Is a Power Steering Flush necessary???

[Mr. Baseball]

I will be calling Toyota shop foreman I know to ask about "Toyota power steering fluid". Thanks for the advice on Lucas with conditioners. I'll check it out.
It was not a Toyota mechanic that recommended the Valvoline Maxlife Dex/Merc ATF (synthetic). The Valvoline covers Dex III as well as Toyota III/IV/WS and others and also says it contains seal conditioners.
My first power steering flush on this one and uses ATF. I flush my Dodge with standard Valvoline power steering fluid as manual states.
I will post Toyota's answer. Should have done that first but trusted mechanic, same person I bought it from actually. Thanks again.

 

[Mr. Baseball]

After reading posts again and the leaking racks due to non conventional fluids I am definitely concerned about the synthetic maxlife atf I used. Looks like flush with conventional dex III unless Toyota says otherwise.

Obviously I am not fluid expert, just trying best to maintain my 4Runner.

On another note I had front and rear differential gear fluids and transfer case fluid changed at dealership and they said that was conventional but the gear oil part # is actually a synthetic 75w90. Not specified in manual.

I should have followed manual anyway, thought was an "upgrade" and get more miles out of system. Only been few days, hope no leaks. None now. Even if not necessary I'll sleep better without the synthetic. I think...

 

[Mr. Baseball]

I just read Dexron III is synthetic. Then in another area it said it is mineral-oil based with additives. Conventional or synthetic blend perhaps. Didn't think this would end up so complicated.

Please offer inputs on using "synthetic" ATF for power steering when you can. Now very confused and know steering components are expensive. Plastic reservoir was over $100.

Learning about dexron and groups and starting to understand. Just don't know if synthetic on bottle is for marketing. Thanks.

 

[Gatafly]

I just read Dexron III is synthetic. Then in another area it said it is mineral-oil based with additives. Conventional or synthetic blend perhaps. Didn't think this would end up so complicated.

Please offer inputs on using "synthetic" ATF for power steering when you can. Now very confused and know steering components are expensive. Plastic reservoir was over $100.

Learning about dexron and groups and starting to understand. Just don't know if synthetic on bottle is for marketing. Thanks.

Your over thinking it and making it more complicated. Your Synthetice ATF that is Dex III compatible is a great choice so stop worrying.:

 

[Snesley Wipes]

To anyone who plans to buy a new reservoir...dont! I flushed mine out for the first time @ 75k...had original dirty Toyota stuff in there and the reservoir was stained black and from the dried old fluid. Looked really bad. I did the flush with Mobile 1 Synthetic ATF and the day after the flush, the reservoir looked brand new. The Mobile 1 cleaned out the inside of that thing like no other.

Hope this saves someone some carsh!

 

[BlackWorksInc]

After reading posts again and the leaking racks due to non conventional fluids I am definitely concerned about the synthetic maxlife atf I used. Looks like flush with conventional dex III unless Toyota says otherwise.

Obviously I am not fluid expert, just trying best to maintain my 4Runner.

On another note I had front and rear differential gear fluids and transfer case fluid changed at dealership and they said that was conventional but the gear oil part # is actually a synthetic 75w90. Not specified in manual.

I should have followed manual anyway, thought was an "upgrade" and get more miles out of system. Only been few days, hope no leaks. None now. Even if not necessary I'll sleep better without the synthetic. I think...

I don't know if you're referring to me, I didn't say that the leaks were caused by the fluid used exactly. I tend to see a lot of the leaking power steering racks on the 4Runners (and other models like the Tacomas and such) and wondered if fluid might be an issue, but I have yet to see a rack fail yet, more often than not just leaking at the tierod seals.

To anyone who plans to buy a new reservoir...dont! I flushed mine out for the first time @ 75k...had original dirty Toyota stuff in there and the reservoir was stained black and from the dried old fluid. Looked really bad. I did the flush with Mobile 1 Synthetic ATF and the day after the flush, the reservoir looked brand new. The Mobile 1 cleaned out the inside of that thing like no other.

Hope this saves someone some carsh!

I don't know who said to replace the reserviour, I just cleaned mine out in our solovent tank with a rush for cleaning glasses. Its easy to remove and soaking it in warm water with dish soap and using a glass brush should clean it great, but its nice that the new fluid did its job!

 

[Mr. Baseball]

Thank you BLACKWORKSINC. I was concerned about leaks due to fluids but you set me at ease.

As for reservoir replacement, mine was bad shape and it was better for me to replace than try to clean with my limited resources. Didn't mean to suggest that replacement is necessary.

Thank you all for your help and knowledge.

 

[Mr. Baseball]

I just want to share my experience with switching to a synthetic based atf for my power steering flush (maxlife). I am at around 93k and don't think it was ever flushed. I have been checking every couple days. After 2 weeks fluid was as black as before flush. I know I'll take heat for this but after calling Toyota and being told not to use synthetic and seeing how dirty fluid was I flushed again, but went back to conventional dex/merc that is dex III fluid. The maxlife definitely cleaned system but I wonder if the additives are too much. After 2 weeks new fluid still looks new. Do you flush twice? Should I have just flushed again with maxlife?

 

[AZ07Runner]

I used Redline D4 ATF in the PSP in my old 93 Toyota p/u (owned since new). These pumps had issues with overheating and had to have it rebuilt twice before I switched to synthetics at ~115k/12 years ago. Never leaked or rebuilt since and it has 206k.

I did the drive and flush method. Suction out the reservoir, fill to marks with new ATF, drive around a few days, and repeat. I used about 2 quarts using this method. Occasionally I'd only replace the ATF in the res. just to keep it good.

 

[chitown40]

Mr. B,

You truly are overthinking/worrying about something that is so trivial. If there was no such thing as synthetic Dexron III, your power steering would work just fine and last just as long. Change the fluid when it gets dirty, flush out the system completely (which may include doing it more than once), and monitor the condition of the fluid as you would do with all the other fluids under the hood. Truthfully, I've never replaced power steering fluid in most of my Land Cruisers unless I had the system apart for something or I had a leak. A few of the cruisers hadn't had the P.S. fluid touched for 10-15 years - and they all worked find. If you run significantly larger tires than stock and are putting a real strain on the system causing it to run hotter, then you want to change your fluid more often and run an auxiliary cooler. If you're stock, then change it at the recommended factory intervals. Toyota did a pretty decent job engineering their vehicles, so good in fact that we loyalists keep buying them even with the occasional "known" issue or too. Trust them with their maintenance schedules and procedures.

There are a lot of very smart people on these forums who like to "overthink" and "overtweak" their vehicles. Kudos to all of them since that is how we get all of our great mods. But sometimes it's ok to just go by the book and not nit-pick the details.

 

[Mr. Baseball]

Thank you. Yes I fluid fanatic. Reassurance of sometimes needing a second flush is what I was hoping to hear. For power steering I am just going by the book since I rarely tow and this one rarely leaves pavement. Thank you again. Thank you everyone.

 

[Mr. Baseball]

Understood. Thank you. Tendency of mine when it comes to fluids. I was a service station mechanic in late 80's. Everything was simplified; power steering fluid for power steering, 90 weight gear oil, green coolant, etc. This is kinda new for me. I am just gonna go by the book and keep it simple. Thanks again. Thank you everyone.

 

[PWGUNNY]

'04 V6 122,000 miles. I've never touched my power steering fluid.

 

[fishtizzy]

My wife's 4runner had 141k miles on it and her PS fluid was dirty - we bought it used in 2011 with 105k miles on it. We had never taken it off road (other than dusty roads). She drives mostly highway. Anyway, wasn't paying attention the 1st time I flushed it and used regular PS fluid :doh:. Steering felt heavy afterwards and realized you're supposed to use AT fluid (Dexron 3 I believe). So I pulled the resevoir and cleaned it by hand (because it was dirty) and flushed with about 3-4 quarts of fresh AT fluid through the system. I did it on the ground which made it tough, I would recommend lifting the front end off the ground. There are a ton of write ups out there, which ever works best for you. I did it the quick and messy way but it worked all the same.

Before:

After:

 

[zimdba]

My wife's 4runner had 141k miles on it and her PS fluid was dirty - we bought it used in 2011 with 105k miles on it. We had never taken it off road (other than dusty roads). She drives mostly highway. Anyway, wasn't paying attention the 1st time I flushed it and used regular PS fluid :doh:. Steering felt heavy afterwards and realized you're supposed to use AT fluid (Dexron 3 I believe). So I pulled the resevoir and cleaned it by hand (because it was dirty) and flushed with about 3-4 quarts of fresh AT fluid through the system. I did it on the ground which made it tough, I would recommend lifting the front end off the ground. There are a ton of write ups out there, which ever works best for you. I did it the quick and messy way but it worked all the same.

Before:

After:

[/QUOTE]

Does that reservoir come apart by chance? If so, how did you do it? It looks like two separate pieces of plastic, but I'm sure I'd ruin it if I tried to force anything.

Thanks.

 

[fishtizzy]

Does that reservoir come apart by chance? If so, how did you do it? It looks like two separate pieces of plastic, but I'm sure I'd ruin it if I tried to force anything.

Thanks.

It does look like two pieces but I figured the same thing and didn't want to break it either - I used some dish soap, de-greaser, q-tips, an old tooth brush and about 45mins soaking time. I even went as far as pouring some de-greaser directly into the reservoir, used my fingers to plug all the holes, then shook it around to get the inside really clean. It was a bit overkill but I figured while I had it off, might as well. The nice thing about elbow grease is its's free

 

[zimdba]

It does look like two pieces but I figured the same thing and didn't want to break it either - I used some dish soap, de-greaser, q-tips, an old tooth brush and about 45mins soaking time. I even went as far as pouring some de-greaser directly into the reservoir, used my fingers to plug all the holes, then shook it around to get the inside really clean. It was a bit overkill but I figured while I had it off, might as well. The nice thing about elbow grease is its's free

OK, thanks. I was able to get the scum off of the lid/dipstick. However, I used degreaser and a brush. I wasn't as patient on the reservoir, since I wanted to get finished. I used degreaser on that as well, it just didn't do much. I can see the fluid level & marks so that's going to have to be good enough.

 

[Oldcrustybritches]

I say yes and the owner's manual I think has it in there somewhere on the mileage/time frame. I saw someone post how water gets in there and yes it does (water+p/s fluid=bad). I personally do mine every 5 years with coolant.

 

[ben550]

I have 1 and 3/4 quarts of Valvoline DEX/MERC transmission fluid left over from my last PS flush: Valvoline/Dex/Merc automatic transmission fluid 798153 at AutoZone.com

Want to flush a second vehicle but can't find the same fluid. Store does not sell it anymore. I only need one quart to add to what I already have to do the job. Do you think I can mix this: Valvoline Import Multi-vehicle (ATF) Automatic Transmission Fluid ( 1 Quart) 788699: Search no more for the best Mercon/Dexron AT Fluid at Advance Auto Parts

With what I have? I think that would be more of a synthetic blend... not sure if that is ok or if I should just buy three quarts of the newer stuff.

 

[nevada]

Damn, just checked the manual and sure enough you're right. My last two vehicles both used Brake Fluid for their power steering, but both were cars. The 4Runner is my first "truck" so I guess I shouldn't have assumed they were the same.

nope. they didn't.

I have 1 and 3/4 quarts of Valvoline DEX/MERC transmission fluid left over from my last PS flush: Valvoline/Dex/Merc automatic transmission fluid 798153 at AutoZone.com

Want to flush a second vehicle but can't find the same fluid. Store does not sell it anymore. I only need one quart to add to what I already have to do the job. Do you think I can mix this: Valvoline Import Multi-vehicle (ATF) Automatic Transmission Fluid ( 1 Quart) 788699: Search no more for the best Mercon/Dexron AT Fluid at Advance Auto Parts

With what I have? I think that would be more of a synthetic blend... not sure if that is ok or if I should just buy three quarts of the newer stuff.

check Carquest for dex/merc. it should be the same stuff, I believe Valvoline is their supplier also.
that is what we use here at the shop.