how to bleed powersteering.....
 

hey guys i was wondering how the heck do i get the air outa my powersteering :( i changed out my reservior and now i got air in my lines... :shakes head: do i have to bleed it? or will it get worked out as i use my car more often...? the weird thing is... when i drive her cold no sound.... then when she gets like 180 degrees.. she whines just a bit..... it irritates me because i know that that was not there before this... ive heard that you just jack the front... and turn side to side to the stops until you get the foam out..... i know there is air in my system because when i turn off my system... i see tiny lil bubbles in my sight glass for my reservior

o and if helps i just put regular STP power steering in the reservoir... not a whole lot... but about half a bottle of the small size was that a no no?

This is always how I've done it. Put the front on jack stands and slowly turn the wheel lock to lock. Add fluid if necessary, repeat. It takes a while if you've got a lot of air in the system. I don't have my manual handy, does the Z use PS fluid or ATF? I know Redline makes a good PS fluid.

350Z/370Z both use DEXRON VI ATF in the power steering systems.

From the FSM: It can be a pain in the ***. I overflowed my reservoir twice after replacing the high pressure line and pump on my 350Z. I use RedLine D6 ATF in the race car 350Z and in my 370Z.

do i hold it at the locks? or no?

no dont hold it there. just all the way right and all the way left and keep doing it for a while

Just for a second. Too long and you'll burn up the pump. Since you put PS fluid in instead of ATF, I'd empty the reservoir and start over with the ATF.

ok kool...

thank chuck....

i actually tried bleeding it but my friend left out the part i had to jack up the front of the car... he told me to hold it for 3 secs i did it 10 times do you think i messed up the pump :(

Follow the instructions I posted. They're from the FSM. :)

Your pump will be fine. No worries.

I doubt you did any damage. A few seconds won't kill it.

repped both of you :D

Someone should make this a DIY to add to the tech section.

Hey simota1, might be a stupid question but did you completely flush out all the old PS fluid or did you just empty the reservoir and refill?

emptied out the reservior and just filled it.....

btw so i just finished bleeding my pump... fluid didnt go down much... so im thinkin there wasnt much air to begin with... the fluid level did go though... about 1/4 of an inch on my canister... ill empty it out again and refill with some valvoline dextron VI.... just for good measure... i hope it doesnt make that noise anymore... just to make sure i did it left to right stop... with engine off like 15 times and then with the engine on 8 times holding it 1 sec on the stops and then 3 sec intervals with the stops again... i just hope it dont make that noise anymore... it really bothers me since i know it didnt do it before

you guys think itll still make noise? :( and did i do it right? lol

so i bleed it again after i filled it with the new atf once again just to make sure and i noticed something... when i turned left to right with the engine off it was smooth no binding or whatsoever

Now since i was outside my car turning the wheel left to right, the second time i decided to sit in the car while doing the left to right intervals with the engine ON....when i turned it left to right the wheel shakes turning left to right... is that normal? it kinda freaked me out so i stopped trying to bleed it because i dont think there is air in the system no more

i put my z on the floor and turned the wheel and it dont shake.... so why is it while the car is in the air it shakes? could it be because there is no load?

If its shaking or groaning, you're not done bleeding it yet. It always seemed to take me longer to get all the air out of the system than I expected.

crap... so there is still air in the system :( son of a...... if i dont bleed whats left will it work it self outa the system? or is that wishful thinking :roflpuke2:

When I get around to getting a custom bracket fabricated for my slick new PS reservoir, I will definitely do this.

Sounds like it if it's shaking... btw, my understanding is you shouldn't hold the wheel at full turn for more than 5 sec or you will stress the pump. Three seconds like you did is probably perfect, but don't be surprised when it takes 20+ times back and forth. If it still has air in the system after 20-30 tries, turn the wheels all the way one direction and turn the car off for about 30 minutes. Then do the exact same thing in the opposite direction. Hopefully, you should be good to go, but if you still see bubbles, you may need to do the first step turning the wheel back and forth a few more times (should not take 20 turns this times). Good luck man :tiphat:

i never knew it would be this much of a hassle to bleed the system lol

Yeah, I'm not sure why that air isn't gettin out of there. I just did a PS flush this summer, super easy.

You should really flush the system, just draining the reservoir and refilling isn't getting all the old fluid out of the lines and steering rack.

I should have made a DIY thread when I did mine :mad:...

:( well i did it 40 times total left to right stop while engine was off.... I did it slowly too and then did it again with the engine on holding it on the stops three second intervals about ten time..... It feels way better now than wen it did yesterday it doesnt make noise anymore only at the very end near the stopbut its very faint...... it doesnt bother me so much but i was wondering will that tiny air pocket work itself out eventually?

Also i dont see any bubbles forming from the reservior like yesterday.....

How can we drain the steering fluid from the system without making a mess?

Get a 20oz cheap plastic bottle, something to suck out as much old fluid as possible, jack stands, rags, pliers, and some sort of plug to jam into the opening when you disconnect the skinny hose ( high pressure i believe).

Jack the front of the car onto jack stands ( makes it easier when turn your wheel left to right). Suck all the fluid out of the reservoir. Once that is done, disconnect the skinner or the two hoses and jam something into the opening ( but careful not to break the plastic, just need something so the new liquid won't drain out. I used some random piece of wood and a rag). With the skinner hose disconnected slip it into the 20oz bottle (Thats where all your old fluid will go). Fill up the reservoir with new PS fluid, Get back in your car and turn the wheel left to right ( I would do 2 cycles) check on the fluid in the reservoir, make sure it doesn't run dry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. (Before each refill dump the old fluid in the plastic bottle out, PITA but makes it easier to notice when the new fluid is coming through). Continue the cycle until all the old fluid is out the system. Attach the skinny hose back to the reservoir and fill to the lines.

There are easier ways to go about this, But this is a simple cost effective way i did my PS fluid change before my track day.

If you have any question feel free to shoot me a pm. Its late and I'm half retarded so if anything is hard to follow i'll be glad to clear things up.

Just google vacuum bleeder and find the kind that has a cap that will fit on top of your fluid reservoir. Should be able to pick one up for about $25 and it will get every tiny spec of air out.

I gotta re-check my fluid type/as I remember that (Mercon V) was my equivalent...also was I Bi*** unscrewing the dang P/S cap.

(Dex VI),,,don't know why i had mercon v on the brain.