I really like to always research on my own but since store hours are limited, 2 questions hopefully someone can help with. What’s the fluid capacity of the ps system? if I’m changing the whole rack can I just let all the fluid drain out when I disconnect the old rack or will that it make it hard to bleed the system afterwards?
Power steering rack replacement
- Thread starter Bootboy
- Start date
According to fsm, the capacity of the ps system is 0.9 quarts of dextron II or III atf fluid.
I don't think you'll have any issues bleeding the ps system if you let it all leak out. You'll just have a ton of air pockets to bleed out. No worries though, with the wheels off the ground, just keep turning the steering wheel from left lock to right lock with engine off until most of the big air pockets are gone.
Check level and start the engine.
Clean the ps screen while the fluid is drained if you haven't done so already.
In my case, that 20 yo small o ring on the ps reservoir was hard due to age and created air bubbles while the engine was running. Had to drain the ps system again to change out that o ring pn# 9030111016, $2.61 online.
I don't think you'll have any issues bleeding the ps system if you let it all leak out. You'll just have a ton of air pockets to bleed out. No worries though, with the wheels off the ground, just keep turning the steering wheel from left lock to right lock with engine off until most of the big air pockets are gone.
Check level and start the engine.
Clean the ps screen while the fluid is drained if you haven't done so already.
In my case, that 20 yo small o ring on the ps reservoir was hard due to age and created air bubbles while the engine was running. Had to drain the ps system again to change out that o ring pn# 9030111016, $2.61 online.
Davedavid4runner
New member
Just to make this a little more recent here are some of my thoughts after completing the job:
1. My runner was originally from Ontario so almost every steering component was rusted. No, spraying it or heating won’t help. It just strips the head of the bolts. Because of this, I just ended up taking the grinder to a lot of it - sway bar links (damn those Allen holes to hold the shaft), the hose fittings to the rack (they sell both high and low pressure lines for around $150 from Amazon “A premium”. Both fitted into the rack really well and the bends took a little manipulation to reach the rack but at the end of the day WAY better than fighting those fittings. Or cut them at the rack and get a shop to repair with new ones.
2. Use an air hammer to lift the entire intermediate shaft off of the existing steering rack. Don’t worry about taking the rag joint out, this step seemed a bit unnecessary. This was the only way I was able to get mine to budge since it was so rusted. Make sure you tie the steering wheel up with the seat belt so it doesn’t damage your clock spring.
3. Grease the shaft on the new steering rack before it’s installed and get someone from above to hammer down on the intermediate shaft with some sort of rod (we used a jack handle) when you’re ready to bring it back down on the new rack. MAKE SURE THE BLUE AND YELLOW LINES ARE LINED UP. Mine were faded from the factory and took us a while to figure this out.
4. In my opinion if you could find someone to install for under $600 in Canada then jump on it. I do enjoy working on my rig but with limited working room and all the rust I was really getting fed up towards the end.
1. My runner was originally from Ontario so almost every steering component was rusted. No, spraying it or heating won’t help. It just strips the head of the bolts. Because of this, I just ended up taking the grinder to a lot of it - sway bar links (damn those Allen holes to hold the shaft), the hose fittings to the rack (they sell both high and low pressure lines for around $150 from Amazon “A premium”. Both fitted into the rack really well and the bends took a little manipulation to reach the rack but at the end of the day WAY better than fighting those fittings. Or cut them at the rack and get a shop to repair with new ones.
2. Use an air hammer to lift the entire intermediate shaft off of the existing steering rack. Don’t worry about taking the rag joint out, this step seemed a bit unnecessary. This was the only way I was able to get mine to budge since it was so rusted. Make sure you tie the steering wheel up with the seat belt so it doesn’t damage your clock spring.
3. Grease the shaft on the new steering rack before it’s installed and get someone from above to hammer down on the intermediate shaft with some sort of rod (we used a jack handle) when you’re ready to bring it back down on the new rack. MAKE SURE THE BLUE AND YELLOW LINES ARE LINED UP. Mine were faded from the factory and took us a while to figure this out.
4. In my opinion if you could find someone to install for under $600 in Canada then jump on it. I do enjoy working on my rig but with limited working room and all the rust I was really getting fed up towards the end.
