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The manual says the system holds a little under 1 liter power steering fluid so i picked up a liter. I have the front end jacked up off the ground so i can turn the wheel by hand. My plan was to suck out the old fluid, refill with new fluid, turn the steering wheel left and right with the car off thinking the fluid will go thru the system. But it doesnt seem to be. Does the fluid go thru the system with the engine off?
i dont want to disconnect the return line and change it that way. Rather just fill the reservoir and keep the chances of air getting in the system minimal.
Or am I better off having the car on the ground, fill the reservoir, cap back on, start the car and turn the wheel, then suck and refill it that way?
Well that was easy. Just keep removing the old fluid then fill with new, start the car and i just turned the wheel left and right slowly 2x's each then remove and fill. Takes forever since I can only remove so much with my big syringe. Wonder if the new fluid is lighter and supposed to float on top of the old fluid.
I went thru the 1 liter tin and it looks pretty close to the new fluid in there now.
Nice. I try to do a suck and fill every other oil change since the extractor is already out. Keeps the fluid looking new. And if your hose is flexible enough, you can maneuver it down one of the hoses so you get everything in the reservoir, and then some.
Suck and refill until fluid is clean. Remember to turn the wheels left and right between each suck+refill interval so old fluid can mix with new. Thanks 👍🏻
I have to update since swapping out the power steering fluid. Previously when driving the car I was hearing a noise where I thought a drive belt pulley was worn or power steering was making a noise, I would here it when driving on the highway in the far left lane right next to concrete barriers with the window down. Hard to describe the sound, leaves rustling but mechanical, sounded like "schhhhhhhh". Anyways, since swapping the fluid it seemed to go away, it drives quiet now and just hear road noise around me. Maybe the old fluid was just so old and bad, new fluid quieted the pump?
I want to get another quart and replace whats in there now. I looked at the condition and the fluid appears more on the brown side, maybe it had time to really mix with the old fluid and i didnt get enough of the old fluid out.
I picked up the Pentosin CHF 11S on sale for 50% but now its back to full price. I came across some Mercedes fluid but wondering if its the correct stuff, says its for MB 345.00. I looked up the Bevo and the only fluid it mentions is the Pentosin CHF 11S.
- Pentosin CHF 11S about $26/quart shipped.
- FCP has Fuchs CHF 11S for $20 + $8 shipping.
- Amazon also has a Triax brand 11S for $20/quart shipped.
- The MB fluid im finding on ebay for around $17/quart shipped.
It says power steering fluid and has the right sheet number, so it should be okay. But I don’t think it’s the same formulation as CHF11S. There’s not much regarding ingredients, but it says it contains 1-decene dimer, hydrogenated and hydrogen treated natural lubricating oils C15-C30. That sounds like a petroleum distillate. The rest is the typical safety warnings.
The CHF11S Data Sheet has basically the same ingredients with the addition of 1-2% of alkyl amines. Maybe it’s an older formula that has been superseded by CHF11S.
Last edited by Odd Piggy; 06-21-2024 at 03:42 AM.
Reason: Better info
It is odd they dont list Mercedes brand fluid in the spec. I think the Pentosin CHF 11S has been working great so far so will stick with it. I'll just keep checking daily to see if Amazon has it for $13 again and get another tin.
Good choice. The last Mercedes I had that didn’t use CHF11S was a W163 SUV. The power steering pump got noisy at 80k-90k miles and had to be replaced. From 2003 until they went electric assisted they all used CHF11S — no noise & no failures.