Just discovered this tonight. Simple and quick as can be... no turkey baster or hose disconnects needed and you don't even need a helper. All you need is a cup.
The power steering reservoir is mounted on a metal bracket and can be removed by simply pulling up on the canister.
With the cap in place, grab the reservoir around the rim and pull straight upwards until it's off the bracket. With hoses still attached, move it to the front of car, towards the radiator. Get the cup ready, then tip the reservoir and remove the cap, letting it drain into the cup. There is enough length on the hoses where you can completely invert the canister and empty it. Add new fluid and replace the cap. Leave the reservoir hanging then go start the car and turn the steering wheel lock to lock a few times. Shut off car, and empty it again (the fluid flows at a high rate so it mixes in quickly). Repeat as few times, then snake the reservoir back into it's home and push it back down on the bracket. If you have very dirty fluid, do this 3X then do a single drain n fill every year (or two) after. That should keep the fluid nice and healthy. Additional benefits of this method... no starvation or running pump dry, no air in the system and no mess.
Another piece of info you might find valuable. The reservoir has a mesh filter near the bottom which is there to filter out particles before they go into the intake hose. That's the large hose at the very bottom of the canister. When empty, you can shine a light down into the bottom of the reservoir. The black thing you see is the screen and you can verify by gently poking it with a screwdriver, just don't punch through. If this screen gets dirty and clogs, it impedes flow of the PS fluid and causes the dead spots you feel when turning the wheel along with groaning. Eventually the starvation damages the pump. This is why some have changed their PS pump and O-ring only to find that it didn't help much. The solution is to replace the reservoir or remove it and clean the filter with some type of spray or soaking in solution. Of course, allow it to fully dry before replacing. I suggest just replacing but I know how cash can be tight.
Hope this helps someone. ....Drew.....
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Moderator edit: Please see post #64 in this thread for more pictures!
The power steering reservoir is mounted on a metal bracket and can be removed by simply pulling up on the canister.
With the cap in place, grab the reservoir around the rim and pull straight upwards until it's off the bracket. With hoses still attached, move it to the front of car, towards the radiator. Get the cup ready, then tip the reservoir and remove the cap, letting it drain into the cup. There is enough length on the hoses where you can completely invert the canister and empty it. Add new fluid and replace the cap. Leave the reservoir hanging then go start the car and turn the steering wheel lock to lock a few times. Shut off car, and empty it again (the fluid flows at a high rate so it mixes in quickly). Repeat as few times, then snake the reservoir back into it's home and push it back down on the bracket. If you have very dirty fluid, do this 3X then do a single drain n fill every year (or two) after. That should keep the fluid nice and healthy. Additional benefits of this method... no starvation or running pump dry, no air in the system and no mess.
Another piece of info you might find valuable. The reservoir has a mesh filter near the bottom which is there to filter out particles before they go into the intake hose. That's the large hose at the very bottom of the canister. When empty, you can shine a light down into the bottom of the reservoir. The black thing you see is the screen and you can verify by gently poking it with a screwdriver, just don't punch through. If this screen gets dirty and clogs, it impedes flow of the PS fluid and causes the dead spots you feel when turning the wheel along with groaning. Eventually the starvation damages the pump. This is why some have changed their PS pump and O-ring only to find that it didn't help much. The solution is to replace the reservoir or remove it and clean the filter with some type of spray or soaking in solution. Of course, allow it to fully dry before replacing. I suggest just replacing but I know how cash can be tight.
Hope this helps someone. ....Drew.....
Moderator edit: Please see post #64 in this thread for more pictures!
