2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission steering fluid/brake fluid

[MJaynes]

hi, my truck is getting a little age... i would like to change both brake and power steering fluids. questions are,1 what is the easiest/best ways to do this. 2 how much capacity do each have. 3 what are the best fluids to use?

also, do i need any special tools. would like to try and get something done tom. afternoon. thanks and happy easter,mike

 

[MJaynes]

anyone?... ... ... thanks,mike

 

[Nate]

Bleed the brakes a ton of times, it will flush out all the old fluid.



Steering...



Disco a return line and a pressure line. Return line in clean fluid, pressure line in another bucket. Or you could just siphon out the fluid in the pump resevoir, though that's not all the fluid.



I just use whatever is cheap. Walmart Supertech or whatever. Oil is oil pretty much.

 

[DavidC]

One of these are nice for the brakes. Makes it a one person job in about 1 hour taking your time. I just did mine yesterday after doing it 2 years ago. Previous to that I had not flushed them. It is amazing to see how nasty looking the old fluid looks like in only 2 years. Looks a little darker than red wine and this is in Arizona with low humidity. Some where I read this should be done at least every 2 years. The brakes definately work better after the flush. The model I have is the 0250.

http://www.motiveproducts.com/index.html



Dave

 

[rweis]

I replaced my OEM bleeders with speed bleeders and just make sure brake fluid container is full and crack the speed bleeder (hose to a collection jar) and gently pump the brakes. NOT full strokes or I think you can screw up the ABS. Just short little easy strokes. Check the color of the fluid going into the collection jar and repeat until you get clean clear fluid. REMEMBER nice and easy, gentle strokes and make sure to keep the brake fluid container full. I use Valvoline Syn Power Synthetic brake fluid.



The speed bleeders have a check ball in them so when you lossen them a little and pressurize the brake fluid line the check ball unseats and passes fluid. When the pressure in the lines goes to zero, the check valve ball reseats to keep air from getting into the line. When you get down with that brake then just tighten the speed bleeder up nice and snug.



Bob Weis

 

[rotohead]

I'll second the speed bleeders... had them on my last three trucks and they make bleeding brakes a snap. Also go with any of the 5. 1 brake fluid products out there. Just make sure you purge all the old stuff out. It's worth spending alittle more money using extra fluid.
While you're at the power steering fluid flush it is the best time to install a filter in the return line (Magnafine PS fluid filter 3/8", $20) will make the fluid and pump last much longer.
Chuck

 

[EdK]

Valvoline PS fluid

I would recommend Valvoline Synthetic Blend PS fluid. I sucked out the old stuff in the pump with a hose and "turkey baster. " I did this a couple weekends in a row to maximize the percent of new fluid. My '99 was getting a little lazy in cold weather and the fluid change cleared up the problem. Quite a few guys on the forum use the Valvoline.



Ed

 

[TBartlett1]

Whenever I work on disk brakes I push the pistons in completely which pushes all the brakefluid into the master cylinder. I then syphon the fluid out and refill with new fluid which keeps the system dry and clean.



As far as the power steering goes I do the same here, syphon the old fluid out and refill. You will need to do this several times to replace all the fluid in the system and it only takes a minute with no mess. At every oil cxhange it can be done within a minute or two.

 

[Loren]

Mike,



Brake Fluid Procedure:



1. I agree that SpeedBleeders make the job much easier. Otherwise it requires two people. I assume that you already know how to bleed the brakes. You should have about two quarts of brake fluid on hand. This will be enough to allow for one or two mistakes. Do not mix DOT 5 fluid with DOT 1-4 fluids. I use Valvoline SynPower semi-synthetic fluid.



2. With a turkey baster, remove all the brake fluid you can from the master cylinder. Clean the reservoir as well as you can with a CLEAN rag. Do not leave lint, threads, or anything else in the reservoir. Don't spill brake fluid on anything. It will remove paint. I use rags around the master cylinder and on the fender to catch any stray fluid.



3. Bleed each wheel until clean fluid comes out. DO NOT ALLOW THE MASTER CYLINDER TO BECOME EMPTY. It's easy to see when the fluid is clean if you use a clear plastic tube inserted into a clear jar.



4. Refill the reservoir. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.



5. Keep in mind that brake fluid collects moisture and goes bad over time. Change this fluid once a year or so.



Power Steering Fluid Procedure:



1. Jack the front wheels off the ground and support them with jack stands. Disconnect the negative (ground) wires from both batteries. This will prevent the airbag from deploying in case a sensor gets jarred. Disconnect both the supply and return hoses from the power steering gear. Position them in a bucket. Start the engine and run it only until fluid is no longer flowing from the lines. Do not run the engine with the power steering pump dry (no fluid).



2. Reattach the hoses to the gear. Refill the power steering pump as much as possible. You won't be able to properly fill it without running the engine, but allow some time to elapse between top-offs and it will eventually get mostly full.



3. Run the engine again for a brief time while slowly turning the steering wheel fully right and left. Top off the power steering pump. Repeat as needed to top off the pump. This will not only get the reservoir full, it will also pump some of the dirty fluid from the steering gear into the reservoir.



4. Repeat steps 1-3 as many times as you want to ensure that the system is flushed with clean fluid. I would guess that you will require about two quarts of fluid for each thorough flush you perform. I've never done this procedure; when I flushed my system, I was installing a new gear so I didn't have to flush the gear itself.



5. When you are satisfied that the system contains clean fluid, top it off as described above. For this filling, be sure that you have turned the steering wheel from full right to full left at least a dozen times. Check for foaming/bubbles in the reservoir. Wait until the foaming subsides and top it off.



6. Drive the truck a short distance, turning the steering wheel from full right to full left. Top off the power steering pump again if required.



7. Carry power steering fluid with you for the next 20-100 miles just in case you need to add any later. Check the fluid level every time you start your truck for a while. There may still be some air in the system that will work its way to the reservoir.



Good luck,

Loren

 

[Hemiless]

Speed bleeders

The Speed bleeders I've been reading about in this thread sound pretty cool, where can you buy them at?

 

[MJaynes]

thanks guys, i think i'm gonna try to change a least one fluid every week for the next few to get back on track. thanks again for all the ideas... . i second it on where do ya get the speed bleeders? mike

 

[rotohead]

The Speed bleeders I've been reading about in this thread sound pretty cool, where can you buy them at?

http://www.speedbleeder.com/

 

[Hemiless]

Thanks I guess I should have googled it.

I went to their site to check it out and all I can say is how come I never thought of that. :{

Are most of you running the stainless ones or the zinc plated models? And have you found it necessary to buy the thread sealer?



I'm definitely ordering these for all my vehicals. Oo. Oo. Oo.