The power steering on my J-reg Rover 416 Gti doesn't work very well when the engine is cold, especially when the revs drop. The fluid is black and the reservoir is almost full. Will it do any good changing the fluid?
Thanks.
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JB, I assume that your power steering takes ATF fluid? This should be a translucent light-red colour and if yours is black it seems likely that there is some trouble with the seals. In that case I doubt if simply replacing the fluid will do any good.
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I have seen this when the wrong fluid has been used to top up and the pipes ( flexibles have started to perish internally. Remove the fluid as per the manual and refill with the correct oil and give it a go for a while If the seals are away then there will not be much life left as Dizzy says but is worth a try, if the system performs better change the fluid again after 1000 miles and see if it settles. Regards Peter
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As long as the rack is not leaking it is certainly worth a try replacing the fluid. I have heard of people doing it and improving steering performance. In Volvo circles it is thought a useful service item every 100,000 miles.
You need to flush it through. The exact procedure will depend on the design - ie integral reservoir or separate. Basically you disconnect the return (non pressure pipe) and plug the hole in the reservoir. Direct the pipe into a container. Then while the engine is idling gently move the steering wheel and have an assistant top up the reservoir. Keep going until the emerging fluid is clean.
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Try draining/syphoning some fluid out and replacing it with Slick 50 power steering fluid.
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It could also be that someone has already added a molybedenum disulphide loaded additive to the oil. This would turn it black (Molyslip it's called, comes in a green & white syringe). You could test for this by putting a sample in a jar and leaving it for a week to see if the particles settle out.
May also be that someone has cooked the pump. Holding the steering at full lock stop you will hear a lot of hissing and pumping going on. The pump has nowhere to pump the fluid to in this instance and so it heats up very quickly. Most pumps are specified to last 30 seconds under these conditions. So if a previous owner used to do a lot of 47 point turns or sitting at junctions on full lock waiting for a gap, then you may have a duff pump.
I'd try getting another pump from a breakers and use good quality new oil too.
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