SAFETY FIRST
Not that any of us were hall monitors or safety officers in a former life but let’s just be honest…you only get one set of eyes and a pack of 10 fingers so if you want to keep them intact, take some precautions. Safety glasses, gloves, jack stands, wheel chocks, etc.
Kind of like lockout/tagout in a factory setting it’s a good idea to disable the vehicle’s ignition system in accordance with the manufacturers guidelines.
RAISE, FILL, CYCLE, REPEAT.
1) Raise the front of the vehicle and put on jack stands then chock the rear wheels. If you have the luxury of a lift, raise the vehicle off the ground 6” and shake to make sure you’re on solid list points.
2) Turn the wheels all the way to the left.
3) Fill the power steering reservoir with a good power steering fluid. Synthetic is usually recommended but avoid using ATF which usually has too thick of a viscosity to work on new pumps.
4) SLOWLY cycle the steering from lock to lock checking fluid level and adding fluid as necessary. This process should be repeated a minimum of 20 times.
5) Be on the lookout for bubbles or foam. If present, wait for bubbles to dissipate and then resume. Keep repeating prior step until no bubbles or foam are present and fluid level remains constant.
ALMOST THERE
6) When the above steps are completed, bump or cycle the starter repeatedly to try to force any air through the system that may be trapped. To prevent extra wear on the starter try to keep cycles under 10 seconds. Check fluid level.
7) Reconnect the ignition system.
8) Start vehicle and let idle for 5-7 minutes. Check fluid level.
9) With the engine running cycle steering from lock to lock multiple times. Check fluid level. Top off fluid. Lower vehicle and drive.