V70 heavy steering

[simboc2004]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

Ended up using about 1.5 litres. What's left over can do for top-ups (if needed) or even another flush down the line.

The reservoir doesn't hold much, approx 0.5 litres. I knew one can wouldn't be enough based on the condition of the old fluid, so bought 2 litres to be safe.

I've ordered 2 litres

cheers, Simon

[Allgoode]

seems to be a worthwhile thing to do.
Have power steering oil at the ready along with some other things lined up once weather improves

[reggit]

Originally Posted by reggit

Handy thread to find. Mine works ok, but is making a fair whining noise which can occasionally be felt on the steering wheel.
Suspect issues with the power steering system, after reading this thread I ran out to the car to check the fluid. It’s black and I reckon will be the original 15 year and 180000 mile old fluid.
Well I know what I’m doing this weekend now.

I’ve flushed 1 litre through mine, I should have bought more.
The initial batch of fluid that came out was black and stank. It’s still black and will need more changes, however the whining noise has gone and the steering is smooth again - so was obviously the old fluid causing it.

I’ll be getting a couple more litres and slowly renewing it over the next few weeks - letting the car get some use between changes. Don’t think it’ll ever be green again though!

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by reggit

I’ve flushed 1 litre through mine, I should have bought more.
The initial batch of fluid that came out was black and stank. It’s still black and will need more changes, however the whining noise has gone and the steering is smooth again - so was obviously the old fluid causing it.

I’ll be getting a couple more litres and slowly renewing it over the next few weeks - letting the car get some use between changes. Don’t think it’ll ever be green again though!

To do a real flush the reservoir needs to lifted up to be able to disconnect the return line from underneath so that the used fluid goes to an external container and only new fluid is fed back into the system from the reservoir. That way you are going to get a pretty thorough flush rather than the partial easy way of only sucking out from reservoir every so often which will be a mix of old and new fluid each time.

There was a YouTube video showing the same somewhere.

[Kev0607]

Here's a video that shows the flushing procedure.

Note, lift the car off the ground so the wheels can turn freely (don't start the engine, ignition in position 2 will do). Don't let the reservoir run dry.

+ YouTube Video

Originally Posted by reggit

I’ve flushed 1 litre through mine, I should have bought more.
The initial batch of fluid that came out was black and stank. It’s still black and will need more changes, however the whining noise has gone and the steering is smooth again - so was obviously the old fluid causing it.

I’ll be getting a couple more litres and slowly renewing it over the next few weeks - letting the car get some use between changes. Don’t think it’ll ever be green again though!

It will go green eventually, but you may have to repeat the drain/fill process several times as you mentioned. The sucking fluid out and adding it really isn't a proper "flush". The flush is shown in the video (5 minutes onwards approximately).

You'll probably need another 2 litres of fluid at least for best results, based on how dirty it still is after a 1L drain and fill that you did.

I opted to do the drain and fill on my Dad's V70, as I had no 3/8 pipe to go from the return line into a waste container (so I couldn't do the proper flush). However, I did remove the reservoir from the engine and gave it a good clean inside with brake cleaner, then proceeded with the drain/fill.

There's a little filter inside the reservoir that can get surprisingly gunked up. Its worth taking the reservoir out to give it a proper clean. However, the hoses underneath the reservoir were a nightmare to get off. The guy in the video above makes it look simple, but in reality, those hoses can be a right pain on an older car. I guess his is a newer vehicle, so the hoses/plastic connectors aren't brittle yet.

If you want clean fluid in one go, remove the reservoir from the car and clean it. Then do the flushing method shown in the video. You just need enough fluid on standby.

If you don't fancy that, you can just do the drain and fill method like you have done, but it'll take several times to get it green like it should be.