I did a Power steering fluid change

[metalworker0]

2006 Transit mk1 1.8 tddi
Did Power steering fluid change. as oil was looking brown.

Far easier job than i thought it would be.

Tools required;
Pliers
Jug container/ gallon bucket.
Small length of plastic tube.. a bolt and two jubilee clips - for blanking off small hose nozzle on reservoir

materials- ATF or power steering fluid meeting Dextron 3 specs - minimum 2 litres (I used 2.5 litres)

Jack van up and place on axle stands ...you need enough height to get a bucket underneath.

Unhook coolant header and and position out of the way on top of engine.
Unhook power steering reservoir from strut-tower /bulkhead.

You then use pliers to open the retaining clip on the smallest hose belonging to the power steering fluid reservoir.. slide clip down the hose. ...position jug to catch oil ......pull the smallest hose off....catch fluid in jug .

Then at this stage, you can leave it /..or pull the larger hose off and take the reservoir off to be cleaned.

If you have taken the reservoir off to be cleaned .. position back in engine bay and reinstall the large hose.

Blank the reservoirs small hose nozzle with tube, bolt and jubilee clips

Position the bucket under the van.

The vans small hose (return hose) is usefully quite long ..thread it down to below the car into the bucket.

Fill reservoir with new fluid over the top of the top fill line

Turn steering without engine running' from lock to lock until reservoir is nearly empty, the fluid will drain into bucket .top up and repeat steps above a second time. by now you will have used 1 litre

Open second bottle of ATF

Top up reservoir to above top fill mark.
Start engine for 5 seconds, stop engine and fill reservoir again.
repeat once more ..let reservoir completely empty.

Take off the blanking hose and refit the small hose.

Position reservoir back on strut tower.

Fill the reservoir up....turn steering lock to lock a few times.......then fill the reservoir up again
repeat and top up the fluid level.

Start engine run for a 30 seconds only, pump will make growling noses...fluid will drop more and foam and froth top up and leave stand for 1/2 and hour.

Go back start engine ..turn steering lock to lock ..it will make growling noises, continue checking and topping up,..fluid will clear of froth and growling will become less, until it disappears.

what i used
specs for this oil - meets dextron 3 and ford mercon

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-69329-shel ... 5jwhzOACgi

where i bought it --- this is the best deal i could find on ebay, as far as quality (shell) and quantity.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304769475325


all the best.mark

[metalworker0]

In case you don't know what i meant by bolt and tube ,...this is it ..only you substitute that plastic thing for a bolt into the end of the short tube (finding a short bit of tube of the right diameter may be hard) ..and you need two jubilee clips.


all the best.mark

[Altransit]

Interesting

I was slated on here once for saying to use ATF for power steering, and was told that they are two different oils

[dumper]

In the 45 years at work on vehicles from cars/vans to HGVsPSVs it’s always been ATF in the power steering but nowadays the colour can be a different colour the same with antifreeze I’ve not looked into the specification of the oils antifreeze my only thought was has it changed for environmental reasons or is it different material of the seals in the pump and rack /steering box the last one I did change was my mk6 and I used ATF as it was available at work .

[metalworker0]

here's shells own pdf on it

and on the first page under applications its says power steering

https://www.shell.iq/business-customers ... TF-HDX.pdf

I've driven it today ..and if anything the change has made the steering slightly lighter, old stuff was probably as old as the van and had done 140,000 miles so well past its best , and probably thickened with evaporation and deposits in it.

This job was easier than an engine oil and filter change .. the .filter is not easy on a connect.

all the best.mark

[Altransit]

I'm not questioning the expertise of you guys, it's just nice that I was right all those years ago

[metalworker0]

Just realised my title to this thread looks like i'm asking if power steering fluid has changed ...i forgot to put the "a" after "did"

My only worry now , is if i have made my rack a leaker, after putting newer oil in .. By flushing out the old crud enriched thickened stuff.

Months back, i searched for a power steering rack seal kit...no ones doing one, so if it does leak, its a new one . Which is £450 if not re-con or Chinese.

all the best.mark

[dumper]

Mark at work changed power steering oil regularly on fleet service schedule and I don’t recall any leaks after from the seals most came from rusted or perished pipe work that was not due to oil change so hopefully you will be ok.

[Altransit]

Just realised my title to this thread looks like i'm asking if power steering fluid has changed ...i forgot to put the "a" after "did"

Sorted for you

[metalworker0]

Here's the actual pipe i used ..as that image above is not so good

note bolt and jubilee clips to seal it