Power steering fluid change
Power-steering fluid is not a fill-and-forget item: it ages, darkens, accumulates wear particles and loses its properties.
Symptoms
- Steering feels heavy, then light, as the fluid foams after losing its properties.
What's included
- Old fluid lubricates less effectively, increases pump and rack wear and foams during operation, making steering alternate between heavy and light. We drain the fluid, flush the system, replace the reservoir filter where fitted and refill with the correct fluid type: confusing mineral and synthetic fluids damages seals. We then bleed the system with the wheels raised to remove air. We also inspect hoses and boots, since emerging leaks are easiest to spot at this stage.
Additional checks
- Power-steering reservoir filter (where fitted)
- Hoses and boots — checked for early signs of leaks
Why it matters
Old fluid lubricates worse and speeds up pump and rack wear. Mixing mineral and synthetic fluid isn't allowed — it damages the seals.
More details
Power steering fluid isn't a "fill it and forget it" item: it ages, darkens, picks up wear particles, and loses its properties. Old fluid lubricates worse, increases wear on the pump and rack, and foams during operation, which makes the steering feel heavy one moment and light the next. We drain the fluid, flush the system, replace the reservoir filter if the design includes one, and refill with the correct type of fluid — mixing mineral and synthetic fluid isn't allowed, it destroys the seals. After refilling we bleed the system with the wheels off the ground to remove air. At the same time we inspect the hoses and boots: this is the easiest stage to spot the start of a leak.
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