a family member who is clueless about cars decided to "check" fluids on my XK8 yesterday when they drove it. they put about 1/4 cup of dex cool coolant into the power steering reservoir ( they thought it looked like it needed to be topped off!!) ARGHHHHHH! anyway, is this something I can deal with myself? ( I do most work on my cars, but havn't done this yet) are there other issues I need to be weary of now? ( poisoned rack? compromised hoses, ruined pump etc? ) I really have no idea where to begin...

 

When I flush the system I do it by emptying the reservoir with a baster, then refilling, start the car and cycle the steering lock to lock a few times, then empty and refill and repeat cycles until fluid is clean. This should work in your case because there could only be a small amount of coolant added and it's unlikely the trace remaining after repeated flushing would damage the seals.

 

RJ237 +1
Regards,

 

^^ What they said. And be sure that your "family member" does not get his/her hands on your keys from this point forward....

 

I wonder how many different swear words you used.
Flushed mine as above. sucked the fluid out of the reservoir with a syringe then refilled with fresh, cycled it a few times then repeated.
Not sure if all the fluid circulates all the time or does the fluid in the reservoir just sit there and top up the system as required? in which case you'll get all of the contaminant when you empty the reservoir.
Have you forgiven your family member or are you planning suitable revenge?

 

Youll get most out if you take the lines off the rack and let the system drain. While it is draining move the tires elft and right a few times until there is no longer resistance to turning. This clears the rack. Put the lines back on the rack, fill the reservoir to the top and briefly start5 seconds to prime the pump and drop the level. Add more fluid as needed turning the wheel back and forth a couple time. Let it sit for 10 minutes to let any air come out of fluid and recheck level.

 

Thanks to all who replied, that was a really bad couple of days for me and Eartha (my xk8) as I went to raise the car up to attempt the rack drain, I also discverd my floor Jack had given up the ghost and wouldnt raise the car, I took that as a sign that I wasn't meant to deal with this issue myself, and ,$60 and a phone call later, my trusted independent jag shop did the complete drain and fill job in about ,,30minutes, and yes, the family member, who by the way, I'm married to, is forgiven, but is not allowed to ever open the hood( bonnet, to our friends on the other side of the pond,) again on our car.

 

Would it have the same effect to remove the reservoir and pump (I'm replacing them both) and turn the wheel side to side until no more fluid comes out. Then install the new pump and reservoir?
I don't have any leaks from the rack or anywhere else and I'm kind of scared to provoke one by poking around too much...

 

I am waiting for my new/reman pump and a new reservoir-to-pump hose so I can reinstall and then do a proper flush. (1997 with about 117K on it).

What did you finally do to flush your system? Has it been working well? What kind of pump did you buy?

Ken