Power Steering Flush, a few questions...

[1993GMCSierra]

Hi all,

The steering in my '93 GMC has been a bit...."tight" ever since I've owned it, much tighter feeling than my old GMC of the same year.

I've never changed the fluid in these before, so I want to do it properly.

1. What's the best method, remove the return hose, add a bit of tubing, direct it in a bucket, and turn the wheels slightly left and right to pump the oil fluid out while adding fresh?
2. Do I need to disconnect the coil to prevent it from pumping all the fluid out in a matter of seconds, or does the pump only "pump" when the steering is put under load? The reason I ask, is because the P/S pump in the Town Car runs constantly when the engine is running, thus the need to disconnect the coil packs and "bump" the starter to remove a little bit of fluid at a time, so to not run the pump dry.

3. What is recommended? Dextron III/Mercon? Type F? generic P/S Fluid? the owners manual specifies some GM #xxxxxx fluid, not sure what type it is.

Thanks all.

 

[DGA1]

Disconnect the return line from the back of the pump and drain from there. The pump works all the time but builds more pressure when you are turning, and gives all it has when your wheel is against the steering stop, so don't do that for prolonged periods since it stresses the pump and the hoses.

 

[1993GMCSierra]

I went that route, and it worked like a champ. Fluid looked pretty nasty coming out. I just kept adding fluid into the reservoir until it was nearly clear coming out. I'll check it in a few days and see what color it is. It'll likely need to be changed once more, then I should be good. Nice steering now. Thanks.

 

[DGA1]

Good to hear. I completely drained mine when I overhauled the front suspension and steering. I reused the steering box, but drained all the fluid from it after I took it off the truck. It holds a good ammount of fluid and takes a while to refil when dry.