If I do the following what would happen? Would I be able to change most or all the fluid without engine running this way?
1. jack up the car and have both front wheels in the air, place catch pan under the car
2. detach the return hose from reservoir, block the return port of reservoir,
3. open the fluid reservoir cap,
4. with the engine off, have an assistant turn the steering wheel slowly to left stop, while watching and topping up reservoir with fresh fluid as old fluid oozes out of the return hose,
5. with engine off, have an assistant turn the steering wheel slowly to right stop, while watching and topping up reservoir with fresh fluid while old fluid oozes out of the return hose,
6. repeat 4 and 5 until fresh clean fluid starts flowing out of the hose,
7. put everything back, start the engine, turn the wheel to purge any air within the system, top up if necessary, lower the car.
From what I read about the way a power rack-n-pinion steering system works, turning the wheel, without engine running, from stop to stop forces the piston in the rack cylinder to move from stop to stop. That seems to force the fluid to circulate the fluid within the system. If this is true, then we actually don't have to have engine/PS-pump running when changing the fluid, do we?
