Power Steering Fluid Flush
Thought I'd post some pics from the power steering fluid change I did tonight!
Note - My cap was broken and didn't seal, now it does! Also had 2 x broken boots and tie rod ends for a while that were only replaced recently. My power steering was making a whining noise ESPECIALLY when turning at low speed!! I will be changing the belt soon. After fluid change the noise is about 95% gone at speed and 80% better at stationary/<5km/ph turning. Cost $11 and an hour of my time and was the last of all the fluids in the vehicle to change! Followed the instructions as per the service manual (page 1065 of the PDF on the forum) Should have only been a 20 minute job.
Power steering lid seal was gone!!!
Used a 2L ice cream container to catch the stuff, disconnected at the bottom of the pump
Old oil was no where near red and was dirty!
Removing the air box is a must (3 x size 10 bolts)
I used Dex III because Dex II / Dex OG was not available and this is meant to be the next step up anyway. Manual says do NOT use ATF-SP II
Petrol works
I don't what gets "best results" - gasolene is what was suggested to me, and it's what I used.
On a somewhat related note, I was at an autotransmission "specialist", and watched them rinse the filter screen from an AW4, the transmission used on several Mitsubishi 4WDs, including the iO, and they were using gasolene in a spray bottle - I was never so spooked in my life, all they needed was a spark, and there would have been quite an explosion.
Apparently, gasolene, at least in Guyana, is commonly used to wash automatic transmission & power steering parts.
Results
I just meant do you believe gasolene gets the best results, research shows it's the go to fluid to use when cleaning the power steering reservoir
My auto's due for another flush very soon and will clean the mesh this time around! Might even need a new gasket it seems to seep from somewhere. At first I thought it was just out the breather from awkwared angles off road but now I believe there is a slow leak somewhere around the auto trans sump.
Have you had any auto issues related to leaking or slipping?
I've had very few issues with my transmission...
Maybe I've been lucky - I've had very few issues with my transmission.
When I got the car and learned to read the failure codes I was shocked to discover that it was reporting almost a dozen different transmission failures, especially given the fact that the transmission appeared to work just fine, and because it appeared to work fine, I ignored the codes as there were other more urgent issues to be dealt with.
I eventually discovered the reason for the stored codes whilst investigating a 4WD related problem - wiring harness damage, probably from a previous owner's dog - the damage had been repaired, but not to my standards, so I redid the repair myself, and had the codes cleared.
I have since done a fluid flush/change (as described in the manual) replacing the black icky looking stuff with Valvoline Dex/Merc - the old fluid may have just been dirty or it may have been Mitsubishi DiaQueen, which I understand is a dark fluid, and so far, so good - it's my intention to fit a transmission temperature gauge, which will involve dropping the pan so that a bung can be welded in to take the sensor, and at that point I will probably change the "filter" and possibly switch to a full synthetic fluid.
A google search on automatic transmission fluid flush/change will bring up a few thousand "horror" stories of transmissions failing directly after the fluid change, so I was quite "anxious" when I did mine - this is the first vehicle I have owned with an automatic, so although I've driven many over the years, I have not been involved with the maintenance - it went well, so I am more willing to explore what can be done with it.
temp Gauge
A temperature gauge would be good! Mine ran very hot before the fluid flush/change! Putting the resting foot against the footwell usually was my way of gauging temperature haha!
Very wary of the online horror stories, I even ran that lucas stop slip stuff (some might say risky) and to my amazement it changed better and stopped the slipping it sometimes got shifting hard down to 1st/2nd when in D and giving it heavy throttle.
In saying that I have a leak somewhere that comes and goes! Dipsticks always a little over full and hasn’t dropped yet but just annoying to crawl under and see the sump sometimes dry / sometimes covered in fluid :S and no change in auto behaviour!
The transmission actually has own internal temperature sensor.
If the transmission overheats, the controller will flash the neutral light - a once per second flash. Having said that, fluid temperature is directly related to fluid life, and indirectly to transmission life, so I'd prefer to know what the numbers look like well before there is a problem, and if necessary, fit an external cooler.
Once you're "off highway" (and I do mean off highway), automatic transmissions tend to run hot - in the city when the transmission will spend a lot of time in the lower gears with the torque converter unlocked, they will run hot, and off road, in sand, you can almost literally cook the transmission.
thermo sensor
there are some sensors that replace the sump-plug and give you temperature etc
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PLASMA-DISPLAY-OIL-TEMPERATURE-GAUGE-52mm-UNI...
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LMA-Oil-Temperature-Sump-Plug-Adapter-M18x1-5...
Sump plug is on the bottom of the transmission pan.
I would not suggest any thing be fitted down there unless you have some sort of a bash plate to protect it.
The correct location of a transmission temperature sensor had been debated with almost religous fervour - if you're really interested in the details try a google search, but it seems like many an AW4 has been "cooked" by the jeep crowd.
I currently have all the fittings I need to put it into one of the hoses to the cooler, but I am reluctant to have a collection of various brass bits & pieces hanging - 3/8 tee, 2 x 3/8" hose barbs, 3/8-1/4 reducer, etc. - the alternative is the transmission pan, which is where I have chosen to put mine - again I have all the bits I need, it's really a matter of finding the time (and the will) to drop the pan and take it around the corner to the fab shop who will weld the bung in for me
Syndicate
Did you remove & wash the reservoir?
It's a good idea, whilst doing the PS flush to remove the reservoir and wash it out - there is a strainer inside that traps a lot of dirt & debris - the locals guys use gasolene and then allow it to air dry before reinstalling, so that's what I used.
For PS fluid I used Valvoline Dex/Merc which is a Dexron III equivalent.