Power steering pump

[SwissEric]

A friend of mine is bringing me his 1992 Explorer w/ 4.0 litre engine for a major service. I will be changing all the fluids; engine, transmission, brake, antifreeze and power steering pump. I have gone through this great forum and have already gotten almost all the "how to" information I need, particularly on changing the auto-transmission oil, but I haven't seen anything on the p.s.pump.

Some questions; what is the best and easiest way to completely drain/flush the p.s.p? Is it possible to use the same principle of the tranny by disconnecting the pressure and return lines, or do I just drain the pump and reconnect the line and fill it up again.

I would like to make sure all the old fluid is flushed out of the p.s.p. and not just what is in the pump.

Does the p.s.p. use the same ATF as the tranny or does it have special Ford fluid? How much fluid does the power steering circuit hold altogether?

Tranny question; The tranny slips when cold but works fine when warm. The fluid is brownish red but not burnt (just old, I think). Will a new filter and completely flushing out all the old fluid cure the cold slippage problem.

I am writing from Switzerland. The Explorer is not imported here so we had to order the tranny filter and gasket from the US. I think that without this website and forum I would have turned down the job since the local Ford people know nothing about this model that was bought in the US.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Bashman]

Let's start with the easiest (for me anyways), the power steering system uses type "F" ATF, unlike the tranny which uses "Mercon" ATF.
Here's a link discussing quantity of fluid and bleeding:
Dead Link Removed
Wish I could help you on the draining question, I would suggest PMing or e-mailing mrboyle.
Finally, as for the tranny, a filter and flush would be a great place to start for that problem, usual cause is fluid level, just don't forget the o-rings like the first shop that did mine. Hope this helps.

 

[Opera House]

Most people just use Mercon/Dexron III (97 owners manual specifies this) and I don't believe critical on the fluid as some vehicles are. I am partial to just sucking out the fluid and puting new in. Run it a minute or two, turning the wheel and do it again. Removing the hoses will just damage the hose or plastic tank at this age. Turkey baster or other bulb suction device works good if a small hose is attached to it to get to the bottom of the tank. Process is easy and quick. I see no advantage to pulling hoses. Three changes of fluid gets it quite clean.

If you have a delayed reverse, you should look on "Anyone rebuild an A4LD" in this section for the reverse servo update. Lot of good transmission information there.