Hello Folks. I have an 02 S60. Steering feels like there is no power steering. No leaks. Hard to turn and when turning, i hit spots where it is harder and the wheel doesn't come back to center from either direction. I turned on car and took cap off of reservoir and saw flow from return line. Power steering fluid is super dark. We sprayed u-joint 3 months ago when this problem started and it did help, but problem is back. Should I try a flush before I go straight into replacing the rack?

 

start with the easy flush - buy a quart of ATF (such as dexron III), buy a turkey baster. If you have a short section of 1/4 ID hose you can fix 3-4 inches on the end to go deeper in the reservoir. Use the turkey baster to suck out all the fluid in the reservoir, then refill with fresh fluid. Start the car, turn lock to lock 3-4 times then shut off. repeat 3-4 times and each time the color should go from black to red. That will get you to be like 80% fresh for 15 minutes of time and $6