How do I go about doing this on my 02 z28?
When I start the car in the mornings there is a noise when I turn the steering wheel, more so when done to the right. Last year it did the same thing and I just simply needed a little more fluid and it went away. This year however I added fluid but the noise is still SLIGHTLY there, usually just when the wheel is about to be fully turned.

 

how many miles on your car?you rack O-rings mite be leaking.I just use a small hand held pump and remove all the fluid from the reservoir and refill with the correct amount of clean fluid.maybe try some power steering restore fluid to quiet it down.

 

I have about 155k on the car.
I was thinking about doing a flush and then addng a lucas additive and refilling with new fluid.

any other suggestions?

 

Anyone else have anything on this/suggestions?

 

I've emptied and refilled the steering fluid reservoir 4 or 5 times in an attempt to change it out without taking anything apart. I've been adding the Lucas stuff, but it still moans a bit after it warms up when turned side to side while stopped.

 

The fluid can stay in there for 10-15 years.....its most likely just the pump and it may not ever be quiet. Flush might help..........

Here's my write up for the complete flush and fluid replacement:


Power Steering Fluid Flush:

You and 2 friends.

Jack up the front of the car and put it on jack stands so you can turn the wheels left and right.

Engine and fluids….COLD.

Remove the hose that attaches to the bottom of the reservoir. Immediately cap that port with a vacuum port type rubber cap so the fluid doesn't pour out. You can buy assorted cap kits at the auto parts store. Or you can use a 2 foot piece of 3/8" heater hose to quickly slip on the port and just point the other end up higher than the reservoir cap so none comes out. Tape it or clamp it in place.

The hose you just removed from the reservoir.......Point it down under the car into a drain pan. This is the hose either coming from the factory cooler (if you have one).....or its coming from the rack (if you do not have the factory cooler). Either way, doesn't matter.

Have a friend hold that hose into the pan and keep his thumb over the end and wait there. The entire flush is a matter of 2 minutes.

Have another friend with 4 new OPEN bottles of PS fluid ready to start dumping it into the reservoir.

You get in the car and start the engine.

Your friend removes his finger from the hose end and lets the fluid shoot into the pan. As you turn the wheels FULL right and left have your friend pour new fluid into the reservoir as the level drops. It could drop fast so be ready to pour. Fluid will come shooting out of the hose into the pan.

As soon as the friend holding the hose sees clean new fluid coming out into the pan.............stop the engine.
(if the friend that is pouring fluid in ever sees the reservoir about to run dry because he cannot pour it in fast enough, simply have him tell you to shut the engine off. Top it off and start the engine again. Don't let it run dry.)

Put the hose back onto the reservoir, clamp it. Top it off with PS fluid.

Your done.

CHECK to see if during this project you spilled any power steering fluid onto or into the alternator. If you did, simply drench it with WD-40 or SeaFoam spray to clean it. Then rinse it real good with hose water. Go for a 10 minute drive, take a bottle of fluid with you in case you hear any noise you can pull over immediately and top it off. Then come back and check the level one more time. Its fine to take the cap off when its hot. Top off the fluid if needed.

.

 

Holy **** LS6427 you're the ******* man. You just answered my questions and just made me so much more comfortable doing this

 

From the dead. Just did this method. Replaced the leaking factory PS cooler with the hayden 402 and deleted the stock one. Put in a turn-one pump. Massive amount off coolant in my PS rack. Left the old pump hooked up, pulled the return line to the reservoir and dumped it into a oil drain pan. Flushed 4 qts of the cheapest stuff I could find. Put new lucas PS fluid in. took two bottes and had a third on hand just in case.

Wanted to replace my rack too but could not get a replacement in time and it wasn't leaking. Bottom line is everything works perfect. Feels great and is smooth and super quiet. Also is much cleaner engine bay with a standard radiator hose and the hayden cooler.

Had to do this flush 1st for the rest to go together properly. Was a little messy but worked probably way better than any other technique. Really appreciate this thread.