HELP - Installed new radiator, power steering fluid now overflowing.

[JesseK]

Hi everyone, I need some help with my 2004 VZ 3.6L ute

I just recently had a leak from a crack on the drivers side of my radiator due to the drivers side fan not working. I have flushed the cooling system, replaced the radiator and started filling the cooling system with coolant concentrate and water. I started the car to get the fluids pumping so I could then top it up. about 1 minute later (before the cooling fans turned on) the power steering fluid reservoir started overflowing and spewing out from the lid. I turned the car off straight away.

I feel like I have missed something or forgotten to do something before or after I installed the radiator.. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[ozNick]

Random questions:
1) Manual or automatic?
2) If auto did you connect back the auto cooling lines?
3) Did you touch the power steering lines?

 

[kiwicon]

4) did you put water in the power steering reservoir

 

[JesseK]

Random questions:
1) Manual or automatic?
2) If auto did you connect back the auto cooling lines?
3) Did you touch the power steering lines?

Thanks for replying.

1) Automatic
2) I did reconnect the auto transmission cooling lines
3) Pretty sure I didn't. The only thing I touched was the air intake hose attached to the air filter. I removed it so I could take the fans and radiator out and attached it back on.
4) I did not add water to the PS reservoir. I did open the cap take a look before doing any work and I put it straight back on.

Cheers

 

[ozNick]

Long shot: Do you by chance have an external transmission cooler that you have connected into your power steering return pipe?

Otherwise there should be someone who has other ideas.

 

[MYVESSV8]

check cap is on properly, did you move steering while trying to get fluids going

 

[st3r3otyp3]

Not sure if they changed anything on the alloytec, but on ecos and V8`s the steering fluid is cooled via a rudimentary cooler at the front of the radiator, its not really a cooler but a pipe circuit that runs infront of the radiator and back.

 

[JesseK]

Not sure if they changed anything on the alloytec, but on ecos and V8`s the steering fluid is cooled via a rudimentary cooler at the front of the radiator, its not really a cooler but a pipe circuit that runs infront of the radiator and back.

Thats what my car has. I still don't know what the issue could be. possibly because I didn't bleed the air straight away?

 

[JesseK]

Just called my old mechanic. He said it can happen due to cold weather which can clog up the PS fluid hose.. I basically need a new one and nothing I did in regards to installing the new radiator contributed to this issue.

Thanks everyone for your help and taking time to reply to this thread.

 

[the_boozer]

I've done a similar thing on a vy b4 as in changed the radiator and had the power steering squealing like a bitch after wards , it turned out I'd cracked the plastic reservoir while changing the radiator the reservoir didn't appear to be leaking, hard to tell thou while its covered in fluid.