Eh up all,

When / if it stops raining I’m going to change my PS fluid. Mines a red/ brown colour so I guessing it needs a change sooner rather than later🤔. I’ve done it on my Volvo in the past and from what I’ve read it looks the same.

So I’ll ask first before messing up and assuming.

I think the system holds circa 4l is that correct ?

Option 1

Buy LR or Ravenol PSF - 5 litres anyone any preference or just get from Euro or Opie

Simply extract the brown/red coloured stuff in the reservoir with a pump until it’s nearly empty and refill
Run car a day and repeat as often as it takes to turn the reservoir fluid a nice green colour ( I’m assuming it’s green rather than red)

Option 2

Get car of ground on ramps so front wheels can freely move
Extract the brown/red coloured fluid from reservoir
Disconnect return pipe ( don’t know which it is yet but sure I’ll figure it) and how easy is it to get at
Plug reservoir
Duct return pipe into waste canister
Fill reservoir with new fluid
Manually turn steering wheel without starting car
Rotate wheel whilst old fluid is pumped through, keep topping up new fluid in reservoir
After a number of turns new fluid should flow through
Reattach the return pipe to the reservoir without spilling fluid 🤔🤬
Check all connections and top up

Can I get the fluid as clean using Option 1 and how long will it take ?
How easy or not is Option 2 I did it on an XC70 and it was ok but seems tight for space on the L320

As always all help is greatly appreciated

Cheers all

I recently started option 1. I extracted fluid from the reservoir, filled with new, started the car and turned the steering wheel lock to lock a few times. Shut off the car, and repeated the aforementioned about eight times. I got about three reservoir refills per liter. My fluid was black when I started, it’s now moved to a transparent brown. Figure I’ll repeat the same process when I do the rear wheel bearing that’s starting to sing me the song of its people.

I’m using Texaco CC PSF 14315 as originally spec’s. 2011 RRS HSE Luxury 3.0 TDV6 Fuji White on Ebony/Ivory
Born and raised in So Cal. Moved to the UK in 2018 for a few years. Now in Poland and looking at moving back to the UK.

Just do option 2. Disconnect a pipe low down.

Get front wheels off ground.

While drained:

Move steering lock to lock. That will. Get a bit more out.
Remove tank, and clean the inbuilt filter out with petrol.

Meant to be green fluid

Eh up

NoExpert ( hope you’re good 👍) - thanks for that I’ll check out the fluid spec, guessing at this method it’s going to take 16-24 changes or equivalent or circa 8 litres to get it fully changed. I’m still not decided which route to take on this job.

Andy k - cheers for that appears to be more or less what I did on the Volvo, I think it’s circa 4-5l using this method to flush fully. Glad you confirmed colour, mines looks like red ATF, although might just be the green fluids been contaminated as it’s been in so long !

Can I confirm that the larger diameter pipe under the reservoir with the snap clip is the return pipe and the smaller diameter fill.

Cheers all - will be cracking on with it hopefully this weekend if I can get the fluid on time

Any other tips more than welcome 👍

Cheers
Col

Eh up Col

Cheers I thought it was that one from reading on here and other research 👍

Will now consider access and options

Cheers again

Eh up all,

I’ve been thinking 🤔 ( possibly over thinking 🤯)

I’ve got an oil extractor that I just got to do my oil change, instead of going to the hastle of jacking up my car to get the wheels to turn freely whilist pumping out the system ( I don’t intend to start the car to pump the fluid out just manually turn so I can control the flow better) can I simply attach the return pipe to the extractor and draw the fluid out of the system?🤔

I’m guessing that if I only put low pressure in then express the fluid via the pump it won’t knacker any seals in the steering system just gently draw the fluid out whilst I steadily refill the reservoir with clean fluid

Will this approach work - All thoughts welcome

Haven't got around to it yet, but have a spare reservoir cap here which I was going to fit to a 5 liter container to, then fit that in place of the existing cap temporarily to in effect make a 5l reservoir to fill with fluid, then remove return hose and feed it into a container, blank the reservoir return and bleed as per w/shop manual, hopefully be able to change fluid all in one go without the reservoir running dry. Not sure if it will work or not, only one way to find out I guess.

Cheers
Col

TTR. I would just keep it simple. Let gravity do its thing.
You don’t have to get the wheels off the ground.

It will probably be difficult and too much effort to connect the oil pump pipe to the PAS pipe.

Eh up

Col - I get your drift on what your thinking, plus avoids the issue of running out of fluid in the reservoir

Andy K - interesting never thought of that as I anticipated disconnecting under the reservoir and thought it would need pressure to flush through. Probably worth a go, just want to try and avoid the hassle ( been lazy I guess) of jacking it up to get wheels of ground as I’ve done before

If the Fluid arrives will give it a go this weekend and update my thread as always

Cheers all

Eh up all

Fluid did not arrive 🤬

Looks like it’s next weekend all being dry !!!

I only managed to loosen the clip on the small pipe under the reservoir- can anyone confirm my thoughts this is the return pipe and loosen the pipe tube ?

I’m assuming the larger diameter pipe on the angled reservoir pipe is the fill one .

Cheers all

The small straight outlet on the bottom of the reservoir is the return, the larger angled one is the suction feed supply to the pump.

Cheers
Col

This bloke's method seemed to do the trick OK:

Eh up all

Col - cheers I thought it was

T - funnily enough came across this the other day

Today I just prepared a bung for the reservoir return using some 10mm ID tube about 75mm long, I then stuffed a tyre dust cap in the end with some sikoflex for good measure - bung made 👍

I’ll attempt next weekend but it’s forecast yet more rain 🤬

Checked my fluid agin - it’s definitely a black brown NOT green !!!!!!

The first few pulls on mine were also a nasty black, almost used diesel oil black.

PSF is also hygroscopic like brake fluid. 2011 RRS HSE Luxury 3.0 TDV6 Fuji White on Ebony/Ivory
Born and raised in So Cal. Moved to the UK in 2018 for a few years. Now in Poland and looking at moving back to the UK.