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Well, I believe that almost everyone says the opposite: drain the transmission fluid, not flush it... Just change your oil, coolant and brake fluid accordingly. My power steering fluid still looks good after 12 years and 47 Kmiles.

 

Just drain & fill. Of course have the gasket/filter changed while you do it...

 

Draining from the plug/pan really only removes about half of all the fluid, a little more than 4 quarts the last time I did it. A lot of it stays in the tranny and the torque converter. Flushing, if done properly, will replace ALL the fluid.

 

You can remove all the fluid in the transmission if you like to. Just don't do any of those flushes that requires putting chemicals in the tranmission to clean out the gunk.

 

I've got 116,000 miles on my 2000 ES300...Should I be thinking about changing my brake fluid and power steering fluid? I know how to do the brake fluid - how do i change the power steering fluid?
Martin

 

Changing the power steering fluid is quite easy. I have done it in my old Acura but not the ES300 yet. It is pretty much the same though.

Take the return line off the reservoir and have the return line go into something that will catch the fluid. Then turn on the car and the fluid level will start going down in the reservoir. As this is happening you need to keep adding fluid to the reservoir to make sure no air gets in the system. When the fluid starts coming out of the return line clean you are done and you can turn off the car. Reconnect the return line, fill the reservoir up and run the car to make sure the PS fluid level goes to where it should. Add fluid if necessary.

BTW I badly need to do this to our ES300. I probably will soon.

If anyone has something to add feel free.

 

Make sure you use Dextron ATF, NOT Power Steering fluid.

 

100%.

Another way to do a PS flush without any risk is to lift both front wheels off the ground, use the above method but instead of running the car, just turn the steering wheel lock to lock several times. This will pump the fluid through the system, and you can easily stop and top off the reservoir to prevent air getting in and you don't risk running the pump dry. I use this method along with the lisle spill free funnel. I also use a PS cap that I drilled a hole in. Makes it very very easy to do the job, fill the funnel up and turn the steering wheel back and forth.

 

Your way is safer to do them my way. When I did it I hooked up a clear hose to the return line and had the clear hose go into a drain pan on the ground. I turned on the 'ol Legend and the clear hose came out of the return line thus shooting old Honda PS fluid all over my poor Legend and the GX in the garage. It wasn't a good day. That taught me to put a clamp on the return line to hold the smaller hose in there. That did the trick.

The only bad thing is that not every has one of those cool spill free funnels.

 

Thanks a lot guys - great responses and fast too!
Martin
P.S. Is our power steering fluid exactly the same as our tranny fluid? I've got a few quarts of leftover Toyota tranny fluid in the garage from when I changed my tranny fluid. Again mine is a 2000 ES300.

 

Transmission uses type t-iv, PS DexIII, not the same.

 

Thanks - I'll pick up a couple quarts of Dextron III.