some out via the res. with a syringe. Later that day when I got home from work my fluid level wasn't even registering on the dipstick...so I add fluid (this was last night) and THIS morning it was at a perfect fluid level, but after dropping my girl off at school and got home it was low again (and grinding). So I put more in like 20 mins ago...its at a good level--between cold and hot full levels. The fluid level just keeps fluctuating--I'm assuming from air...will the level keep bouncing until the air naturally bleeds out, or did I miss something?

What I want to know is why even after a flush and with proper fluid in it, why it's still acting like theres air, or incorrect fluid? (and I did the trick where you turn the wheel all the way to one side, hold it, rev the engine to just under 2k and shut it off, then leave it for about 4-6 hours)

sc3tech

iTrader: (3)

how did you get all the air out in the first place? usually before you start it for the first time I would put the front wheels in the air and turn it left to right(full lock) a few times then run the car and do the same, watching the fluid level as you do so.

shern

iTrader: (6)

sc3tech hit the nail on the head. You can never determine proper level of PS until a proper bleed occurs. And his process is the proper way to do it. While bleeding, you will see a significant amount of frothing and bubbling. The capacity of the PS system is quite large due to the long cooler lines behind the front bumper.

topdog849

iTrader: (1)

my sc3 had a leaking o-ring on the bottom of the ps reservoir. that fixed my leak, also added alil seafoam to clean out the solenoid valve screen going into the resevoir cuz i didnt want to drop the rack again and remove it manually. when filled w new dextron fluid jack up the front of the car or park uphill on a steep incline and turn the wheel from full left to full right like 20x w the ps cap off w some1 else topping it off w new fluid. GL

DKJZZ30

i had a similer problem once when i first got my car. power steering was whining so i check the fluid and its way low so i add some then its way to full and puking out. so i did what sc3tech suggested you do and it still didnt work. there are screen filters in the steering rack and they were clogged up so the rack was taken apart and they were cleaned and i havent had a problem in the last 3 years

willhickey

iTrader: (1)

mine used to spill out the reservoir too...... just sometimes though and then it would be bone dry.. what i did to fix mine was i took off the reservoir and cleaned it out with brake clean, what had happened to mine was the rack had deteriorated and and clogged the mesh screen in the filter so when it was under pressure the junk would block that screen and the power steering fluid could get to the pump so it came out the lid instead. weird i know but it worked

TunerLexx

awesome suggestions guys....I hope one of them works...I figure I'll take the reservoir off and clean it, then put it on and do what sc3 said to do...I appreciate the feedback

redSOARER

mines is leaking from the pump.... :/

TunerLexx

Well...I'm stuck. I tried cleaning out the reservoir, then reconnected it, did 'exactly' what sc3tech said to do...it worked...for awhile anyway. Now it's burping out through the lid, and I had to suck out a LOT of extra fluid...I think I have the same problem as willhickey. Maybe I didn't clean it out right...I disconnected both hoses and plugged them (the hoses not the reservoir), then drained out all the fluid in the reservoir and sprayed in both inlets and through the top where the cap goes to try to clean it...the fluid was coming out of the bottom inlet (to pump) rather slowly...maybe the mesh in there is still clogged? Maybe a new reservoir?...I'm gonna try cleaning it some more.

Really though, my car is groaning unGODLY and before it was just noise--now after that "proper bleed" of jacking the car up and turning the wheel alot while adding fluid, the wheelplay is stiff and resistant now.

(Should I have turned the wheel slowly from left to right wheel lock while adding fluid, or hardcore from all the way left to right...cause the faster I turned the wheel, the more and higher the fluid would shoot out the reservoir...I thought that bad so I was regularly turning the wheel when I performed that bleed)

Oh and I dunno if you knew or not lol but its a 4.0L sc400 (unless you checked my prof.) I was looking at what DKJZZ said and ...should I remove and clean out the whole rack? What is an easy way to figure out if my rack is the issue?

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Uh....you're supposed to turn the wheel SLOWLY from lock to lock with the engine OFF.

TunerLexx

Well if you look up further you'll see I was misdirected if youre not supposed to do it with the engine on...sc3tech in post #2 said it...well...I'm gonna try 'again' but not do it with the car running this time...lol I HOPE this works...if it does ....dude....so much thanks lmao

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

You're basically running the pump dry if you turn the car on with no fluid.

TunerLexx

Well it had fluid in it at the time... I tried without the car on and it worked for a couple days...then just yesterday it started foaming a lil and grinding somewhat...and when I did it, it already had fluid in it that I replaced the power steering fluid with....I'm gonna start from scratch now...so what do I do? lol I have fluid in it...it's foaming and it IS dex 3 tran fluid. Do I drain it all then jack the car up and with NO fluid in it and the car off, do I slowly turn the wheel while adding to the empty reservoir until at the proper level? because what I 'have' been doing is jack the car up, take the cap off and turn the wheel from lock to lock slowly while adding to the proper lvl, then I put the cap ON, start the car (still jacked up) and turn from side to side slowly, then I turn it back off, and check the fluid lvl. But that was all while there was still fluid in it.

My question NOW is, should I have started off by draining out all the fluid and THEN jacking it up while empty and then do the adding while turning the wheel with the car off? (That's what I'm about to do since I have nothing else to do today lol, I'm just gonna keep trying different combos of flushing it until something sticks...if that doesnt work, should I disconnect my pump and check that lil screen on the pump--the one that is revealed by removing that brass fitting on the pump?)