*PLEASE READ THIS COMMENT AND THE VIDEO DESCRIPTION FOR HELPFUL INFORMATION* **In retrospect, to make less of a mess, it would have been smart to have a syringe and section of plastic or rubber tubing connected to it. With the syringe and tubing, we could have sucked more fluid out of the reservoir to create less of a mess when removing the return hose and removing the reservoir. You could find a syringe for sale online via a site like Amazon and you could use any tubing, like vacuum hose that would fit snugly over the end of the syringe. You could pick up some vacuum hose or other type of plastic tubing at an auto parts store. If you'd like to suction out the whole contents of the reservoir in one shot, check out the Mitivac Fluid Extractor we link in the video description. **At the time of this flush, you might want to consider adding an inline filter in the return line, like a magnetic filter Magnefine makes, to help the fluid stay cleaner and reduce the chance of deposits accumulating onto the fine mesh filter screen on the bottom of the reservoir. A power steering fluid flush and magnetic filter change every 30,000 miles will keep your power steering system running well. On my 98 4runner, I cut the return line approximately 3.75 - 4" below where it attaches to the reservoir nipple, and then I cut out a section of the return line so I could fit the filer in without kinking the hose. The filter has a fluid flow direction arrow on it so you would want the fluid entering from the below (from the metal line that leads to the steering rack) and leaving towards the reservoir. It's kind of tight in there, so when it comes time to replace it, you'd have to remove the air box. **Instead of waiting 30k miles to do another full flush of the fluid, I'm going to do more regular partial exchanges by using the Mitivac Fluid Extractor I linked in the video description. My plan is to suck out the contents of the reservoir with the fluid extractor and then replace it with new fluid. I will do this as part of my 5k service of renewing my engine oil and filter. If it looks like I'm not exchanging enough ATF to keep it looking fresh and pink, I will do two rounds of the extraction and refilling every 5k. I'll do the extraction and refilling once, start the engine and turn the wheels back a forth a couple times to cycle the fluid, and then do another extraction and refilling. When I get to 30k service miles for the filter, I'll pull the air box and replace the filter. **Since making this video, people have reported that the o-ring on the reservoir suction port has torn either while removing the reservoir from the pump or reinstalling the reservoir onto the pump. It would probably be a good idea to buy one of these o-rings in advance and replace the o-ring as part of this job. We have the o-ring part number and a link to purchase one in the video description. **Several people have reported having success moving fluid through the system by having the front end jacked up off the ground and just turning the wheels lock to lock. I decided to give it a try on my 85 4runner which has a steering box rather than a steering rack, and it did work to move the fluid through the power steering box, pump and lines by simply turning the wheels back and forth with the engine off. It's interesting that this works because I thought the pump would need to be moving to allow fluid to flow through it but apparently it doesn't need to be running which I find really weird. Anyway, this is an option we wanted to share.
I have picked up relatively large syringes from a pharmacy for only a few dollars. Then I stop by the hardware store with the syringe and find the correct size bulk tubing that fits on the end and buy a foot or so. Also, WAY cheaper than your $20 food grade pitcher, I would just buy a gallon of distilled water for $1-2 and use that jug. The other benefit of using a plastic jug is that the narrow opening will keep the spray/splatter from covering the engine bay when the pump is shooting fluid out the hose.
Jason Ferrier I believe repeated use is the goal with the food grade pitcher. It’s sturdy, I’ve had those jugs for distilled water crack and leak after simply pouring it in to flush the coolant and refilling jug with what I drained, thin plastic! Saran Wrap over the top of the pitcher with a hole for the tube mitigates the little bit of splatter that can occur.
So, I tried this method on a PS pump that had 269,000 miles on it. Went through more than one bottle of cleaner. It looks better, but still quite a bit of debris. I finally just pulled another PS pump out of my pile of leftover JDM (engine swap) parts and the screen looked perfect. O-ring was in better condition too. Either way, Timmy and team - thank you much for the write up. Not just this one, but all the videos you provide. Even though I've been swapping engines, replacing clutches, doing brake jobs, etc since the early 90s, your videos save so much time! And when you're doing these jobs yourself, any time savings is a huge benefit!
I just did this procedure on my 2002 4Runner. Before doing the job my power steering pump would whine like crazy until the engine was warmed up. After driving for 5-10 minutes the whine would go away but I figured it couldn't hurt to flush my fluid and clean the reservoir. I shined a light through the reservoir and almost could not see it through the filter. I'm surprised the power steering was even functioning. After 3 cans of brake clean I got the filter 80-90% clean and reinstalled it. Now there is absolutely zero noise and the wheel turns smoother. Thank you for such a great and informative video!
Thanks for the very nice compliment. Sean and I always try to do the best job possible of explaining how to do something so people can have success following one of our tutorials. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Amazing video! Boosted my confidence in this job and showed the importance of it. I don't mind speeding through the long detailed video. I hate when people skip a step that has me stuck and scratching my head.
That was probably one of the best tutorials I've seen. From the tips to how you described your purchases for the flush itself. Just all-around, great job, Sir!
Thanks for the nice compliment. I don't know if you saw the comment I pinned (1st comment you see) but there's additional tips shared there. If you haven't performed the job yet, be sure to read it.
My 97 started making some power steering noises in the cold over the last 3 or 4 days. Gonna try this tomorrow when it's a balmy 29 degrees and see if it fixes the issue. As always, amazingly in depth video. Thank you.
Hi Timmy from Australia. Flushed my 2000 year model Prado after watching the video and worked great. I had the engine off and turned the wheels lock to lock. Beautiful clean fluid now. Thank you for your channel.
Glad it worked out for you. It's clear to me now that the power steering pump doesn't need to be running to properly move fluid through the system. I tried this technique on my 85 4runner which has a steering box rather than a steering rack, but it worked like people said it would. I just don't understand how the fluid flows through the pump with the pump not moving. This is the reason why we assumed the pump had to be running to effectively move fluid through the system.
@@TimmyTheToolman All good - I used this method as I was on my own, and being a bit of a novice I thought best to proceed carefully. The video was what gave me confidence to have a go and I am grateful for that. Front diff oil is next. Both drain and fill plugs are seized but thankfully not stripped. I bought a torch so will follow your heating method to free them.
@@andrewb2326 Good luck with the drain plugs. Heat is definitely your friend. One of the guys that came to one of our parties at my place had a seized drain plug. I heated it up, tried to break it free and didn't budge. Heated it up even more, tried again and it didn't budge. After my 3rd heating, I finally was able to break it free. The key is not strip it so you don't then have to resort to the hammer and chisel or welding something onto the nut.
This was very helpful. You did however use a lot of fluid and allowed air to enter. Another way to do it is jack up the front end and do not start but turn wheels left to right and that is enough to pump all the fluid out, everything else is the same but no starting. You then flush it without introduction of air into the system and a third of the fluid you used. Still helpful
Yep, we heard about that wheel turning method after we shot this video. We mention this technique in a pinned comment. The introduction of air into the system is not a big deal however. This would happen with a power steering pump change or a steering rack change. The air in the system quickly works its way out to the reservoir. I'm not sure if your assessment of the fluid used with our method compared to the wheel turning method saves a bunch of fluid. But, I'll take your word for it. Thanks for the comment.
These vids are old but still so useful! I may have a slight pump leak but due to lack of funds im going to clean my screen and replace the fluid. Maybe add a little power steering stop leak to get me by till i get some funds to rebuild the pump or order new high pressure line. Thank you for an awesome explanation. This seems way better and faster once hooked up then just doing the other method of clearing out the reservoir over and over.
Hey Luke, read the comment I pinned for an alternative way to move the fluid through the system. I would advise you to reconsider the stop leak route. That might cause more harm than good potentially gumming up your steering rack.
Hazard Fraught has a tube/pipe nylon brush set that has a brush with a little wisp on the end that works pretty well for agitating the screen gunk. Just shove it down the reservoir and stir like a witch. Guess I can't link it because my previous comment disappeared. Thank you for all you do. It's mind blowing what you've accomplished by helping so many.
Another sick maintenance video! I used my pella 6000 oil pump to get most all the oil out of the reservoir and a dorman vacuum cap to seal off the return nipple. Barely spilled a drop! Thanks for learning that lesson for all of us. I'm doing a flush out front of a PS rack replacement and stole a technique from Speedy just turning the wheel back and forth and that seemed to cycle fluid through without starting the engine. much slower and more manageable for me doing it solo. Thanks for your great videos!!!
We talk about the technique of just turning the wheels back and forth with the engine off in a pinned comment (1st comment you see). A lot of people don't know we put updates and other valuable information in a pinned comment and in the video description. In the future, be sure to check both because you might very well miss some important information. Thanks for taking the time to comment and you're very welcome.
Hi Timmy and Sean. I finished cleaning my reservoir and in line filter install today. The video was very helpful thank you. I flushed the fluid a couple of months ago without doing the reservoir, and found the new fluid discolored fairly quickly. Nowhere as bad as the first flush but I was a bit surprised by it, so flushed it again. It got a bit tricky for me lining up the filter between the other hoses and cutting the return line in the right places. Anyways I remembered the sage advice from your last video on the couch. Took my time and all turned out perfect.
Great video! Thank you for the detail, leg work, video editing and also for having a camera man who understands where to point the lens. Thanks again!!!
Thanks for this guys! I had my steering rack out and replaced pressure and return lines, so a flush made more sense than just refilling. Ended up cleaning the reservoir screen and adding the in-line filter as you suggest. I can confirm as Timmy and others have noted in the comments that this is 100% doable by simply rotating the steering wheel with key in to unlock steering. This will pressurize the system to push fluid through the return line, and you just continue to add to the reservoir as needed. I was doing it solo, and that method made it possible. Old fluid was as dark as black coffee.. yuck!
I know this video was 3 years ago but I just viewed it today, AFTER I did the easy exchange. I wanted to clean my PSF reservoir so that's how I found your video. I have a 2007 Tundra with 195k miles. Thanks for the step by step!
Just did this today mine was very junked up pulled a extra resaviour off another truck i have cleaned it real good swaped everything and works great took about 30 mins whole job love your videos sir
Excellent video with thorough explanations for beginners to fully understand the parts and processes required to do the job. One note of caution to viewers -- please pay attention to the fluid spec that the owners manual or fluid filler cap states. My Jeep Commander requires a specific uncommon Chrysler spec MS10838 fluid because the power steering pump also provides the fluid to operate the hydraulic-driven engine cooling fan. Some folks with those Jeeps did the fluid flush or exchange and used standard steering or transmission fluid and it ruined the expensive and hard to find pump.
Glad you like the video Jordan. Yep, it's always smart to pay attention to the owner's manual or what it says on the reservoir cap and put the right fluid in the system. People have also done damage to their system using generic power steering fluid when the system calls for ATF.
This was a huge help. I didn't even think about the filter mesh at the bottom of the reservoir getting clogged. After performing this procedure, my noise completely went away. Had I not seen this, I likely would have just replaced the pump. Thanks much for taking the time to share.
Thanks Tim I finished the flush today and the whining has significantly gone down. I had the rack and pinion replaced a couple years ago and the guys reused the old fluid. Didn’t have the confidence to flush until watching your video. I did a mix of the low tech method with the turkey baster with a piece of plastic tubing at the tip to be able to siphon below the return line nipple. After the last pour and drain I pulled off the reservoir and proceeded to clean the screen, replaced the o-ring and everything was as good as new.
after watching this video it got.me thinking about the clogged filter in reservoir and thought to myself what's the point of flushing really, if the rack is being starved of fluid. Yes it helps but figured the screen cleaning could be just as.important if not moreso. Had my ps flushed a few !months ago which yes did help but decided to clean screen and flush again! Now my ps is quieter, smoother and I believe my steering to even be slightly more responsive. Screen was about 95% clogged. Also when I did mine I simply jacked front end & turned wheels fully back and forth, worked great, thanks much you guys for making this vid!!
Good to hear the screen cleaning helped out. We weren't aware at the time of filming this video that you could effectively move the fluid through the system with the pump off but we know it works and it's a definite option for people to use. You're welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks, Timmy The Toolman! My '98 SR5 started whining when temps got in the 20's/30's recently. Initially, the noise went away after I let it sit and warm up for a while; however, a few days into the cold weather, the whine did not go away , and then it started sounding terrible when making turns. Thank you for this video - my mechanical skills are very limited, so your steps and video work were incredibly helpful. I followed the steps, and the whine is now gone (only one day in - we'll see if it lasts). Thanks for your follow up notes also. I saved a lot of mess by using the mityvac fluid extractor you posted, and I appreciate that you posted yet another option of using the inline filter method (may try that in the future). *Some issues during my work - I had a rough time getting the reservoir mounted back onto the pump. As stated in your notes, the dang o-ring ended up tearing the second or third time I tried to attach the reservoir back. I had ordered a couple of o-rings (per your advice), but at the time I did the work, they were MIA and hadn't arrived on time, so I had to go for it due to limited time. I ended up using some screw thread tape (??) for the time being, so I may end up leaking some since I don't have a good seal. I never heard a pop or snap when I finally got the reservoir back on (I heard some type of pop noise in your video), so again, I may end up with some leaking. -Forget "I saved a bunch of money by switching to Geiko." My new motto: "I saved a bunch of money by listening to Timmy." I see a TEQ Tim t-shirt in the future thanks for the money I've hopefully saved on this! *Also, can you please post a pic or short video of your inline filter?
Thanks for dropping a note on the comments. We like that slogan. Sounds better than geiko’s! Haha. I think once you get another “O” ring on there and you push it down to seat the surface you’ll hear a pop. You can reference our radiator install video where we link to a Magnefine magnetic filter but it’s optional, not necessarily needed.
You have been my savior many times throughout the ownership of my 3rd gen lol! I'm at 290k miles and the power steering has started whining. Time to do this!
Read the comment I pinned before doing the job because there is some additional information to share that might change how you go about the job. Great to hear out videos are helping you out. Let us know if the whining goes away after the flush and reservoir screen cleaning.
@@TimmyTheToolman I did see that comment and ended up just slipping hose over the turkey baster tip to successfully remove all fluid that could be removed before the screen. The reservoir screen was 100% completely blocked upon inspection. I cleaned it out and flushed the system. The power steering now works much stronger but now I have a different whine and bubbly fluid. I bled the system a few times but the bubbles and whine return every time. I think the old O-ring at the bottom of the reservoir is letting air in because I have no leaks anywhere else and that seems like the only logical place for air to be getting in at this point, so I'm about to replace that O-ring and give it another go!
@@TimmyTheToolman It did! I don't know why I chanced it with the old o-ring to begin with, since that rarely works out for me on anything... But it was a quick fix anyhow. The steering is now effortless and silent.
So, another great video. Like always. Replaced the fluid on my 01 T4R 2wd. I used ether (starting fluid) to clean the mesh screen and it worked well. Hardest part of this job was removing the hose mender. I had to give it a good cussing 😆. My wife is reporting smoother steering. So all went well. I also think I will add the magnetic particle filter too. Thanks Timmy and Sean! Great work!
Thanks Craig. Great to hear the job went well for you with a good result. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your success story with us. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
I've run across a bunch of your 3G T4R videos and posts on T4R.org (1996 2WD SR5 5VZ-FE 250K+ here). Dude, massive respect and appreciation. You're the real deal. Thank you!!
Have watched several videos on this task by different people and all were pretty good. I will say yours is the best by far because of your manner of instruction and how thorough you present the information. Thanks
Thanks, Tim for the excellent and complete tutorial on how this repair is completed. I haven't looked through the comments yet, but I would think cleaning the reservoir screen, then flushing might be the way to go. Thanks again for your excellent video (as usual)!
Once again Timmy to the rescue. Fixed my extremely tight steering. Screen was 98% blocked. I can buy another 4runner with the money you've saved me this year.
I have a 98 sr5 4w taco. The steering is very tight on low rpm and when drive through gears and rpm rides no problem. Do you this it is block age or pump?
Hey Tyler, good to hear cleaning your reservoir screen fixed your tight steering issue. Great to hear you're saving lots of money doing your own work with the help of our videos. Happy Wrenching!
You've got nothing to lose Jose. I take the reservoir off, clean the screen and flush your system. I bet your steering improves afterward. If not, it wasn't a waste of time because a new pump doesn't come with a reservoir. You take the reservoir off your old pump and swap it over to the new pump.
Nice video, I hadn't even considered removing the reservoir from the pump to clean the filter screen, really educational as to how dirty it can get! I thought the reservoir was all part of the pump itself, but now I know how to remove it. The only thing I noticed possibly missing in your tutorial, is the addition of an external power steering filter in the return line, as I've seen from other videos where that is considered just about mandatory after flushing the steering system. All in all, love watching your videos because you're good at exposing the "aw shit" situations before they happen to me! Keep up the good work!
Hey Dean, I'm glad you like the video. In a pinned comment (1st comment you see) I discuss the option of adding an inline filter. We quite often add updates to the video via a pinned comment. Also make sure to read the video description because we share important information in there as well. Happy Wrenching!
Very useful video, thanks! The screen in my 97 tacoma was clogged, noise until the fluid warmed up. Adapted some 3/8" clear tubing to a shop vac and sucked out the reservoir - along with enough crud to stop the noise. Repeated filling with fresh fluid, turning wheels lock to lock, vacuuming and carefully using a small stiff artists brush on the screen resulted in a screen about 80% clean, red fluid instead of brown and steering like new without any disassembly.
How many times did you have to refill? I started to do it your way last week but ran out of time. I will finish up with extracting the fluid and refilling this weekend.
Oh so thats how it splashed up 😂. Great video Tim and Sean. Thanks again for helping me out, it drives really good now. Yesterday I topped off the fluid to the correct level and now it is really smooth.
Jax nice lookin runner brotha!! How many miles on it. it looked like the timing belt was done in the 220,000's So it has some miles on it but with these vehicles it really isnt a lot :)
I inherited it from the original owner with 236,000 and now it has just over 241,000. I have all the service records and the window sticker. It has 4WD and has never been off road only freeway miles.
I flush my first and after flushing the old liquid I added sea foam trans tune , idle for 30 minutes moving the sterring all the way to the right and left every 5 minutes and after the 30 minutes a take a brake. After my little brake i star to driving on the city for 2 or 3 hours , came back home let cool off a little bit, change the fuid ( sea foam trans tune ) and put the original fluid dexron merc 3 back on the trans, that trans tune is magical my man no more noise no more stiffness . ..
I had the same experience with Marvels Mystery oil, the pump was very noisy and now sounds normal by leaving the MMO in the fluid for a few months. It was a Saganaw pump on a GM.
Great video. The images clarity, smooth non jerky, movement, well lit clear views of your video set it apart from others. I initially thought your videos were long. Yes long but very through, again cuds for indepth quality. Skill question, I see in your list of details you have included a magnetic filter. Sounds like a great idea. Maybe I missed the explanation on it. Does it restrict the flow of fluid to any great extent and is there a guide line as to how often it should be replaced. Thanks for the great work!
Glad you like the video and you're very welcome. Yeah, lots of people think our videos are long, but like you noticed, they are very informative and detailed and that's the reason for the length. The Magnetic in-line filter does not restrict flow. They are made for power steering and automatic trans systems. I installed the filter in the return line around 5 inches or so before the reservoir. I basically installed it to where it's not rubbing against anything. You just have to cut out a short section of the return hose to make room for the filter and then you use a couple hose clamps to securely attach it.
Timmy: did my flush from the fender reservoir this past weekend? I learned in refilling that it takes several rounds of fill-up, turn on motor, turn steering wheel, etc. before it’s really refilled.
Hey Timmy I always enjoy your vids. You have helped me out several times on my Tacoma. I wanted to know what you thought about this idea> (I don't know if you have enough room as I am fixing to work on my pump in the next few days and will find out). It will take a bunch of clamps>return from rack to 3/8" barbed ball valve>then filter>then 3/8" T > then to bottom of fluid reservoir. Side outlet of T>3/8" ball valve> then the section of the hose with the plug in it. When changing fluid>cut off valve below filter>remove piece of pipe with plug from side T ball valve>hook piece of pipe on ball valve run to container> open ball valve drain reservoir into container>when reservoir is drained>put plugged pipe on reservoir>install another small pipe with plug on upper ball valve>then off the side T ball valve you can regulate the flow as you run the new fluid from the rack. Does that make sense? If you need to change the filter cut off the valve below it>open the side T valve drain the fluid out of the reservoir> after it is drained you could take it loose from the pipe on the side and bend that over into a container to remove the last bit of oil from the lines and filter. I am a plumber by trade, didn't know if there was room for this but it would be a lot less messy. What do you think? the ball valves are $7 and you would need 2 and a lot of clamps.
I'm sure it would work but is all that worthwhile to just avoid a little fluid mess? If it is, do it. I recently swapped out my magnefine in-line filter and it was messy, but I just wiped up the mess the best I could with raga.
Good job. I wanted to avoid running the pump, so I used the PITTSBURGH AUTOMOTIVE Suction Gun to totally empty the reservoir. I disconnected the return line and capped the return tube off the reservoir and then connected to Suction Gun to the return line. Basically, instead of using the steering wheel pump, I manually evacuated the fluid using the suction gun. Once all the fluid was out, I started adding fresh fluid into the reservoir and used the suction gun to pull it out till I saw clean fluid coming out of the return line. At that point, I emptied the reservoir again, removed the cap, reconnected the return line and re-filled the reservoir and tested for the right level and took the truck for a short ride in the neighborhood and re-tested for the appropriate level.
@@TimmyTheToolman You inspire me to do the work myself (well with my 13 year old). I don't trust the dealer (overcharge + sometimes they use the wrong fluid) and the mechanic does not use the right fluid / spark plugs or oil. I already completed the 30000 miles maintenance work with the exception of flushing the radiator. For some reason I had a hard time replacing the oil filter. Next is to flush and change the breaks. P.S. I did not clean the power steering reservoir, maybe the next time around. Also, I believe the 1998 4Runner Limited 4 wheel drive V6 AT takes about 7 Quarts of 5w-90 and about 4+ quarts for the transmission. Take care - Sami
Thanks for the video Tim!!! I was able to do the flush by myself with a fluid transfer pump connected to the return line. Just kept pumping and adding. Your video was crucial getting me there though.
It is definitely a good idea to have a spare owing O-ring or circle thing in my bobber, made a rubber or most likely silicone hey, thanks again for the videos Timmy Tim Tim!
Timmy... Thousand Thanks...!! The video is great....!!! Make this process after the change kit of hidraulic steering box.. Your other video about this, helped me a lot.. I will recharge my card... and send you the beers... I'll be letting you know. Newly... Thanks brother... Regards from Venezuela...!!
Good video I did very thing you said, although after two bottles of brake clean my reservoir was super gunned up and I had to take the reservoir apart and scrap the screen clean, it was very gunked up after 320k miles. Also replaced the rubber black o ring at the bottom with a fresh one.
Thanks for this. I had a spare pump laying around, took the reservoir off and had a look inside, noticed the filter was attached on the end of the inlet pipe with a split pin, so ended up taking the top off and giving it all a good clean, also replaced O-ring with a new one. It was not too bad inside, dread to think what the one on the car is like tho as the fluid is black. So i will swap pumps around, and drain the rest of the fluid from the rack and pipes.
Hey, Timmy. Every repair I do on my 2002 Tacoma I reference your videos first. Can’t thank you enough for your service! I’m about to do my steering rack and my power steering pump. I’ve already watched your steering rack video and will definitely use it as a guide. Do you happen to have a power steering pump replacement video? Again, thanks so much, best videos out there.
It's great to know you reference our channel first. Thanks for letting us know that. We don't have a video for replacing the power steering pump, but it's not that hard of a job. Breaking free the high pressure line from the pump would probably be the hardest part, and you have to remember to buy a new gasket for the line connection. It's a special double line gasket.
Awesome, thanks. Just ordered up the parts. It took a good amount of effort to find the right gasket because all the fitment checks said the specific gasket I found was incompatible with my model, but I double checked with my local dealer and sure enough part 44327-30040 is the correct fit. For any one out there curious, I have a 2002 Tacoma crew cab, 5VZ, 3.4L, 4wd.
I do my Highlander a much easier way in my opinion. As the car is running I take a syringe and remove fluid almost to the bottom. Then I add fluid back to the top and repeat the entire time the car is running and the fluid as you noted circulates very fast. Since there’s only 1 to 2 quarts total in the entire system running 4 quarts through this way essentially replaces the entire amount of fluid. Occasionally I’ll go and turn the wheel lock to lock during this process. Entire thing takes about 15 minutes and you don’t have to remove any hoses. After three or 4 quarts the fluid is bright red. I tried the way you were doing it originally but the return hose pumps so much fluid out almost instantaneously I found it hard to do it.
Yep, you're method is what we refer to as the "Turkey Baster Method". The difference is we turned the vehicle off when we were exchanging fluid out of the reservoir. We made a video about it. th-cam.com/video/GOb5yF2Xv8Y/w-d-xo.html. Have you ever checked the condition of your reservoir screen? If you've always had pretty clean fluid in your system, it's probably not that blocked up. If the fluid has been allowed to get pretty dirty at one time or another, that reservoir screen could be partially or mostly clogged. Another trick to keep your reservoir screen from becoming clogged is running an in-line magnetic filter in the return line to the reservoir. The extra filtration will guarantee that you're reservoir screen won't ever get clogged but you will have to replace the filter every 30k miles.
@@TimmyTheToolman thanks Timmy! Yes just replaced all PS line in the car due to a high pressure hose leak. Replaced suction supply line and reservoir at the same time. Broke open the reservoir at the seam at the bottom and the screen was entirety clean. This is a 220k vehicle. Must show great maintenance by me! Replacing reservoir was golden. Now I can see the fluid flowing/circulating in the reservoir and can see the level so clearly now. Just now finished running 1.5 quarts through it - had already done 3 quarts. Compared new with last syringe and you could not tell the difference! Thanks for the reply!
WoW, you did a really great job on that Power Steering Flushing and Screen cleaning. If you were close by, I would have you do my 2002 ford ranger power steering flush. You know that screen is plugged on it with 172,000 miles. Hey, a thumbs up job guy from western PA.
I did this in 2020 hoping it would solve my problems on my 3.0 3VZ truck. I completely flushed the system, bled it, but the whining / squealing when turning left or right didn't really go away so I fully rebuilt the OEM pump with a $40 rebuild kit. It has about 5 rubber seals internally plus the shaft seal. Getting the pulley off and back on required some propane torch heat to expand it enough. Anyway, it worked, ..no more noise and my steering is good. And it's actually a tricky rebuild too. The small internal vanes are lobed on one side and must go back in the right way.. very easy step to miss because you wouldn't notice otherwise. The 95+ Tacos / 4Runners may be the same or a little different. 95 and before have recirc-ball / worm gear steering not rack and pinion but the pumps, basic system, and process is very similar. Secondly, some rebuild kits for these old Yota trucks (mines a 94 ex-cab v6 4x4 and I used Gates kit #350660) don't come with new copper crush washers for the banjo bolt so it immediately leaked once back together. The factory service manual doesn't even mention them. They are two washers; 16mm ID / 24 mm OD and 1mm thick on each side of the banjo bolt. Also be very careful with the plastic Vacuum Control Valve, they can break easily and are $70. I broke a barb while rebuilding the pump but was able to use JB-Weld and beefed up both barbs with the epoxy. I saw in another video that if the VCV is bad it sucks in fluid to your intake. So if you are losing fluid either slowly or fast but see no leaks anywhere after a good pump cleaning, pull off the VCV hoses and see if they have fluid in the Vac lines. Use a q-tip to check. If so.. replace the VCV! Lastly, the pump definitely needs to be running when moving the wheels lock to lock. Having them off the ground just makes it easier and doesn't eat your tires and stresses the system less but the pump and it's impeller vanes is what is circulating the fluid. The air which comes back through the reservoir is just burping the system and to do that properly all of the fluid has to be moving through the system under pressure. The FSM also says to do all this with the engine running. This is why you do the lock to lock while flushing too, because it opens two different sides of the system. You have to see the full diagrams to really understand it. I think a good hack to not jack would be two 14" aluminum cookie pans that are buttered and just drive onto them. Sounds crazy but it would definitely work. And use a little hot soapy water to clean the butter off.
@@TimmyTheToolman I did! I shot everything. I'll edit and upload within the next week or two. I really need to start a channel. I have a ton of truck repair videos and other DIYs but I often get overly wordy and too detailed so I need to really edit them all down.
@@oldowl4290 I'd like to see the video and I don't care how wordy it is. I blab quite a bit myself if you haven't noticed. You should start a channel and let me know when you've posted it.
Another awesome video, I’ve been putting off changing the PS fluid on my tacoma but this just motivated me to do it this weekend , thanks for the clear instructions !
You're welcome and we're glad you like the video. If you can get a syringe with a short section of tubing attached to it, you could draw out more fluid from the power steering reservoir than the turkey baster can get out and it will lessen the mess you'll have doing this job. I wish I would have thought about it but I didn't realize this option until after we were done. Get back to us and let us know how the job went for you. Happy Wrenching!
Very helpful video!! I was able to flush and clean as shown. Only had one hiccup with a rusted bolt for the air box.....the bolt on the fender mount snapped in half. Likely never removed on my 2002 4runner.....just fyi.
Awesome video with lots of details. My 2000 Tacoma has 298K on it and I suspect this has never been done. This vid has motivated me to do this. I get a little bit of a grunting sound at start up when its really cold.
Hey Ryan, glad you like the video and it's giving you the motivation to perform this maintenance procedure. Read the comment I pinned for a couple additional tips that are something to consider. Also read the video description because we list all the parts we used for the job along with the torque specs. Please report back and let me know how it went. Happy Wrenching!
Your choice of information and delivery of that information is very good. This reservoir is very dirty so I'd price a new one (not Salvage) and replace the "O"-ring.
Pulled the reservoir, cleaned it, reinstalled. Topped off and bled the system. Still getting a whine unfortunately...I thought maybe the screen was clogged and not enough fluid was cycling into the pump. It's extremely loud on cold mornings (25 degrees f) but seems to quiet down as the fluid warms up. Hopefully this did the trick for colder mornings. We'll have to see or else I may have to replace the pump! Also I only dropped one of the three bolts (the front small one) and of course it landed in the skid plates. Great video!!
Jesse Vandermaas Hey Jesse, that's a bummer it didn't get rid of your whining issue. Starting looking at your local PickNPull yards or other auto wreckers for 3rd Gen 4runners and 1st Gen Tacomas so you can grab a used power steering pump for cheap. You can set up a search for PickNPull where they will automatically notify you when a vehicle that matches your search criteria pops up.
I love Timmys advice and have used his videos for reference on several jobs. But this one might want proceed with caution especially 230k plus 4runners. After completing this job my pump went Tits Up and couldn't properly run. I am sure my pump wouldn't have lasted much longer anyways.... but just be warned some things that haven't received maintenance since they were built are better off left alone.
Hmmm Your result doesn't make sense. Renewing the fluid and cleaning the reservoir would only help. I have a feeling your pump's life was just up and it failing after the job is a coincidence.
Thanks for the informative video. Why not clean the screen before doing the flush? I have always changed o rings. Although they may not be damaged, they do take a set, harden, and will not reseal properly. Your videos are always well done and you explain the steps very well. Keep them coming.
Glad you like the video Dan. My reasoning for doing the flush first is because if we clean the screen first followed by the flush, we may be trapping suspended particles in the fluid right back into our clean screen. By flushing first and having clean fluid in the system, you can guarantee you'll have a clean screen when the job is done. Since making the video, we had heard of people having leaks due to the o-ring tearing so we added a section in the video description suggesting replacing the o-ring and we provide the part number and link to buy one. I just flushed the power steering system on my 98 the other day which included replacing the o-ring as well as adding in in-line magnetic filter in the return line to the reservoir. It's good to hear you like the way we're making our videos. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Great detailed video on a proper flush 👍. that 4 runner is super clean for the age here in the great white north they salt the roads so the rust is plenty. And the bloopers are 😃
Thanks for this great detailed video. One question though: Can you do the power steering flush just buy turning the steering wheel from one end to another end with the ignition key in ON position and without starting the engine?
This is a great breakdown and explanation of how to really clean out an old system. Stumbled on your videos late in the summer and am about to do this one on my '97 SR5. But as someone also here in the South Bay, the weather is putting things on hold a little longer this week. Thanks for such straight forward and detailed videos. Definitely have given me a solid outline of where to start on some future maintenance I'll be doing, too.
Right on, yeah, that's local of course so I'll have to try and do that. Finished this DIY today on my steering flush/cleaning. Big thanks again! Had no reason to second guess if I was doing it right after your awesome breakdown!
Lift the vehicle and while adding fluid turn the wheels back and forth with the engine, that will throw most of the fluid out of the rack and pinon, then start the engine without turning steering, then with the engine off repeat the process. I did it on my Lexus GX470 and only used about 2qts. Is very clean now.
Hey Christian, we now know about this as a viable technique. At the time of shooting this video, we didn't think you could effectively move the fluid through the system with the pump off. We added this as an optional method in a comment we pinned giving updates on the job as we learned them. Thanks for the comment.
With regular fluid changes, this screen would probably stay relatively unclogged. But, power steering fluid is one of those fluids like brake fluid that people forget about renewing on a regular basis so it get's really dirty and ends up clogging the screen in the reservoir.
Outstanding topic brother Tim! This is by far the most overlooked fluid next to transmission and brake fluids. Excellent procedure of flushing and cleaning the reservoir. I really liked your hose kit and keep 4Running...
Great video as always. I completed this on my 99 4 runner. Just FYI, when cleaning the screen on the reservoir, use Xylene. Just block the bottom hole, prop it upright, and dump about 1/2 cup of Xylene in there. Wait 10 minutes. Empty it out and viola.... It will look like a new screen.
Thank you. Your videos are always thorough. Looks like i will be doing some shopping...this is related to my next project which is to replace my original steering pump, return line, and high pressure line to my '90 pickup with the 3VZE.
You're welcome and thanks for commenting about how thorough our videos are. We want people to be successful using our videos and that's why we put some much detail into them. Good luck with your power steering pump and line swap.
The pump has a by-pass valve which is where the fluid goes when you are not turning the steering wheel or are fully turned to the maximum. When I heard you say you were not going to turn the wheels I did a face-plant... but I saw you edited the comment end where you decided to actually clean out the rack as well. Does that kind of pump have a filter on it? I have a Kia and it has one I found out in the bottom of the reservoir that I forgot (did not know it was there actually), and had to begin again.. This was a great video and helps a lot to watch through as it is full of good ideas in it!
Thanks for a great video on this. I woke up to a whining and stiff power steering in my '01, so I have to do this job. Instead of clamping a bolt, when I want to plug a hose I just get a lag screw or other course thread screw, then you don't have to mess with cutting, clamping; the threads do the trick to hold the "plug" in place.
I was worried this morning.. Steering response was pretty hard on startup, then went for a drive to a local store and it got better, not completely ok, but better. After getting out of the store, steering was on ok on startup.. maybe because the P/S fluid is warm now? From the Forum search it seems like a common issue on these cars. Hopefully this service will fix the hard steering on my 3rd gen. Your videos are invaluable, Thanks Tim!
Hey Mike, power steering fluid is one of those fluids people don't think about renewing, just like brake fluid is. So, the fluid gets old, deposits accumulate and get stuck in the fine mesh metal screen. Over time, the screen can get blocked up so bad that it starves the steering rack of fluid. If people renewed their power steering fluid regularly, this cleaning probably wouldn't ever be necessary. For sure cold ATF doesn't flow as well as warm ATF. As ATF warms, it thins out and the volume increases. This is why you have a cold and warm level on your auto trans dipstick and also on your power steering fluid dipstick. I'm guessing you're going to find a very blocked up reservoir screen when you check it out.
Thanks for the nice compliment Greg. We try to do a thorough job when wrenching on our rigs and other people's rigs. Come to San Jose, California and you can be my neighbor.
Ive got a question for you timmy: if you replace the pressure lines, is a flush still necessary? Im also doing my rack. Since ill have clean lines and a new rack anyway, im just not sure if i need to flush it out. Im sure my screen probably does need cleaned though. My fluid is black and smells really burnt. Its pretty nasty. I really appreciate you taking the time to document all your maintenance adventures with these! Ill use this and the one you made on replacing the rack to help get my power steering back in shape!
If you're replacing the lines and the rack, there would be no need to flush but I would definitely clean the reservoir screen. If your fluid was black, that means you filter is probably clogged.
@@TimmyTheToolman Ive got no history on my truck, but from what I can tell, its been pretty mechanically neglected. Ill go clean the screen and just fill it up. Thanks Timmy!
Great video! I have flushed my power steering a few times over the years but it is very helpful to now know how to clean the filter screen if/when necessary. Motivating me to flush the system again, you are right it is an easy thing to overlook.
Thanks Dave. After seeing how dirty Jax's power steering reservoir filter screen was, I'm going to check out the reservoir on my two 3rd Gen 4runners. I just bought another 3rd Gen on New Years Eve. It's a 98 Limited 4x4 with an e-locker. Only 131,000 miles and it wasn't crazy overpriced like most are in Northern California right now. Picked it up for $6500. I searched for over a year for another 3rd Gen after my Subaru Outback died. I'm stoked my search is over. Take it easy Dave and Happy Wrenching!
Congratulations on your new 3rd gen! Nice find, it is getting hard to find a decent 3rd gen anymore for a fair price. I have a 99 SR5 4X4 4Runner with the elocker and 4.30 diff ratio. Bought it new and it has been a great trouble free truck. 104,000 miles and the only repairs have been the MAF sensor, Air Fuel sensor, shocks, brakes and tires. Replaced the timing belt and water pump at 100,000 and the old timing belt still looked pretty good. Love these trucks!
Yep, they are great vehicles and they will be seen on the road for a long, long time. I'm thinking a high percentage of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and beyond owners are going to be the type that will be wrenching on these 3rd Gens. A person that knows how to wrench or that is willing to learn will see value in one of these rigs even if the mileage is really high. I'm thinking as time goes on, our videos will become more valuable because more people will be needing our videos to keep their rigs on the road and on the trail. Happy Wrenching Dave!
Hey Tim have you considered doing a power steering pump replacement video? Maybe how to change the seals and lines? The pump isn't being sold anymore new so I'm wondering what the options are
When I did my flush, I just jacked up the front and turned the steering wheel lock to lock. I didn’t need the engine running to cycle through the fluid. Once I saw nice fluid, I stopped.
That's interesting Minh. When we did the Steering Rack Swap for Sean's friend Dave, we couldn't get the fluid to move very much to work air bubbles out of the system with the engine off. We had to run the engine so the pump could move the fluid and work the air bubbles out of the system. So, we figured the best way to move the fluid through the system for the flush was with the engine running. Thanks for sharing this. Maybe I'll give it a try when I'm due for another power steering renewal on one of my own 3rd Gens.
Timmy The Toolman I read it off the t4r forums and it worked great on my 99. Lock to lock cycled it and allowed me to get clean fluid eventually. It was still a messy job ha. My belts squeaked due to oil spilling all over them but tons of soapy water fixed that. Thanks for the vid.
@@TimmyTheToolman is always good to learn something my concern is if every reservoir have that little filter to clean and maybe could be better to buy new reservoir once you removed . in my car mustang 2010 is around 40 bucks and I think is a lot a easier to remove than the one you remove in this video .great video sorry but I drank a beer why you were working hahaha nice job.
@@miguelena40 Yeah, I don't know what a new reservoir from Toyota would run but definitely more than a couple cans of brake cleaner. I think it's worth the time to just clean the old reservoir and not send it to the landfill.
man i missing working on 4runner. Even though im rebuilding a cummins diesel truck now, i still find myself referring to some of your videos for a quick logic run on certain systems.
@@TimmyTheToolman yep still got her, thanks for asking. I have been trying to sell it for 6k for over a month now. But no bites. I think I got about 9ish just in parts alone in it. She is good little truck now.
@@TimmyTheToolman I will definitely get another. In time, probably when I'm not looking and I stumble upon a single owner, with 4x4 5 speed and E locker. All original. That's like the holy Grail for 3rd gen 4runners This Cummins I have is pretty interesting. It's one step away from holy Grail. It was the last year for the 12 valves. And its the only 12 valve model where the rear doors open. 1998 Dodge Ram 3500, with a 12 valve Cummins, P7100 injector pump, 5 speed NV-4500 transmission. But it's 4x2. That's what makes it one step away from holy Grail. You would appreciate this engine & injector pump and the complete mechanical nature of it. Google if you get bored some time. Sorry rambling over lol gotta get this damn thing back up and rolling!
I know this is old now but I wondered if there was an additive you could have sent through to help clean it and then reroute the line back into the res can. and just let it run a while then empty and repeat. Avoiding the gunk from the res can is a good idea too. Perhaps a temp filter in that line setup to catch gunk before it got to the pump etc. even a garden hose type strainer may have helped catch big chunks. There are other screens available too with much smaller holes. Anyway, I liked the video. I need to do this on my 2003 Taco 4WD, along with many other things. I'm at 122k its been treated nice but some things overlooked.
Don't know of an additive that would have helped clean out that screen. Even if there was an additive that strong to be able to clean out the filter screen, what would it do to the pump and steering rack seals? Anyway, good luck with the job.
Great video. Only one mistake. When bleeding air out of system by turning wheel back and forth at the end of procedure, the reservoir cap must be off so that the tiny air bubbles can escape. You cant bleed air off with the reservoir cap on ?
Uhh, I don't think that's 100% correct John. It's not like there's serious pressure over the fluid in that reservoir that would stop the air trapped in the system from escaping into the vapor space above the liquid. If that were the case, any time you took the cap off, you'd hear an escape of pressure or fluid would spray out. I think there's plenty of vapor space above the liquid for the minute amount of air you're working out of the system. Plus, I don't think that cap provides a perfectly air tight seal because it doesn't have to be. The only way the fluid would leak out is if the vehicle was at a serious tilt, like it was on it's side from a 4wheeling accident. So, I understand your thought process, but I'm pretty sure the air in the system can work it's way out with the cap on.
Tim, absolutely love your videos. The spray cleaner worked good for you but I am wondering if you plugged the bottom hole with one of your silicon plugs and then filled the reservoir about half way with some camping fuel or IPA and then just kind of lightly shook it if that would work? Just wondering. Great work as always!
If you give that technique a try, let us know how effectively it cleaned the reservoir screen. We're happy to know you like the videos we are making. Happy Wrenching!
Hello Timmy. Thank you for the great video. I need to clean the reservoir on a Honda Civic 1995. Is it the same procedure since the top openning on my reservoir is way smaller than the one showed on your video?. Thanks
As long as you can get the nozzle of the brake cleaner in there and you can shine light through the bottom to see your progress, I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Hey Tim, I know this video is quite old at this point but would you happen to know about how much atf fluid you used to flush and fill the system? I’m going to do this on my first gen taco (3.4 v6) soon and want to make sure I get enough fluid. Great video as always by the way, I flushed my coolant the other day and your video on that helped a lot.
I don't exactly remember how much we used, but to play it safe, just get 4 quarts and you should have plenty to completed flush the system out. If you have extra it's not like it will go to waste because you could use it for a future flush or use it for your auto trans if you have an auto.
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*PLEASE READ THIS COMMENT AND THE VIDEO DESCRIPTION FOR HELPFUL INFORMATION*
**In retrospect, to make less of a mess, it would have been smart to have a syringe and section of plastic or rubber tubing connected to it. With the syringe and tubing, we could have sucked more fluid out of the reservoir to create less of a mess when removing the return hose and removing the reservoir. You could find a syringe for sale online via a site like Amazon and you could use any tubing, like vacuum hose that would fit snugly over the end of the syringe. You could pick up some vacuum hose or other type of plastic tubing at an auto parts store. If you'd like to suction out the whole contents of the reservoir in one shot, check out the Mitivac Fluid Extractor we link in the video description.
**At the time of this flush, you might want to consider adding an inline filter in the return line, like a magnetic filter Magnefine makes, to help the fluid stay cleaner and reduce the chance of deposits accumulating onto the fine mesh filter screen on the bottom of the reservoir. A power steering fluid flush and magnetic filter change every 30,000 miles will keep your power steering system running well. On my 98 4runner, I cut the return line approximately 3.75 - 4" below where it attaches to the reservoir nipple, and then I cut out a section of the return line so I could fit the filer in without kinking the hose. The filter has a fluid flow direction arrow on it so you would want the fluid entering from the below (from the metal line that leads to the steering rack) and leaving towards the reservoir. It's kind of tight in there, so when it comes time to replace it, you'd have to remove the air box.
**Instead of waiting 30k miles to do another full flush of the fluid, I'm going to do more regular partial exchanges by using the Mitivac Fluid Extractor I linked in the video description. My plan is to suck out the contents of the reservoir with the fluid extractor and then replace it with new fluid. I will do this as part of my 5k service of renewing my engine oil and filter. If it looks like I'm not exchanging enough ATF to keep it looking fresh and pink, I will do two rounds of the extraction and refilling every 5k. I'll do the extraction and refilling once, start the engine and turn the wheels back a forth a couple times to cycle the fluid, and then do another extraction and refilling. When I get to 30k service miles for the filter, I'll pull the air box and replace the filter.
**Since making this video, people have reported that the o-ring on the reservoir suction port has torn either while removing the reservoir from the pump or reinstalling the reservoir onto the pump. It would probably be a good idea to buy one of these o-rings in advance and replace the o-ring as part of this job. We have the o-ring part number and a link to purchase one in the video description.
**Several people have reported having success moving fluid through the system by having the front end jacked up off the ground and just turning the wheels lock to lock. I decided to give it a try on my 85 4runner which has a steering box rather than a steering rack, and it did work to move the fluid through the power steering box, pump and lines by simply turning the wheels back and forth with the engine off. It's interesting that this works because I thought the pump would need to be moving to allow fluid to flow through it but apparently it doesn't need to be running which I find really weird. Anyway, this is an option we wanted to share.
Timmy The Toolman 7
I have picked up relatively large syringes from a pharmacy for only a few dollars. Then I stop by the hardware store with the syringe and find the correct size bulk tubing that fits on the end and buy a foot or so. Also, WAY cheaper than your $20 food grade pitcher, I would just buy a gallon of distilled water for $1-2 and use that jug. The other benefit of using a plastic jug is that the narrow opening will keep the spray/splatter from covering the engine bay when the pump is shooting fluid out the hose.
Hey any oil left on the inner fender is undercoating/rust preventing
I prefer a siphon pump myself. Picked one of these up pretty cheap. www.harborfreight.com/fluid-siphon-pump-62609.html?_br_psugg_q=siphon+pump
Jason Ferrier I believe repeated use is the goal with the food grade pitcher. It’s sturdy, I’ve had those jugs for distilled water crack and leak after simply pouring it in to flush the coolant and refilling jug with what I drained, thin plastic! Saran Wrap over the top of the pitcher with a hole for the tube mitigates the little bit of splatter that can occur.
So, I tried this method on a PS pump that had 269,000 miles on it. Went through more than one bottle of cleaner. It looks better, but still quite a bit of debris. I finally just pulled another PS pump out of my pile of leftover JDM (engine swap) parts and the screen looked perfect. O-ring was in better condition too. Either way, Timmy and team - thank you much for the write up. Not just this one, but all the videos you provide. Even though I've been swapping engines, replacing clutches, doing brake jobs, etc since the early 90s, your videos save so much time! And when you're doing these jobs yourself, any time savings is a huge benefit!
I just did this procedure on my 2002 4Runner. Before doing the job my power steering pump would whine like crazy until the engine was warmed up. After driving for 5-10 minutes the whine would go away but I figured it couldn't hurt to flush my fluid and clean the reservoir. I shined a light through the reservoir and almost could not see it through the filter. I'm surprised the power steering was even functioning. After 3 cans of brake clean I got the filter 80-90% clean and reinstalled it. Now there is absolutely zero noise and the wheel turns smoother. Thank you for such a great and informative video!
You're very welcome. Great job doing the work yourself and fixing your power steering issue. Happy Wrenching!
Hands down one of the best instructional videos I've seen on TH-cam.
Thanks for the very nice compliment. Sean and I always try to do the best job possible of explaining how to do something so people can have success following one of our tutorials. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Bravo! To you car doctors !!
Amazing video! Boosted my confidence in this job and showed the importance of it. I don't mind speeding through the long detailed video. I hate when people skip a step that has me stuck and scratching my head.
Hey Jacob, glad you like our video and you appreciate the detail we offer. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Torque not took
That was probably one of the best tutorials I've seen. From the tips to how you described your purchases for the flush itself. Just all-around, great job, Sir!
Thanks for the nice compliment. I don't know if you saw the comment I pinned (1st comment you see) but there's additional tips shared there. If you haven't performed the job yet, be sure to read it.
My 97 started making some power steering noises in the cold over the last 3 or 4 days. Gonna try this tomorrow when it's a balmy 29 degrees and see if it fixes the issue. As always, amazingly in depth video. Thank you.
Good luck Kevin. I hope it works out for you.
Hi Timmy from Australia. Flushed my 2000 year model Prado after watching the video and worked great. I had the engine off and turned the wheels lock to lock. Beautiful clean fluid now. Thank you for your channel.
Glad it worked out for you. It's clear to me now that the power steering pump doesn't need to be running to properly move fluid through the system. I tried this technique on my 85 4runner which has a steering box rather than a steering rack, but it worked like people said it would. I just don't understand how the fluid flows through the pump with the pump not moving. This is the reason why we assumed the pump had to be running to effectively move fluid through the system.
@@TimmyTheToolman All good - I used this method as I was on my own, and being a bit of a novice I thought best to proceed carefully. The video was what gave me confidence to have a go and I am grateful for that. Front diff oil is next. Both drain and fill plugs are seized but thankfully not stripped. I bought a torch so will follow your heating method to free them.
@@andrewb2326 Good luck with the drain plugs. Heat is definitely your friend. One of the guys that came to one of our parties at my place had a seized drain plug. I heated it up, tried to break it free and didn't budge. Heated it up even more, tried again and it didn't budge. After my 3rd heating, I finally was able to break it free. The key is not strip it so you don't then have to resort to the hammer and chisel or welding something onto the nut.
This was very helpful. You did however use a lot of fluid and allowed air to enter. Another way to do it is jack up the front end and do not start but turn wheels left to right and that is enough to pump all the fluid out, everything else is the same but no starting. You then flush it without introduction of air into the system and a third of the fluid you used. Still helpful
Yep, we heard about that wheel turning method after we shot this video. We mention this technique in a pinned comment. The introduction of air into the system is not a big deal however. This would happen with a power steering pump change or a steering rack change. The air in the system quickly works its way out to the reservoir. I'm not sure if your assessment of the fluid used with our method compared to the wheel turning method saves a bunch of fluid. But, I'll take your word for it. Thanks for the comment.
These vids are old but still so useful! I may have a slight pump leak but due to lack of funds im going to clean my screen and replace the fluid. Maybe add a little power steering stop leak to get me by till i get some funds to rebuild the pump or order new high pressure line. Thank you for an awesome explanation. This seems way better and faster once hooked up then just doing the other method of clearing out the reservoir over and over.
Hey Luke, read the comment I pinned for an alternative way to move the fluid through the system. I would advise you to reconsider the stop leak route. That might cause more harm than good potentially gumming up your steering rack.
Hazard Fraught has a tube/pipe nylon brush set that has a brush with a little wisp on the end that works pretty well for agitating the screen gunk. Just shove it down the reservoir and stir like a witch. Guess I can't link it because my previous comment disappeared. Thank you for all you do. It's mind blowing what you've accomplished by helping so many.
If you could, please email me the link to the HF brush set: mtbtim@sbcglobal.net
You're very welcome. I appreciate what you said. Thanks!
Another sick maintenance video! I used my pella 6000 oil pump to get most all the oil out of the reservoir and a dorman vacuum cap to seal off the return nipple. Barely spilled a drop! Thanks for learning that lesson for all of us. I'm doing a flush out front of a PS rack replacement and stole a technique from Speedy just turning the wheel back and forth and that seemed to cycle fluid through without starting the engine. much slower and more manageable for me doing it solo. Thanks for your great videos!!!
We talk about the technique of just turning the wheels back and forth with the engine off in a pinned comment (1st comment you see). A lot of people don't know we put updates and other valuable information in a pinned comment and in the video description. In the future, be sure to check both because you might very well miss some important information. Thanks for taking the time to comment and you're very welcome.
Hi Timmy and Sean. I finished cleaning my reservoir and in line filter install today. The video was very helpful thank you. I flushed the fluid a couple of months ago without doing the reservoir, and found the new fluid discolored fairly quickly. Nowhere as bad as the first flush but I was a bit surprised by it, so flushed it again. It got a bit tricky for me lining up the filter between the other hoses and cutting the return line in the right places. Anyways I remembered the sage advice from your last video on the couch. Took my time and all turned out perfect.
Good to hear it worked out Andrew. Great job getting it done.
Great video! Thank you for the detail, leg work, video editing and also for having a camera man who understands where to point the lens. Thanks again!!!
Thanks Matt and you're very welcome. Glad you appreciate the work we regularly put into all our videos. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks for this guys! I had my steering rack out and replaced pressure and return lines, so a flush made more sense than just refilling. Ended up cleaning the reservoir screen and adding the in-line filter as you suggest. I can confirm as Timmy and others have noted in the comments that this is 100% doable by simply rotating the steering wheel with key in to unlock steering. This will pressurize the system to push fluid through the return line, and you just continue to add to the reservoir as needed. I was doing it solo, and that method made it possible. Old fluid was as dark as black coffee.. yuck!
Good job getting it done Tim. Glad our video helped you out.
I know this video was 3 years ago but I just viewed it today, AFTER I did the easy exchange. I wanted to clean my PSF reservoir so that's how I found your video. I have a 2007 Tundra with 195k miles. Thanks for the step by step!
You're welcome Alan. Glad our video helped you out.
Just did this today mine was very junked up pulled a extra resaviour off another truck i have cleaned it real good swaped everything and works great took about 30 mins whole job love your videos sir
Sicmods maintenance John!!! Thanks for taking the time to drop by & leave a comment on our channel.
Glad it worked out for you John. Great to hear you love the videos we make. Thanks for taking the time to comment and Happy Wrenching!
Excellent video with thorough explanations for beginners to fully understand the parts and processes required to do the job. One note of caution to viewers -- please pay attention to the fluid spec that the owners manual or fluid filler cap states. My Jeep Commander requires a specific uncommon Chrysler spec MS10838 fluid because the power steering pump also provides the fluid to operate the hydraulic-driven engine cooling fan. Some folks with those Jeeps did the fluid flush or exchange and used standard steering or transmission fluid and it ruined the expensive and hard to find pump.
Glad you like the video Jordan. Yep, it's always smart to pay attention to the owner's manual or what it says on the reservoir cap and put the right fluid in the system. People have also done damage to their system using generic power steering fluid when the system calls for ATF.
This was a huge help. I didn't even think about the filter mesh at the bottom of the reservoir getting clogged. After performing this procedure, my noise completely went away. Had I not seen this, I likely would have just replaced the pump. Thanks much for taking the time to share.
Great to hear our video helped you out and you're very welcome. Thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it.
Thanks Tim I finished the flush today and the whining has significantly gone down. I had the rack and pinion replaced a couple years ago and the guys reused the old fluid. Didn’t have the confidence to flush until watching your video. I did a mix of the low tech method with the turkey baster with a piece of plastic tubing at the tip to be able to siphon below the return line nipple. After the last pour and drain I pulled off the reservoir and proceeded to clean the screen, replaced the o-ring and everything was as good as new.
You're welcome Brian. Good job getting it done.
after watching this video it got.me thinking about the clogged filter in reservoir and thought to myself what's the point of flushing really, if the rack is being starved of fluid. Yes it helps but figured the screen cleaning could be just as.important if not moreso. Had my ps flushed a few !months ago which yes did help but decided to clean screen and flush again! Now my ps is quieter, smoother and I believe my steering to even be slightly more responsive. Screen was about 95% clogged.
Also when I did mine I simply jacked front end & turned wheels fully back and forth, worked great, thanks much you guys for making this vid!!
Good to hear the screen cleaning helped out. We weren't aware at the time of filming this video that you could effectively move the fluid through the system with the pump off but we know it works and it's a definite option for people to use. You're welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
I have been learning more from your videos about my 3rd gen 4Runner than any other site THANK YOU!
Thanks Cameron. We like hearing this. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Thanks, Timmy The Toolman! My '98 SR5 started whining when temps got in the 20's/30's recently. Initially, the noise went away after I let it sit and warm up for a while; however, a few days into the cold weather, the whine did not go away , and then it started sounding terrible when making turns. Thank you for this video - my mechanical skills are very limited, so your steps and video work were incredibly helpful. I followed the steps, and the whine is now gone (only one day in - we'll see if it lasts). Thanks for your follow up notes also. I saved a lot of mess by using the mityvac fluid extractor you posted, and I appreciate that you posted yet another option of using the inline filter method (may try that in the future).
*Some issues during my work - I had a rough time getting the reservoir mounted back onto the pump. As stated in your notes, the dang o-ring ended up tearing the second or third time I tried to attach the reservoir back. I had ordered a couple of o-rings (per your advice), but at the time I did the work, they were MIA and hadn't arrived on time, so I had to go for it due to limited time. I ended up using some screw thread tape (??) for the time being, so I may end up leaking some since I don't have a good seal. I never heard a pop or snap when I finally got the reservoir back on (I heard some type of pop noise in your video), so again, I may end up with some leaking.
-Forget "I saved a bunch of money by switching to Geiko." My new motto: "I saved a bunch of money by listening to Timmy." I see a TEQ Tim t-shirt in the future thanks for the money I've hopefully saved on this!
*Also, can you please post a pic or short video of your inline filter?
Thanks for dropping a note on the comments. We like that slogan. Sounds better than geiko’s! Haha. I think once you get another “O” ring on there and you push it down to seat the surface you’ll hear a pop. You can reference our radiator install video where we link to a Magnefine magnetic filter but it’s optional, not necessarily needed.
You have been my savior many times throughout the ownership of my 3rd gen lol! I'm at 290k miles and the power steering has started whining. Time to do this!
Read the comment I pinned before doing the job because there is some additional information to share that might change how you go about the job. Great to hear out videos are helping you out. Let us know if the whining goes away after the flush and reservoir screen cleaning.
@@TimmyTheToolman I did see that comment and ended up just slipping hose over the turkey baster tip to successfully remove all fluid that could be removed before the screen. The reservoir screen was 100% completely blocked upon inspection. I cleaned it out and flushed the system. The power steering now works much stronger but now I have a different whine and bubbly fluid. I bled the system a few times but the bubbles and whine return every time. I think the old O-ring at the bottom of the reservoir is letting air in because I have no leaks anywhere else and that seems like the only logical place for air to be getting in at this point, so I'm about to replace that O-ring and give it another go!
@@TortureTestMagazine Ok, hopefully the new o-ring does the trick.
@@TimmyTheToolman It did! I don't know why I chanced it with the old o-ring to begin with, since that rarely works out for me on anything... But it was a quick fix anyhow. The steering is now effortless and silent.
@@TortureTestMagazine That's great to hear. Good job getting it done.
Just follow your videos on brake bleed and power steering flush.
Nothing like the detail and information you provided, thank you.
Good stuff Erik! Thanks for stopping by the comments and letting us know our video helped you
great video to flush power steering fluid. the most comprehensive with listing all the tools and accessories used.
Thanks Joseph. We appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching.
So, another great video. Like always. Replaced the fluid on my 01 T4R 2wd. I used ether (starting fluid) to clean the mesh screen and it worked well. Hardest part of this job was removing the hose mender. I had to give it a good cussing 😆. My wife is reporting smoother steering. So all went well. I also think I will add the magnetic particle filter too. Thanks Timmy and Sean! Great work!
Thanks Craig. Great to hear the job went well for you with a good result. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your success story with us. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
I've run across a bunch of your 3G T4R videos and posts on T4R.org (1996 2WD SR5 5VZ-FE 250K+ here). Dude, massive respect and appreciation. You're the real deal. Thank you!!
Thanks Tim. Sean and i appreciate the kind words. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Have watched several videos on this task by different people and all were pretty good. I will say yours is the best by far because of your manner of instruction and how thorough you present the information. Thanks
ron slaughter thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate the kind words & we hope you get the job done without trouble.
Thanks, Tim for the excellent and complete tutorial on how this repair is completed.
I haven't looked through the comments yet, but I would think cleaning the reservoir screen, then flushing might be the way to go.
Thanks again for your excellent video (as usual)!
You're welcome.
Once again Timmy to the rescue. Fixed my extremely tight steering. Screen was 98% blocked.
I can buy another 4runner with the money you've saved me this year.
I have a 98 sr5 4w taco. The steering is very tight on low rpm and when drive through gears and rpm rides no problem. Do you this it is block age or pump?
@@JoseRodriguez-vx6hd is your Fluid dark? Have you ever flushed it? You have nothing to loose by flushing it. It's really easy
Hey Tyler, good to hear cleaning your reservoir screen fixed your tight steering issue. Great to hear you're saving lots of money doing your own work with the help of our videos. Happy Wrenching!
You've got nothing to lose Jose. I take the reservoir off, clean the screen and flush your system. I bet your steering improves afterward. If not, it wasn't a waste of time because a new pump doesn't come with a reservoir. You take the reservoir off your old pump and swap it over to the new pump.
@@TimmyTheToolman I spoke too soon. My steering tightened back up. How do I determine if it's the rack or pump?
You listed all of the specs and tools used. BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!
You're WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME Matt!
Nice video, I hadn't even considered removing the reservoir from the pump to clean the filter screen, really educational as to how dirty it can get! I thought the reservoir was all part of the pump itself, but now I know how to remove it. The only thing I noticed possibly missing in your tutorial, is the addition of an external power steering filter in the return line, as I've seen from other videos where that is considered just about mandatory after flushing the steering system. All in all, love watching your videos because you're good at exposing the "aw shit" situations before they happen to me! Keep up the good work!
Hey Dean, I'm glad you like the video. In a pinned comment (1st comment you see) I discuss the option of adding an inline filter. We quite often add updates to the video via a pinned comment. Also make sure to read the video description because we share important information in there as well. Happy Wrenching!
Very useful video, thanks! The screen in my 97 tacoma was clogged, noise until the fluid warmed up. Adapted some 3/8" clear tubing to a shop vac and sucked out the reservoir - along with enough crud to stop the noise. Repeated filling with fresh fluid, turning wheels lock to lock, vacuuming and carefully using a small stiff artists brush on the screen resulted in a screen about 80% clean, red fluid instead of brown and steering like new without any disassembly.
1a2b3c4dx1 Good job.
How many times did you have to refill? I started to do it your way last week but ran out of time. I will finish up with extracting the fluid and refilling this weekend.
Oh so thats how it splashed up 😂. Great video Tim and Sean. Thanks again for helping me out, it drives really good now. Yesterday I topped off the fluid to the correct level and now it is really smooth.
You're welcome Jax. I imagine we will be making more videos with you as time goes on.
Timmy The Toolman I hope so I had a blast and it was really cool to be able to have my truck help others.
Jax nice lookin runner brotha!! How many miles on it. it looked like the timing belt was done in the 220,000's
So it has some miles on it but with these vehicles it really isnt a lot :)
I inherited it from the original owner with 236,000 and now it has just over 241,000. I have all the service records and the window sticker. It has 4WD and has never been off road only freeway miles.
That's a nice front grill mad!! Sick
Really enjoyed the "so" montage at the end. the rest of the video was awesome too.
Glad we could entertain you Daniel. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I flush my first and after flushing the old liquid I added sea foam trans tune , idle for 30 minutes moving the sterring all the way to the right and left every 5 minutes and after the 30 minutes a take a brake. After my little brake i star to driving on the city for 2 or 3 hours , came back home let cool off a little bit, change the fuid ( sea foam trans tune ) and put the original fluid dexron merc 3 back on the trans, that trans tune is magical my man no more noise no more stiffness . ..
This is good to know about the Sea Foam Trans Tune product. Thanks for sharing this.
I had the same experience with Marvels Mystery oil, the pump was very noisy and now sounds normal by leaving the MMO in the fluid for a few months. It was a Saganaw pump on a GM.
Great video. The images clarity, smooth non jerky, movement, well lit clear views of your video set it apart from others. I initially thought your videos were long. Yes long but very through, again cuds for indepth quality. Skill question, I see in your list of details you have included a magnetic filter. Sounds like a great idea. Maybe I missed the explanation on it. Does it restrict the flow of fluid to any great extent and is there a guide line as to how often it should be replaced. Thanks for the great work!
Glad you like the video and you're very welcome. Yeah, lots of people think our videos are long, but like you noticed, they are very informative and detailed and that's the reason for the length. The Magnetic in-line filter does not restrict flow. They are made for power steering and automatic trans systems. I installed the filter in the return line around 5 inches or so before the reservoir. I basically installed it to where it's not rubbing against anything. You just have to cut out a short section of the return hose to make room for the filter and then you use a couple hose clamps to securely attach it.
Timmy: did my flush from the fender reservoir this past weekend?
I learned in refilling that it takes several rounds of fill-up, turn on motor, turn steering wheel, etc. before it’s really refilled.
Hey Timmy I always enjoy your vids. You have helped me out several times on my Tacoma. I wanted to know what you thought about this idea> (I don't know if you have enough room as I am fixing to work on my pump in the next few days and will find out).
It will take a bunch of clamps>return from rack to 3/8" barbed ball valve>then filter>then 3/8" T > then to bottom of fluid reservoir. Side outlet of T>3/8" ball valve> then the section of the hose with the plug in it.
When changing fluid>cut off valve below filter>remove piece of pipe with plug from side T ball valve>hook piece of pipe on ball valve run to container> open ball valve drain reservoir into container>when reservoir is drained>put plugged pipe on reservoir>install another small pipe with plug on upper ball valve>then off the side T ball valve you can regulate the flow as you run the new fluid from the rack. Does that make sense? If you need to change the filter cut off the valve below it>open the side T valve drain the fluid out of the reservoir> after it is drained you could take it loose from the pipe on the side and bend that over into a container to remove the last bit of oil from the lines and filter. I am a plumber by trade, didn't know if there was room for this but it would be a lot less messy. What do you think? the ball valves are $7 and you would need 2 and a lot of clamps.
I'm sure it would work but is all that worthwhile to just avoid a little fluid mess? If it is, do it. I recently swapped out my magnefine in-line filter and it was messy, but I just wiped up the mess the best I could with raga.
Good job. I wanted to avoid running the pump, so I used the PITTSBURGH AUTOMOTIVE Suction Gun to totally empty the reservoir. I disconnected the return line and capped the return tube off the reservoir and then connected to Suction Gun to the return line. Basically, instead of using the steering wheel pump, I manually evacuated the fluid using the suction gun. Once all the fluid was out, I started adding fresh fluid into the reservoir and used the suction gun to pull it out till I saw clean fluid coming out of the return line. At that point, I emptied the reservoir again, removed the cap, reconnected the return line and re-filled the reservoir and tested for the right level and took the truck for a short ride in the neighborhood and re-tested for the appropriate level.
Sounds like a solid technique. Thanks for sharing.
@@TimmyTheToolman You inspire me to do the work myself (well with my 13 year old). I don't trust the dealer (overcharge + sometimes they use the wrong fluid) and the mechanic does not use the right fluid / spark plugs or oil. I already completed the 30000 miles maintenance work with the exception of flushing the radiator. For some reason I had a hard time replacing the oil filter. Next is to flush and change the breaks. P.S. I did not clean the power steering reservoir, maybe the next time around. Also, I believe the 1998 4Runner Limited 4 wheel drive V6 AT takes about 7 Quarts of 5w-90 and about 4+ quarts for the transmission. Take care - Sami
@@Sami-bc9iv Good to hear Sami that our videos are inspiring you to turn wrenches. Have fun with the upcoming projects.
Thanks for the video Tim!!! I was able to do the flush by myself with a fluid transfer pump connected to the return line. Just kept pumping and adding. Your video was crucial getting me there though.
Hey Mike, good use of the fluid transfer pump. Sounds like a good technique. Thanks for the comment and Happy Wrenching!
It is definitely a good idea to have a spare owing O-ring or circle thing in my bobber, made a rubber or most likely silicone hey, thanks again for the videos Timmy Tim Tim!
Yes, it's a good idea to replace the o-ring that seals the reservoir to the pump. You're welcome! Happy Wrenching!
One of the best DIY instruction videos I have seen!
Thanks for the nice compliment Gary.
Timmy... Thousand Thanks...!!
The video is great....!!!
Make this process after the change kit of hidraulic steering box.. Your other video about this, helped me a lot.. I will recharge my card... and send you the beers... I'll be letting you know.
Newly... Thanks brother...
Regards from Venezuela...!!
Thanks our Venezuelan Brother!
Good video I did very thing you said, although after two bottles of brake clean my reservoir was super gunned up and I had to take the reservoir apart and scrap the screen clean, it was very gunked up after 320k miles. Also replaced the rubber black o ring at the bottom with a fresh one.
Thanks. Good job giving your power steering system some love.
Thanks guys. I've noticed a considerable difference in the steering of my 2002 TACO after doing this.
You're welcome Phillip. Glad it improved your steering.
Thanks for this. I had a spare pump laying around, took the reservoir off and had a look inside, noticed the filter was attached on the end of the inlet pipe with a split pin, so ended up taking the top off and giving it all a good clean, also replaced O-ring with a new one. It was not too bad inside, dread to think what the one on the car is like tho as the fluid is black. So i will swap pumps around, and drain the rest of the fluid from the rack and pipes.
Good job!
Your video is the best in TH-cam.. only problem I have is now I have a very small leak.
Glad you like our video. Where's your leak at?
Timmy The Toolman I think is coming from the O ring rubber..
Should I put different size O ring?(not bigger) maybe thicker one?
Excellent presentation. Descriptive, easy to follow and thorough. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the compliment. You're very welcome!
Hey, Timmy. Every repair I do on my 2002 Tacoma I reference your videos first. Can’t thank you enough for your service! I’m about to do my steering rack and my power steering pump. I’ve already watched your steering rack video and will definitely use it as a guide. Do you happen to have a power steering pump replacement video? Again, thanks so much, best videos out there.
It's great to know you reference our channel first. Thanks for letting us know that. We don't have a video for replacing the power steering pump, but it's not that hard of a job. Breaking free the high pressure line from the pump would probably be the hardest part, and you have to remember to buy a new gasket for the line connection. It's a special double line gasket.
Awesome, thanks. Just ordered up the parts. It took a good amount of effort to find the right gasket because all the fitment checks said the specific gasket I found was incompatible with my model, but I double checked with my local dealer and sure enough part 44327-30040 is the correct fit. For any one out there curious, I have a 2002 Tacoma crew cab, 5VZ, 3.4L, 4wd.
2001fordranger is my truck I couldn't do this job , because I couldn't find the way to do the flushing under the engine
I do my Highlander a much easier way in my opinion. As the car is running I take a syringe and remove fluid almost to the bottom. Then I add fluid back to the top and repeat the entire time the car is running and the fluid as you noted circulates very fast. Since there’s only 1 to 2 quarts total in the entire system running 4 quarts through this way essentially replaces the entire amount of fluid. Occasionally I’ll go and turn the wheel lock to lock during this process. Entire thing takes about 15 minutes and you don’t have to remove any hoses. After three or 4 quarts the fluid is bright red. I tried the way you were doing it originally but the return hose pumps so much fluid out almost instantaneously I found it hard to do it.
Yep, you're method is what we refer to as the "Turkey Baster Method". The difference is we turned the vehicle off when we were exchanging fluid out of the reservoir. We made a video about it. th-cam.com/video/GOb5yF2Xv8Y/w-d-xo.html. Have you ever checked the condition of your reservoir screen? If you've always had pretty clean fluid in your system, it's probably not that blocked up. If the fluid has been allowed to get pretty dirty at one time or another, that reservoir screen could be partially or mostly clogged. Another trick to keep your reservoir screen from becoming clogged is running an in-line magnetic filter in the return line to the reservoir. The extra filtration will guarantee that you're reservoir screen won't ever get clogged but you will have to replace the filter every 30k miles.
@@TimmyTheToolman thanks Timmy! Yes just replaced all PS line in the car due to a high pressure hose leak. Replaced suction supply line and reservoir at the same time. Broke open the reservoir at the seam at the bottom and the screen was entirety clean. This is a 220k vehicle. Must show great maintenance by me! Replacing reservoir was golden. Now I can see the fluid flowing/circulating in the reservoir and can see the level so clearly now. Just now finished running 1.5 quarts through it - had already done 3 quarts. Compared new with last syringe and you could not tell the difference! Thanks for the reply!
WoW, you did a really great job on that Power Steering Flushing and Screen cleaning. If you were close by, I would have you do my 2002 ford ranger power steering flush. You know that screen is plugged on it with 172,000 miles. Hey, a thumbs up job guy from western PA.
Thanks Bill. Glad you like the video.
I did this in 2020 hoping it would solve my problems on my 3.0 3VZ truck. I completely flushed the system, bled it, but the whining / squealing when turning left or right didn't really go away so I fully rebuilt the OEM pump with a $40 rebuild kit. It has about 5 rubber seals internally plus the shaft seal. Getting the pulley off and back on required some propane torch heat to expand it enough. Anyway, it worked, ..no more noise and my steering is good.
And it's actually a tricky rebuild too. The small internal vanes are lobed on one side and must go back in the right way.. very easy step to miss because you wouldn't notice otherwise. The 95+ Tacos / 4Runners may be the same or a little different. 95 and before have recirc-ball / worm gear steering not rack and pinion but the pumps, basic system, and process is very similar.
Secondly, some rebuild kits for these old Yota trucks (mines a 94 ex-cab v6 4x4 and I used Gates kit #350660) don't come with new copper crush washers for the banjo bolt so it immediately leaked once back together. The factory service manual doesn't even mention them. They are two washers; 16mm ID / 24 mm OD and 1mm thick on each side of the banjo bolt.
Also be very careful with the plastic Vacuum Control Valve, they can break easily and are $70. I broke a barb while rebuilding the pump but was able to use JB-Weld and beefed up both barbs with the epoxy. I saw in another video that if the VCV is bad it sucks in fluid to your intake. So if you are losing fluid either slowly or fast but see no leaks anywhere after a good pump cleaning, pull off the VCV hoses and see if they have fluid in the Vac lines. Use a q-tip to check. If so.. replace the VCV!
Lastly, the pump definitely needs to be running when moving the wheels lock to lock. Having them off the ground just makes it easier and doesn't eat your tires and stresses the system less but the pump and it's impeller vanes is what is circulating the fluid. The air which comes back through the reservoir is just burping the system and to do that properly all of the fluid has to be moving through the system under pressure.
The FSM also says to do all this with the engine running. This is why you do the lock to lock while flushing too, because it opens two different sides of the system. You have to see the full diagrams to really understand it. I think a good hack to not jack would be two 14" aluminum cookie pans that are buttered and just drive onto them. Sounds crazy but it would definitely work. And use a little hot soapy water to clean the butter off.
Thanks for sharing all that information. A video of that rebuild would have been super helpful. Did you happen to shoot any video of the process?
@@TimmyTheToolman I did! I shot everything. I'll edit and upload within the next week or two. I really need to start a channel. I have a ton of truck repair videos and other DIYs but I often get overly wordy and too detailed so I need to really edit them all down.
@@oldowl4290 I'd like to see the video and I don't care how wordy it is. I blab quite a bit myself if you haven't noticed. You should start a channel and let me know when you've posted it.
Another awesome video, I’ve been putting off changing the PS fluid on my tacoma but this just motivated me to do it this weekend , thanks for the clear instructions !
You're welcome and we're glad you like the video. If you can get a syringe with a short section of tubing attached to it, you could draw out more fluid from the power steering reservoir than the turkey baster can get out and it will lessen the mess you'll have doing this job. I wish I would have thought about it but I didn't realize this option until after we were done.
Get back to us and let us know how the job went for you. Happy Wrenching!
Good Stuff, Great Help, Good Tips 👍Thanks! Your only one so far that said there's a filter to clean or change😃
Thanks Darryl. Glad our video could help out. You're very welcome and we appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Very helpful video!! I was able to flush and clean as shown. Only had one hiccup with a rusted bolt for the air box.....the bolt on the fender mount snapped in half. Likely never removed on my 2002 4runner.....just fyi.
I'm happy to know our video helped you out. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Awesome video with lots of details. My 2000 Tacoma has 298K on it and I suspect this has never been done. This vid has motivated me to do this. I get a little bit of a grunting sound at start up when its really cold.
Hey Ryan, glad you like the video and it's giving you the motivation to perform this maintenance procedure. Read the comment I pinned for a couple additional tips that are something to consider. Also read the video description because we list all the parts we used for the job along with the torque specs. Please report back and let me know how it went. Happy Wrenching!
Your choice of information and delivery of that information is very good. This reservoir is very dirty so I'd price a new one (not Salvage) and replace the "O"-ring.
Thanks Joseph. We appreciate the compliment.
Pulled the reservoir, cleaned it, reinstalled. Topped off and bled the system.
Still getting a whine unfortunately...I thought maybe the screen was clogged and not enough fluid was cycling into the pump. It's extremely loud on cold mornings (25 degrees f) but seems to quiet down as the fluid warms up.
Hopefully this did the trick for colder mornings. We'll have to see or else I may have to replace the pump!
Also I only dropped one of the three bolts (the front small one) and of course it landed in the skid plates.
Great video!!
Jesse Vandermaas Hey Jesse, that's a bummer it didn't get rid of your whining issue. Starting looking at your local PickNPull yards or other auto wreckers for 3rd Gen 4runners and 1st Gen Tacomas so you can grab a used power steering pump for cheap. You can set up a search for PickNPull where they will automatically notify you when a vehicle that matches your search criteria pops up.
Probably too late but whining also means you got air in the system. Try bleeding the air out first before spending money
I love Timmys advice and have used his videos for reference on several jobs. But this one might want proceed with caution especially 230k plus 4runners. After completing this job my pump went Tits Up and couldn't properly run. I am sure my pump wouldn't have lasted much longer anyways.... but just be warned some things that haven't received maintenance since they were built are better off left alone.
Hmmm Your result doesn't make sense. Renewing the fluid and cleaning the reservoir would only help. I have a feeling your pump's life was just up and it failing after the job is a coincidence.
@@TimmyTheToolman yeah you are probably right
Thanks for the informative video. Why not clean the screen before doing the flush? I have always changed o rings. Although they may not be damaged, they do take a set, harden, and will not reseal properly. Your videos are always well done and you explain the steps very well. Keep them coming.
Glad you like the video Dan. My reasoning for doing the flush first is because if we clean the screen first followed by the flush, we may be trapping suspended particles in the fluid right back into our clean screen. By flushing first and having clean fluid in the system, you can guarantee you'll have a clean screen when the job is done. Since making the video, we had heard of people having leaks due to the o-ring tearing so we added a section in the video description suggesting replacing the o-ring and we provide the part number and link to buy one. I just flushed the power steering system on my 98 the other day which included replacing the o-ring as well as adding in in-line magnetic filter in the return line to the reservoir.
It's good to hear you like the way we're making our videos. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Great detailed video on a proper flush 👍. that 4 runner is super clean for the age here in the great white north they salt the roads so the rust is plenty. And the bloopers are 😃
Thanks. Glad you like the video. Yes, we are lucky to not live in an area of the country that salts the roads.
Did this yesterday. Thanks for the video! No more whine on those tight turns.
That's great to hear John. Good job getting it done. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Another top-notch video by Timmy. I learned a lot from your videos.
Thanks and good to hear you gained some knowledge from our video. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks for this great detailed video. One question though: Can you do the power steering flush just buy turning the steering wheel from one end to another end with the ignition key in ON position and without starting the engine?
Read the comment I pinned. It does work.
That’s what I was thinking. I flushed the power steering fluid with the engine off on my Escalade, so it should work.
This is a great breakdown and explanation of how to really clean out an old system. Stumbled on your videos late in the summer and am about to do this one on my '97 SR5. But as someone also here in the South Bay, the weather is putting things on hold a little longer this week. Thanks for such straight forward and detailed videos. Definitely have given me a solid outline of where to start on some future maintenance I'll be doing, too.
Hey John, glad you like the videos. You should make it to our next party. It will be sometime this Spring, most likely in April.
Right on, yeah, that's local of course so I'll have to try and do that. Finished this DIY today on my steering flush/cleaning. Big thanks again! Had no reason to second guess if I was doing it right after your awesome breakdown!
Lift the vehicle and while adding fluid turn the wheels back and forth with the engine, that will throw most of the fluid out of the rack and pinon, then start the engine without turning steering, then with the engine off repeat the process. I did it on my Lexus GX470 and only used about 2qts. Is very clean now.
Hey Christian, we now know about this as a viable technique. At the time of shooting this video, we didn't think you could effectively move the fluid through the system with the pump off. We added this as an optional method in a comment we pinned giving updates on the job as we learned them. Thanks for the comment.
Tim, you are an excellent teacher. Keep up the good work.
regards
Thanks! We appreciate the very nice compliment.
Thank you very much Sir! Your video was very helpful in flushing my power steering fluid. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge!
You're very welcome Tony. Great to know our video helped you out.
You are so correct about the fine mesh filter medium. It must be cleared of debris.
With regular fluid changes, this screen would probably stay relatively unclogged. But, power steering fluid is one of those fluids like brake fluid that people forget about renewing on a regular basis so it get's really dirty and ends up clogging the screen in the reservoir.
Outstanding topic brother Tim! This is by far the most overlooked fluid next to transmission and brake fluids. Excellent procedure of flushing and cleaning the reservoir. I really liked your hose kit and keep 4Running...
Thanks Brother Jake. We're glad you like the video. I'll keep 4running and Wrenching! Peace out.
~ The correct name for this elective procedure is _'steering fluid transfusion - type D '_ 😷👌
_{ excellent tutorial }_
Oh, just like a medical procedure. Sure, that works. Would a balljoint boot replacement be a "Scrotum Sac Replacement"? Glad you like the video.
@@TimmyTheToolman - 👌😁 Keep the patient healthy
Thanks me and my friend knocked this out 2hrs ..great tips
You're welcome and good job getting it done.
Great video as always. I completed this on my 99 4 runner. Just FYI, when cleaning the screen on the reservoir, use Xylene. Just block the bottom hole, prop it upright, and dump about 1/2 cup of Xylene in there. Wait 10 minutes. Empty it out and viola.... It will look like a new screen.
stonesthrow420 thanks for taking the time to comment and leave this tip! We will definitely try this next time. Sicmods!!!
I watch full ads when I come to your channel for help
You must know that the ads help us create more content!
Thank you. Your videos are always thorough. Looks like i will be doing some shopping...this is related to my next project which is to replace my original steering pump, return line, and high pressure line to my '90 pickup with the 3VZE.
You're welcome and thanks for commenting about how thorough our videos are. We want people to be successful using our videos and that's why we put some much detail into them. Good luck with your power steering pump and line swap.
The pump has a by-pass valve which is where the fluid goes when you are not turning the steering wheel or are fully turned to the maximum. When I heard you say you were not going to turn the wheels I did a face-plant... but I saw you edited the comment end where you decided to actually clean out the rack as well. Does that kind of pump have a filter on it? I have a Kia and it has one I found out in the bottom of the reservoir that I forgot (did not know it was there actually), and had to begin again..
This was a great video and helps a lot to watch through as it is full of good ideas in it!
Yes, the reservoir has a fine mesh metal screen as a filter. We cleaned it in this video.
@@TimmyTheToolman my add probably missed it.. LOL!!
@@mrstanskaggs1 No worries.
Thanks for a great video on this. I woke up to a whining and stiff power steering in my '01, so I have to do this job. Instead of clamping a bolt, when I want to plug a hose I just get a lag screw or other course thread screw, then you don't have to mess with cutting, clamping; the threads do the trick to hold the "plug" in place.
Glad you like the video and thanks for sharing the tip with plugging the hose.
Thank you Tim! I hope this fixes my stiff steering and weird stutter when i try turning while stopped haha
You're welcome. Let us know the result when you're done.
Thank you for this! I have a 3.4L tacoma and motivated and a little bit excited for this. You’re awesome!
You're very welcome. Good luck with the flush. Happy Wrenching!
wow pretty long video... thanx for all details very nice job... i think i'll gowing to do that this week...
Glad you like it Patrick. Good luck with the job.
I was worried this morning.. Steering response was pretty hard on startup, then went for a drive to a local store and it got better, not completely ok, but better. After getting out of the store, steering was on ok on startup.. maybe because the P/S fluid is warm now? From the Forum search it seems like a common issue on these cars. Hopefully this service will fix the hard steering on my 3rd gen. Your videos are invaluable, Thanks Tim!
Hey Mike, power steering fluid is one of those fluids people don't think about renewing, just like brake fluid is. So, the fluid gets old, deposits accumulate and get stuck in the fine mesh metal screen. Over time, the screen can get blocked up so bad that it starves the steering rack of fluid. If people renewed their power steering fluid regularly, this cleaning probably wouldn't ever be necessary. For sure cold ATF doesn't flow as well as warm ATF. As ATF warms, it thins out and the volume increases. This is why you have a cold and warm level on your auto trans dipstick and also on your power steering fluid dipstick. I'm guessing you're going to find a very blocked up reservoir screen when you check it out.
@@TimmyTheToolman Yeah that makes total sense. Looking forward to it. 👍🏻
@@Mike_44 Good luck with the job.
@@TimmyTheToolman Thanks brother 👍🏻I just realized I need a bigger/taller floor jack lol
@@Mike_44 Well, where are you trying to jack under? Most floor jacks can reach the areas necessary to get the wheels off the ground.
Tim you are a perfectionist, a rare find wish you were near me.
Thanks for the nice compliment Greg. We try to do a thorough job when wrenching on our rigs and other people's rigs. Come to San Jose, California and you can be my neighbor.
Ive got a question for you timmy: if you replace the pressure lines, is a flush still necessary? Im also doing my rack. Since ill have clean lines and a new rack anyway, im just not sure if i need to flush it out. Im sure my screen probably does need cleaned though. My fluid is black and smells really burnt. Its pretty nasty. I really appreciate you taking the time to document all your maintenance adventures with these! Ill use this and the one you made on replacing the rack to help get my power steering back in shape!
If you're replacing the lines and the rack, there would be no need to flush but I would definitely clean the reservoir screen. If your fluid was black, that means you filter is probably clogged.
@@TimmyTheToolman Ive got no history on my truck, but from what I can tell, its been pretty mechanically neglected. Ill go clean the screen and just fill it up. Thanks Timmy!
@@alexhafko5667 Smart decison.
Great video! I have flushed my power steering a few times over the years but it is very helpful to now know how to clean the filter screen if/when necessary. Motivating me to flush the system again, you are right it is an easy thing to overlook.
Thanks Dave. After seeing how dirty Jax's power steering reservoir filter screen was, I'm going to check out the reservoir on my two 3rd Gen 4runners. I just bought another 3rd Gen on New Years Eve. It's a 98 Limited 4x4 with an e-locker. Only 131,000 miles and it wasn't crazy overpriced like most are in Northern California right now. Picked it up for $6500. I searched for over a year for another 3rd Gen after my Subaru Outback died. I'm stoked my search is over.
Take it easy Dave and Happy Wrenching!
Congratulations on your new 3rd gen! Nice find, it is getting hard to find a decent 3rd gen anymore for a fair price. I have a 99 SR5 4X4 4Runner with the elocker and 4.30 diff ratio. Bought it new and it has been a great trouble free truck. 104,000 miles and the only repairs have been the MAF sensor, Air Fuel sensor, shocks, brakes and tires. Replaced the timing belt and water pump at 100,000 and the old timing belt still looked pretty good. Love these trucks!
Yep, they are great vehicles and they will be seen on the road for a long, long time. I'm thinking a high percentage of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and beyond owners are going to be the type that will be wrenching on these 3rd Gens. A person that knows how to wrench or that is willing to learn will see value in one of these rigs even if the mileage is really high. I'm thinking as time goes on, our videos will become more valuable because more people will be needing our videos to keep their rigs on the road and on the trail. Happy Wrenching Dave!
Hey Tim have you considered doing a power steering pump replacement video? Maybe how to change the seals and lines? The pump isn't being sold anymore new so I'm wondering what the options are
Yes, we have considered it but nobody we know has hit us up for help with this job.
My man, I love these highly detailed videos!!!
Good to hear Mike. Thanks!
Very good thinking. I like your initiative. Great job man
Thanks.
Awesome video! Very detailed and clearly explained. You’re the real mvp!
Thanks Chris. Glad you like the video and we appreciate the kind words. Happy Wrenching!
When I did my flush, I just jacked up the front and turned the steering wheel lock to lock. I didn’t need the engine running to cycle through the fluid. Once I saw nice fluid, I stopped.
That's interesting Minh. When we did the Steering Rack Swap for Sean's friend Dave, we couldn't get the fluid to move very much to work air bubbles out of the system with the engine off. We had to run the engine so the pump could move the fluid and work the air bubbles out of the system. So, we figured the best way to move the fluid through the system for the flush was with the engine running. Thanks for sharing this. Maybe I'll give it a try when I'm due for another power steering renewal on one of my own 3rd Gens.
Timmy The Toolman I read it off the t4r forums and it worked great on my 99. Lock to lock cycled it and allowed me to get clean fluid eventually. It was still a messy job ha. My belts squeaked due to oil spilling all over them but tons of soapy water fixed that. Thanks for the vid.
Ok, it's good to know this technique works. Happy Wrenching Minh.
@@TimmyTheToolman is always good to learn something my concern is if every reservoir have that little filter to clean and maybe could be better to buy new reservoir once you removed . in my car mustang 2010 is around 40 bucks and I think is a lot a easier to remove than the one you remove in this video .great video sorry but I drank a beer why you were working hahaha nice job.
@@miguelena40 Yeah, I don't know what a new reservoir from Toyota would run but definitely more than a couple cans of brake cleaner. I think it's worth the time to just clean the old reservoir and not send it to the landfill.
man i missing working on 4runner. Even though im rebuilding a cummins diesel truck now, i still find myself referring to some of your videos for a quick logic run on certain systems.
Do you still have your 4runner?
@@TimmyTheToolman yep still got her, thanks for asking. I have been trying to sell it for 6k for over a month now. But no bites. I think I got about 9ish just in parts alone in it. She is good little truck now.
@@cameronp5728 Gotcha. Do you think you'll get another one or are you done with 4runners?
@@TimmyTheToolman I will definitely get another. In time, probably when I'm not looking and I stumble upon a single owner, with 4x4 5 speed and E locker. All original. That's like the holy Grail for 3rd gen 4runners
This Cummins I have is pretty interesting. It's one step away from holy Grail. It was the last year for the 12 valves. And its the only 12 valve model where the rear doors open.
1998 Dodge Ram 3500, with a 12 valve Cummins, P7100 injector pump, 5 speed NV-4500 transmission. But it's 4x2. That's what makes it one step away from holy Grail.
You would appreciate this engine & injector pump and the complete mechanical nature of it. Google if you get bored some time.
Sorry rambling over lol gotta get this damn thing back up and rolling!
@@cameronp5728 Sounds like a fun project. Good luck with it.
I know this is old now but I wondered if there was an additive you could have sent through to help clean it and then reroute the line back into the res can. and just let it run a while then empty and repeat. Avoiding the gunk from the res can is a good idea too. Perhaps a temp filter in that line setup to catch gunk before it got to the pump etc. even a garden hose type strainer may have helped catch big chunks. There are other screens available too with much smaller holes. Anyway, I liked the video. I need to do this on my 2003 Taco 4WD, along with many other things. I'm at 122k its been treated nice but some things overlooked.
Don't know of an additive that would have helped clean out that screen. Even if there was an additive that strong to be able to clean out the filter screen, what would it do to the pump and steering rack seals? Anyway, good luck with the job.
Great video. Only one mistake. When bleeding air out of system by turning wheel back and forth at the end of procedure, the reservoir cap must be off so that the tiny air bubbles can escape. You cant bleed air off with the reservoir cap on ?
Uhh, I don't think that's 100% correct John. It's not like there's serious pressure over the fluid in that reservoir that would stop the air trapped in the system from escaping into the vapor space above the liquid. If that were the case, any time you took the cap off, you'd hear an escape of pressure or fluid would spray out. I think there's plenty of vapor space above the liquid for the minute amount of air you're working out of the system. Plus, I don't think that cap provides a perfectly air tight seal because it doesn't have to be. The only way the fluid would leak out is if the vehicle was at a serious tilt, like it was on it's side from a 4wheeling accident. So, I understand your thought process, but I'm pretty sure the air in the system can work it's way out with the cap on.
Tim, absolutely love your videos. The spray cleaner worked good for you but I am wondering if you plugged the bottom hole with one of your silicon plugs and then filled the reservoir about half way with some camping fuel or IPA and then just kind of lightly shook it if that would work? Just wondering. Great work as always!
If you give that technique a try, let us know how effectively it cleaned the reservoir screen. We're happy to know you like the videos we are making. Happy Wrenching!
Hello Timmy. Thank you for the great video. I need to clean the reservoir on a Honda Civic 1995. Is it the same procedure since the top openning on my reservoir is way smaller than the one showed on your video?. Thanks
As long as you can get the nozzle of the brake cleaner in there and you can shine light through the bottom to see your progress, I don't see why it wouldn't work.
How does the steering feel? I did this on a couple of Hondas and the result was very good. Felt like new.
The result was good. Jax said the whining noise went away and his steering felt much better.
Hey Tim,
I know this video is quite old at this point but would you happen to know about how much atf fluid you used to flush and fill the system? I’m going to do this on my first gen taco (3.4 v6) soon and want to make sure I get enough fluid. Great video as always by the way, I flushed my coolant the other day and your video on that helped a lot.
I don't exactly remember how much we used, but to play it safe, just get 4 quarts and you should have plenty to completed flush the system out. If you have extra it's not like it will go to waste because you could use it for a future flush or use it for your auto trans if you have an auto.
@@TimmyTheToolman awesome, thanks man!
@@ethangordon6592 You're welcome.
Thanks, Timmy. I'm going to do ths with my wife's truck ASAP! Great video.
Glad you like the video. Let me know how it goes. Happy Wrenching!