Just got a message from wifey. She has filled up the power steering
reservoir on her Clio with water, instead of the washer bottle!
OK stop laughing.
What do we do?
What about sucking the water off the top of the fluid, then sucking the fluid out of the reservoir with a turkey baster before topping up with clean, before starting the engine again?
Please repond ASAP.
Thanks,
Mike
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Only trying to help! I am sure the turkey baster would be a good idea BUT, depending what sort of oil power steering fluid is, surely the water will have gone to the bottom and the oil will be floating on top of the reservoir? If the engine hasn't been run you might be in luck.
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I expect the water will sink to the lowest point. Whatever you do, don't start the engine! Take off the pipes under the reservoir and drain it all out from the pipes and the reservoir. Rinse out the reservoir with clean fluid, refit and fill up.
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I don't know the chemical identity of power-steering fluid, but I am pretty sure water will sink to the bottom of it. Not many oils are denser than water, though a silicone oil may be?
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By the way, silicone oil has a density of about 0.97, so water will sink to the bottom of that as well - just!
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Call the AA/RAC/Green Flag etc
If not a member then it might be worthwhile joining at the same time.
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Call the AA/RAC/Green Flag etc
I always thought these were breakdown/recovery services, not mobile service mechanics that resolve problems where you've caused the fault in the first place.
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Like Nick, I would play safe and drain the system. The cost of the fluid will be far less than a future repair.
Reminds me of a friend who asked for help when she couldn't start her car after servicing it. She had filled the radiator to the very top with water and then tried likewise to fill the engine to the top with oil. These things happen!
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Sounds like the American lady who, apparently in the '60s collected a hire car from Heathrow and started driving down to Devon. When she got there she complained that the car wouldn't go very fast, made a lot of noise and used more gas then it should have. She, had of course driven all the way down in 1st gear!
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I know it's getting off topic but I must tell you about another personal experience similar to the one described by Robert.
In the early 60s I looked after my uncle's garage at weekends while he was away playing with his yacht. One Friday night my uncle told me that a customer would be bringing in his part-exchange car, a Standard Flying Eight I think, and he asked me to make sure it worked OK.
The customer turned up with his car the next day and I drove it while he sat in the passenger seat. After a while he asked: "What gear are you in?". I told him I was in Fourth. He then said: "I've had this car for more than two years and I never knew there *was* a fourth gear". Most cars of the day had only three forward gears and he thought his was the same!
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similar story here, with a 5-speed mazda fitted with a 4-speed gearknob.
the owner wondered why his fuel economy was so bad ...
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When I bought a motorbike the garage did not tell me that you could cancel the indicators by pushing the indicator switch in.
I was impressed when I found this feature on my wife's new scooter and enquired whether it was an option on my bike : to be told I'd already got it.
I had been carefully returning the switch to the "off" position (not easy in gloves, it quite often overshot and I landed up signalling the opposite way) for more months than I am willing to admit to!
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All the right advice has been given.
This is the second time I have heard of this happening. A friends dad did this to his sister's Clio.
Maybe to a non techie the Clio has a confusing underbonnet layout.
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Thanks for your advice and funny stories.
I removed the hoses from the reservoir, removed the reservoir and drained it, rinsed it with clean fluid and then emptied the hoses by lowering the open end to ground level.
Only time will tell if I got it all!
Mike
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I should watch what she does when she pours you a drink tonight....! Washing-up liquid & tonic just ain't the same!
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