soloz2 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 98 Legacy Outback 4EAT 225k. I noticed the power steering wasn't work the other day while driving home from work. It was cold out (snow, about 10 degrees) and dark so I went home and parked. The next day all was fine and I honestly forgot about it. Then today, it stopped working again and at this point is not working more than it is working. I checked the fluid and added a bit of ATF, but it was within acceptable level. Any ideas? Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenva Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Get one of those turkey basters, you know, the ones with the rubber ball attached to a clear tube. Suck out all the PS fluid you can and fill with fresh ATF. Repeat after cycling the steering several times or driving a day. Do this a few times until you have mostly fresh stuff in there. I did this as preventive maintenance a couple days ago. I left the turkey baster in my car wrapped in a towel, I had to remove it because the smell was so putrid. I was not having issues with my steering but that burned smell was not good. I like trying the easiest & cheapest things first. Can't hurt now can it? RIP 96 Legacy 2.2 4EAT lost reverse @ 374,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soloz2 Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 Get one of those turkey basters, you know, the ones with the rubber ball attached to a clear tube. Suck out all the PS fluid you can and fill with fresh ATF. Repeat after cycling the steering several times or driving a day. Do this a few times until you have mostly fresh stuff in there. I did this as preventive maintenance a couple days ago. I left the turkey baster in my car wrapped in a towel, I had to remove it because the smell was so putrid. I was not having issues with my steering but that burned smell was not good. I like trying the easiest & cheapest things first. Can't hurt now can it? Sounds easy enough. I'll have to stop and pick up some ATF. I don't want to use up all my Mobile 1 synthetic. Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soloz2 Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 I've cycled the fluid 2x with some Napa Synthetic ATF and still have issues. It seems to happen on colder days, but not necessarily. When it acts up it almost feels harder to turn than it should w/o PS... like there is resistance somehow. Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJay03 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Your pump might be going bad do you have any leaks anywhere? If I was to replace the pump I would probably replace the hoses also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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