Jump to content
Mopar1973Man.Com LLC
  • Welcome To Mopar1973Man.Com LLC

    We are a privately owned support forum for the Dodge Ram Cummins Diesels. All information is free to read for everyone. To interact or ask questions you must have a subscription plan to enable all other features beyond reading. Please go over to the Subscription Page and pick out a plan that fits you best. At any time you wish to cancel the subscription please go back over to the Subscription Page and hit the Cancel button and your subscription will be stopped. All subscriptions are auto-renewing. 

Power steering overflowing


Recommended Posts

Typically I run the engine for short spans of time to flush the steering gear box and the hydro boost out of old fluid. But I normally pull the line from the back of the power steering pump and cap the pump nipple to keep fluid in the pump. Then route the return line to a waste bucket. Fire up the engine. Then while it running I bump the steering wheel left to right to open the power valve. This only takes a few seconds to pump out. So shut down will happen rather fast. Then reload and tab the brakes on the next run this flushes the hydro boost out. The I hook back up the return line and re-fill. Typically cost about 3-4 quarts of fluid to get it flushed out.

 

Typically I run the engine for short spans of time to flush the steering gear box and the hydro boost out of old fluid. But I normally pull the line from the back of the power steering pump and cap the pump nipple to keep fluid in the pump. Then route the return line to a waste bucket. Fire up the engine. Then while it running I bump the steering wheel left to right to open the power valve. This only takes a few seconds to pump out. So shut down will happen rather fast. Then reload and tab the brakes on the next run this flushes the hydro boost out. The I hook back up the return line and re-fill. Typically cost about 3-4 quarts of fluid to get it flushed out.

Thanks,,, looks like I'm going to be doing it soon, when i fix or replace P/S Pump etc... where does this pressure come from that overflows the P/S pump??????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DID YOU RUN ENGINE WHILE DOING THIS OR IS IT NECESSARY, WHICH LINE DID YOU TAKE LOOSE FROM HYDRO BOOST??

Run engine, jack front wheels off ground,  disconnect return line from hydro boost and add a hose on hydro boost to catch fluid in a container, work wheel completely back and forth. The only reason I pulled it off the hydro boost is because the return lines on the ps pump don't like to come off without cutting them. Its the same line your just catching it before it goes back into the ps pump. I didn't pump the brakes but I'm sure that would speed up the process. accelerating engine and turning wheel will help the fluid circulate faster

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the fluid is black then its oil pressure getting into the Power Steering system. If the fluid is normal honey color then the power steering fluid might be just old needing changed.

black,,  very black, very...thats why i first thought oil leak, then i felt how thin it was an thought slight fuel leak maybe at f/p Gauge sender and fuel is saturating oil film left on oilpan from oil change and filter dripping when changed

 

wasn't doing my oil changes last yr, had my buddys garage do it..."not the tidiest bunch in the world thats for sure. :soap:

Edited by rburks
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Owner

Mike   ,, my engine oil is black to0 and thin as sh$#,,,i just changed it 3- weeks ago and ant put but maybe 100miles on it...

 

Fuel contamination? Wrong oil used? I'd consider changing again yourself. I know it not cheap to dump 3 gallons of oil out. But the insurance is priceless. If it's fuel contamination you should smell diesel fuel in the oil. Most likely a injector issue if so. So you would have to resolve the injector(s) issue first.

 

is it possible that it could leak back the other way too???? maybe under certain times the engine pulling vacuum someway against p/s seal/drive cover

 

Very rare have I heard of engine oil entering the power steering pump and visa versa. This is why I asked about the P/S fluid and its color. It might be pushing oil into the P/S pump but I'm not sure how? :shrug:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Staff

was your P/S fluid that you drained out Black ??

 

 

No just semi dark. I think the problem stemmed from mixing two different P/S fluids, one synth and the other original dodge stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

YEAH THAT COULD BE MY ISSUE as well, mine was dark semi to brown, after i got to flushing it...

 

Fuel contamination? Wrong oil used? I'd consider changing again yourself. I know it not cheap to dump 3 gallons of oil out. But the insurance is priceless. If it's fuel contamination you should smell diesel fuel in the oil. Most likely a injector issue if so. So you would have to resolve the injector(s) issue first.

 

 

Very rare have I heard of engine oil entering the power steering pump and visa versa. This is why I asked about the P/S fluid and its color. It might be pushing oil into the P/S pump but I'm not sure how? :shrug:

  Well thats the first thing i thought when i pulled the dipstick but i didn't smell any,, so few hrs later I'm reading thru the post and seen your responding post, got me to think"n :think:  :think:  "hey" maybe thats whats up with my engine oil,,cause I'm telling ya' it hasn't been ran 100miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

YEAH THAT COULD BE MY ISSUE as well, mine was dark semi to brown, after i got to flushing it...

 

  Well thats the first thing i thought when i pulled the dipstick but i didn't smell any,, so few hrs later I'm reading thru the post and seen your responding post, got me to think"n :think:  :think:  "hey" maybe thats whats up with my engine oil,,cause I'm telling ya' it hasn't been ran 100miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well time will tell, i changed oil twice, once with walmart oil then ran around while today and last nite, now I'm draining bk out replace with Delo as always and change filter

 

flushing P/S fluid too

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK   I've been flushing the entire P/S sys and brake booster this evening....Super easy way to do this,.  THANKS  01cummins4ever  :thumb1:

I've put about 3-qts valve p/s fluid and ....and unfortunately 1/2qt brake fluid :doh: messed up and picked it up off shelf by mistake,' had it settn beside P/S Fluid' same color can same brand::uhhh :cookoo:

 

just now starting to change color and give some indication of clearing up..."NASTY STUFF" i would describe the color as a deep translucent brown with a hint of gray pearlsnt undertones  LOL :think:  :think:

Edited by rburks
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Got it done, PUT 1-gal and 1/2 P/S through the system before it cleared up... Still wasn't chrystal clear but was pretty close c,..had just the slightest color to it ,just enough that you could see it....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Owner

Here you go. I finally got my power steering flush out today. Just like I always do. I pull the power steering gear box return line the one closest to the fender off the power steering pump. Now using a piece of junk tubing I slip over the nipple to keep the fluid from running out.

post-1-0-08741100-1435625314_thumb.jpg

 

Then routed the hose down to my waste bucket.

 

post-1-0-02272800-1435625333_thumb.jpg

 

Do add a extra chuck of hose on that to keep the mess down.

 

So I jump in the cab. Fire up the engine and rocking the steering wheel left to right just enough to open the power valve in the gear box. Just as the pump whines shut down the engine. Now load it up a second time do the same thing again and shut down. Then 3rd time place your foot on the brake and pump it and flush that out again when it whines shut down. Now re-hook up your return line and refill to the rim full. When it starts it will draw some of that back in. Then shutdown and allow the foam to settle. Check your level again in about 30 minutes.

 

Takes about 15 minutes to do this job.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...