Are you supposed to check the fluid level with the car off or on? Warm or cold fluid?
I checked my fluid level last night with the car off and the fluid cold, and it was on the MIN line. I havent noticed any leaks at all. I don’t want to add any fluid until I know I’m checking the fluid correctly in the first place. I couldnt see anything in the manual.
I think warm. There is a TSB that says it should be 10mm above the max line at warm temp.
How many miles are on your car? I would consider changing it if you have 50k+. I use the turkey baster method
warm iirc, car definitely off though.
Flush is like an hour and $40 and imho should be a 25k mile service given the awful track record these cars have with the ps pumps
I did mine at 83k and again at 90k and it was just as dirty the second time. I might do it again to make sure all the gunk is out. I used the regular mineral fluid. I didn’t see the point in switching to synthetic and spending twice the price
warm after a short drive will do the trick. Still if you check it cold know it will be lower then if you check it warm.
NEVER CHECK THE FLUID WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING.
Its always good to flush the pump and fluid every 50-60k
30k miles. Basically just suck out as much of the old fluid as possible and fill up with new stuff, then drive it some and do it again until it’s clean?
LOL got it.
Well it’s reassuring to know that it will be lower if it’s cold. I’ll take the car for a drive then check it and report my findings.
This:
1-suck out old fluid, fill almost to the top with new fluid
2-start engine and turn wheel left to right all the way 3 times
3-shut off engine and repeat steps 1 and 2 until the fluid you are sucking out looks clean
-I did 2 liters both times I did it. You are diluting the bad fluid with good fluid so it takes a while and lots of fluid
I haven’t checked yet on the Audi but on my previous cars, BMW/Merc’s, there were banjo bolt looking ends to the PS hoses that attached to the pump. I used to crack one or two open and let the fluid drain into a jar and then tighten them back up an re-fill with new fluid. Start the car, go for a short drive, turn off the car and check the fluid level - top off if necessary. Is this not a recommended practice for our cars? Or is the PS pump not in a very accessible spot? I have never looked I guess, I have no recolection of where it is on my current car.
Very close to what I do. Just remember not to lock out the steering wheel for more then a second.
on the chain motors those fittings are probably in a brutal spot… on the belt motors they are super easy to get to (one from the top, one from the bottom). You can crack those and take a washer off and just get this slow leak going and then top the fluid off every few weeks like I was doing lol.
The way I do the PS flush is to take the return line off the reservoir, put a 1/2" barb in it and run a few feet of clear pvc tubing out of the car into a puke bucket. Cap off the barb on the reservoir so it doesn’t leak. Go crank the car for a second or two (don’t kick it over). Hop out and top off the reservoir and check the colour of the fluid in the clear tubing. Keep repeating until green fluid is coming out. If you have a second person you can jjst have them top of the reservoir as its running.
I believe the manual says holding it at full lock for more than 15 seconds will cause damage. But there’s really no need to have it at full lock for more than a second like you said.
Yeah full lock starves the pump. Check out the b6 a4 forums on AZ once it starts snowing. They go drifting in the snow(only way to have fun in a 1.8 ) and hold their steering at full lock and kill their pumps.
Thx Beem.