DIY powersteering flush

[03pilotONE]

cant find any DIY powersteering flush.. any out there? would like to do mine..

[jarizzo]

I've seen the process somewhere before, maybe on Alldata DIY. It sounded like it would be messy. If I remember it right, this is the basic process:

1. The hose that runs from the PS cooler to the reservoir is the return line. Disconnect it to drain the reservoir, then plug up the return line on the reservoir and leave the cooler open.

2. Hook up a hose to the cooler and run it into a bucket to catch the PS fluid.

3. Start the engine and shut it off again as soon as fluid stops flowing from the hose.

4. Fill the reservoir with fresh fluid and start the engine again. Same as before, shut it off when fluid stops flowing from the hose. The fluid will probably still be dirty the second time you start the engine. Repeat the process of filling the reservoir and starting the engine until the fluid from the hose is clean.

5. When the fluid starts running clean from the hose, hook up the return line to the cooler again, fill the reservoir, start the engine, and pour fluid into the reservoir with the engine running until the level stabilizes.

6. Shut off the engine, fill the fluid to the full mark, put everything back the way it was.

7. Start 'er up and check for leaks.

*** NEXT TWO STEPS ARE OPTIONAL ***

8. Drink beer and swear about its mother until you don't care about the leaks or burned up power steering pump any more.

9. Take Pilot to dealership for repair.

They key is not to let the pump run dry for more than a second or two. You could probably do this with 2 people, one pouring fresh fluid in and the other starting and stopping the engine on command. It would take less restarting that way. I have no idea how much fluid it takes or what you should expect as far as making a mess or what size hoses, etc. Maybe someone will chime in here with more complete thoughts or a better process, but that's the basics anyway.

Of course this all begs the question of why it needs to be done... Does the fluid smell burnt or are you having steering issues?

John