Ok, slight update...
Flushed my power steering juice using this method (post#2):
Changing Power Steering Fluid - advice needed - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums
It's SUPER EASY, and not that messy. Biggest chance for a mess is taking your short hose off the return inlet on the reservoir. Just keep a finger ready to stop it off when you take the hose off.
The ID of the hose is in fact 3/8" so just like the Toyota Nation thread use:
3/8 - 3/8" barbed hose coupling
3/8" barb w/ 1/4" male pipe thread
1/4" female pipe thread
teflon tape
1/2" OD x 3/8" ID vinyl tubing. A short piece to plug the return inlet, the long one to mate to the return line and go to your catch container
- Used a bottle pump to get out the old fluid from the reservoir.
- Jacked up front end to turn wheel and pump out more old fluid (didn't get much)
- hook up hoses and fill reservoir with new fluid.
- turn wheel back and forth to flush fluid with the pump. Keep the reservoir topped up. Watch until fresh fluid is running into your catch container.
- button everything back up and get the reservoir level back to the correct range
- I turned the wheel from lock to lock a few time to ensure any air is out. I turned on the truck to listen for bad noises from the PS pump. All good.
- put some fluid in the truck in case you need to top off or something afetr you drive a little
See the toyota Nation thread for more pics. Here's a shot of my set up.
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The bottle pump is better than a turkey baster because the hole in the top of the reservoir is small. Or rather, it was too small for the baster I have.
BTW, I was at a Starbucks and asked if they had an old, empty flavor bottle ready for the trash (to get the pump for this), and they just gave me a new pump still in the wrapper. The girl behind the counter said they had tons. Another case of "you never know until you ask..."