[chevelle]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Ah. Too late for me now, never did that. I am going to take a leap of faith and hope nothing happens in the next 3 years or so.

The repair figures are scarry.

And that is why you must find a good independent repair shop that is not a stealership. Then the figures won't sound crazy.

Originally Posted by Jomz

Common problem in cars with almost 80-100k miles. debris in the power steering fluid eats away at seals and damage them, causing leaks.

The preventive maintanance is flush power steering fluid once in a while. Or aleast siphon out some fluid from your power steering fluid cylinder and repalce with fresh fluid.

I don't think all cars has this problems. May be it is something common for Mazda3 of some years.

I do the power steering fluid drain and fill every 30k-40K miles. Most people prefer to do that in order to avoid such problems and the steering feel improves a lot. Also it takes 10 minutes to do so and costs just $7 for the PS Fluid from dealership.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by chevelle

I don't think all cars has this problems. May be it is something common for Mazda3 of some years.

Common for cars which don't do a PS fluid steering drain and fill. Another parts which conks off at the same time is the Clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder (if the user neglects drain and refill of the fluid).

Suprisingly brake lines seems immune to this problem. Maybe the seals used in that circuit are more resitant to wear, or are overdesigned.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by Jomz

Common for cars which don't do a PS fluid steering drain and fill. Another parts which conks off at the same time is the Clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder (if the user neglects drain and refill of the fluid).

Suprisingly brake lines seems immune to this problem. Maybe the seals used in that circuit are more resitant to wear, or are overdesigned.

The 1999 camry i had previously was running on original PS Fluid (pure black when drained) when i got it changed at 127k miles and did it again at 137k and 147k in order to have new fluid in the whole PS system. The previous 2 owners never bothered with it.

I changed PS Fluid oil on my G35 when it had 101k miles on odo. My friends 1998 Acura TL had original PS Fluid when he bought it at 110k miles. He got it changed 5k miles later without any issues. On all these cars, no problem with such leak or replacement issues.

Just saying from experience that not all cars have this problem in order to term it as common problem. I know many owners don't bother to change all this as they could care less about maintaining it.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Just saying from experience that not all cars have this problem in order to term it as common problem. I know many owners don't bother to change all this as they could care less about maintaining it.

I still recommend changing it. Maybe you were just lucky with your cars.

Google and you can find cases of Ps leaks with both the TL & G35. All may not be because of bad fluids

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=g35+power+steering+leaks

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by Jomz

I still recommend changing it. Maybe you were just lucky with your cars.

Google and you can find cases of Ps leaks with both the TL & G35. All may not be because of bad fluids

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=g35+power+steering+leaks

As you read, i did it 3 times over 30k miles in order to get it up-to-date. A simple DIY that goes a long way in protecting the car we love. Preventive maintenance can never be bad. Also the cost to do so is very minimal. If a $10 fluid change can save $3000 at dealership, its a no brainer.

There are plenty of reasons that could go wrong. Sometimes, i feel the dealers do it intentionally so that they can get more money. I had couple of close calls with dealers trying to increase the bill by couple of thousands. Its good we know the basics at least.

[ToroRosso]

Regarding - Clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder (if the user neglects drain and refill of the fluid).

Is this a problem for Automatics? Also What fluids do need replacement. I went through my
service manual and there was no mention it.

Sorry for the stup qn .

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Regarding - Clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder (if the user neglects drain and refill of the fluid).

Is this a problem for Automatics? Also What fluids do need replacement. I went through my
service manual and there was no mention it.

Sorry for the stup qn .

No this is not applicable for automatics

[Jeroen]

The fluid in the master/slave clutch cilinder circuit is essentially the same as in your brake system, it is a hydraulic fluid (by the way its not an oil). In many cars they are identical, ie the same stuff goes in the brake reservoir as well as the Clutch reservoir. Some cars might have a slightly different spec between them, never understood why.

Replacing these fluids every 2-3 years is a good idea. Hydraulic fluids are hydroscopic. So they will, over a period of time, absorb water. So it's not the mileage of the car that counts, but the period/time more than anything else.

It's the water that actually leads to the problems as it can cause all sorts of corrosion effects. Even though a hydraulic fluid isn't an oil it does have some lubracating properties, obviously, again water in it detoriates this.

I typically flush both systems once every three years. Small job, you can it yourself or have a workshop do it.

Jeroen

[aah78]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Also What fluids do need replacement. I went through my
service manual and there was no mention it.

Sorry for the stup qn .

It's always better to ask a question. The only downside to doing so on the internet is that it can be overwhelming.

Unfortunately, service manuals don't list all fluids that need changing.

On the internet, you'll find a lot of conflicting information about what fluids need to be changed & what are "lifetime" fill (@ 100,000 miles in manufacturer speak).

Generally, you're looking at:

• Engine oil & oil-filter
  3000-5000 miles for mineral oil / 7500-15000 miles for synthetic. (Atleast once a year). Simple DIY affair.
  
  Transmission fluid & filter
  Intervals vary for manual (more frequent flushes) & automatic transmissions (less frequent flushes).
  Some auto-transmissions (usually labelled Lifetime Fill)don't come with a drain plug, only a fill plug. In these you might need to replace the pan as well. This is an expensive affair. Difficult for DIY.
  
  Brake fluid
  Every 2 years. Can be DIY.
  
  Differential fluid
  Again varies according to type of fluid used, type of differential, etc. Infrequent & not a very expensive affair. Depends on how many diffs your car has. Not an overly complicated DIY job but the fluid is nasty stinky stuff & I won't be doing it myself again.
  
  Coolant
  General recommendation is 100k miles but some people prefer 30k-50k intervals as mentioned.
  
  Power steering fluid
  Same 100k mile intervals. Doesn't need to be flushed regularly. Just keep an eye out for hydraulic line leaks, etc.

This is just a general guide off the top if my head. A car-specific forum / a mechanic specializing in your type of car will give you a better idea.

SUVs, cross-overs, family sedans, high perfoemance motors all have different requirements.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by aah78

Transmission fluid & filter
Intervals vary for manual (more frequent flushes) & automatic transmissions (less frequent flushes).
Some auto-transmissions (usually labelled Lifetime Fill)don't come with a drain plug, only a fill plug. In these you might need to replace the pan as well. This is an expensive affair. Difficult for DIY.

The typical manual transmission fluid change is at 60k miles to 100k miles, while auto is a fluid change in 30k miles intervals.

Reason is, in the auto the fluid is used in the torque converter & lubrication, while in the manual it is used for just lubrication alone.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by Jomz

The typical manual transmission fluid change is at 60k miles to 100k miles, while auto is a fluid change in 30k miles intervals.

Reason is, in the auto the fluid is used in the torque converter & lubrication, while in the manual it is used for just lubrication alone.

Possible - my auto-trans knowledge is based on the transmission in my car, which is a ZF 6HP19. Definitely not a 30k change interval.

[vivekiny2k]

When I did a transmission flush in my nissan quest at about 60K miles, I saw in increase in performance (MPG in this case) by about 10%. I used to do regular trips to purdue in last three years and earlier I would need a refill in return trip, after flush I could make it home without one and some gas still left. So if you are close to a high milestone, just do it for your transmission's sake.

[Technocrat]

hmm this is interesting topic, My Accord V6 has done around 67k & I am not sure how many fluids the previous owner changed. I remember that Transmission fluid & Engine oil were topped when I bought it(around 5k miles back). Time to do a quick inspection & check what needs to be changed/top up.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by aah78

Possible - my auto-trans knowledge is based on the transmission in my car, which is a ZF 6HP19. Definitely not a 30k change interval.

The sealed ZF's are "Supposed" to be lifetime fluids.
But lifetime for BMW is 100k miles. I heard they don't even have a drain plug to drain the fuid.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by Jomz

The sealed ZF's are "Supposed" to be lifetime fluids.
But lifetime for BMW is 100k miles. I heard they don't even have a drain plug to drain the fuid.

Yep, you're right.

The fluid is expensive & you can't drain it - the pan has to be removed to drain the fluid & has to be replaced.

BMW recommends 100k miles though ZF recommends a shorter interval.

I just had the service performed (@88k miles) while I was getting my new suspension installed.