Power steering fluid

Ok, I have a 2018 Tacoma TRD off road with alil under 52k miles. The power steering fluid is low and has never been flushed or changed let alone topped off. the dealership is saying the will not top it off with fluid cause they will contaminate it. They said they have to flush the system to fill the system. Had anyone run into this issue, is this a common issue or a thing that actually needs to be done?

 

Run!

More seriously...

Is the truck at the dealer for this issue alone or was this "discovered" during part of another service?

First, is the fluid just low in the reservoir, that is still showing on the stick and just below the "add" line? If so you can refer to section 7.3 Do it Yourself Maintenance (pg 461 in my 2017 manual) for the easy procedure.

If the system is dry and the pump is making bad noises you add fluid the same way obviously but must address the question of where did the fluid go?

Who has been doing your routine maintenance if the fluid has never been topped off, that is part of a regular oil change.

 

That's gotta score pretty high on my 'what a crock' list of statements.

Someone was out fishing that day about the time you came by.




Warranty or recall is the only reason to ever darken the door of that place again.

It's foolery like that that creates poor reputations for repair shops. And hurts the overall business in the long term, including the honest techs who try to make a living working there.

 

When my steering rack began to leak on my tundra, i filled the reservoir with some leftover atf i had. After all i had nothing to lose. This was going on for several months adding more, and more tranny fluid till the leak got way worse. Then it was adding this lucus power steering stop leak stuff. That worked good for about a month to slow the leak till my driveway said no more, its time to replaced that rack.
I doubt adding new power steering fluid to the old has any affect to contaminate the system. I've done the same with brake fluid with no ill results.

 

Many moon ago, I had a Volvo 240 wagon and it developed a power steering fluid leak down at the rack & pinion assembly. Being too poor to spend money on fixing it (it needed a complete new rack and pinion assembly) I would drive it to work and put an empty margarine tub under the car to catch the fluid. When I went to leave work to head home, I would pour the fluid back into the reservoir, using a small hand held kitchen strainer to filter out the dead bugs. I did this for several years without any issues before I sold it.

Moral of this story; top it off with some quality power steering fluid and have a nice day.

 

I applaud your commitment.

 

Ahh yes. The contamination of old fluid by adding NEW fluid. You definitely dodged a bullet there. Good thing they didn’t top you off..
Im kidding, that’s the second dumbest thing Ive heard from dealership this week.

 

A DIY PS flush is simple enough to do. Topping off is even simpler.

 

Does that also apply to the fuel tank, or washer fluid, or coolant?

 

i have a 50ml syringe that i suck out all the PS fluid in my reservoir and just top off with new fluid. It's not a 'full' flush, but doing this every 3 months or when i remember, keeps the fluid looking pretty new and prevents me from having to do a full flush down the road. I've done this for the past 10 years with all my cars and never run into any significant PS issues, leaks, etc

 

I think from the factory, they aren’t filled to the max, maybe to minimum or a little below. I would honestly just flush the PS fluid my disconnecting the return line, running it into a container, plug the reservoir, add new fluid, and then just start turning the wheel with the truck jacked up. Then just keep adding fluid until the fluid coming out of the return line is clean, then you’re good.

 

My method too. Vac out and refill the reservoir every oil change (or two) keeps the fluid nice and clean without much effort.

 

I just do a couple of drain & fills at the reservoir with a suction gun every 5 years or 60k. It takes Dexron III transmission fluid. My local dealers carry Mobil ATF D/M which is compliant to the Dexron III standard.

If the fluid is low, though, check your steering rack boots for signs of seepage. You may need a new rack. Known problem with 2nd gens that Toyota hasn't fixed with 3rd gens.

 

I also do that in the brake master cylinder

 

What fluid do you guys recommend? I’ve read around and some people are saying don’t use synthetic in the power steering and some people are?
Never thought power steering would be a hassle topic but here I am… hassled.

 

Dextron III Atf

 

Currently using Valvoline MaxLife for Transmission and PS

 

Same

 

Glad I found this thread, appreciate the info. Planning on doing a bunch of fluid refreshes as I hit 30k miles and this was on my list.