wrong fluid in power steering--help

Man , I am so tired of being stupid!!! I"ve been topping off a leaking P.S. res. with ps fluid and I just read that that is a BAD thing!Dextron 111 is the thing. How do I thoughly drain this sucker hopefully before it's too late? I would think that removing the return line on the rack might do it but do I dare start it to do it or max wheel rotation? Sometimes I really think owning one of these is too much effort. Then of course you drive it one time when all is good and that feeling goes bye-bye, eh?!!!?

[Beav]

I have to flush quite a few other p/s systems on other cars at work for the same reasons. Basically it goes like this:

Have about 6 qts. of ATF open and ready to pour.
Disconnect the return line from the p/s pump and extend it by whatever means into a suitable catch basin/pan/jug/etc.
Plug the return nipple at the pump.
Fill the pump with the correct fluid, start the engine and pour about 5 quarts into the pump.
Stop the engine and return the system to its normal configuration.
Top off the pump and you should be good to go.

It's kind of a PITA but really not as bad as it reads.

Thanks Beav, thought it could be overcome. Are there any problems from having it in there that might come up? I'm planning on changing the o-ring while I'm at it.

[Beav]

Doubtful that there will be any damage from a short-time dilution. Some cars with aluminum pumps won't tolerate it for very long though.

[kuoh]

The rotational parts in the SVX's pump are iron or steele, so it's probably ok.

KuoH

[ensteele]

Did someone say Steele?

Wow! These o-rings were the pits. All 5 of them were brittle and one deformed so I guess I'm glad I looked. You guys said they could be replaced with standard ones but these are all square edged. Are they really or are they just deformed? It would seem like regular ones would fit ok. Just checking before I put in the wrong kind.

[kuoh]

Yeah, yeah...I thought it looked funny when I typed it, but it passed the spell checker.

KuoH

Originally posted by ensteele
Did someone say Steele?

[kuoh]

I'm guessing you're talking about the o-rings inside the pump? Yes, they're supposed to be round in all respects when new. I don't know about using generics since I used the OEM replacements.

KuoH

Originally posted by 2 times 4
Wow! These o-rings were the pits. All 5 of them were brittle and one deformed so I guess I'm glad I looked. You guys said they could be replaced with standard ones but these are all square edged. Are they really or are they just deformed?

[Earthworm]

I've been running PS fluid in my SVX for well over a year now. Works good for me.

Hey! Don't tell me that now that I made a mess of my drive and ruined a pair of pants! I changed the fluid out and it really looked like it needed it, though I suppose blowing it all out with all that air probably changed it's appearance alot.
As for the o-rings, I spent about an hour at two hardware stores going through them to get comp. sizes. Everything seems to be functioning fine. Five for $1.85. Postage would have been more than that. It is difficult to size them correctly though with the old ones broken and misshapened. I caution to get an extra, each side of what you might think, if you're not real sure cause it's easier than running back and forth to the store and they're cheap.




What if there were no hypothetical questions?