urgent - PS fluidresevoir is where?

[stlthe]

hi all

2005 FE thomas cat C7 with air brakes

i'll take my lumps later on this but my PS is out and i dont know where to put the fluid. under the behind the front driverside panel are two plastic resevoirs, one clearly marked wiper fluid and the other unmarked but containing a small amount of a reddish fluid. i did not take picture of this.

the other unmarked resevoir is pictured in the two images. upper left hand side of one, closeup in the other.

can someone PLEASE tell me where the power steering fluid goes, and/or what is pictured and what is next to the windshield wiper resevoir in the front of the bus.

can someone tell me if it is dangerous to drive, in terms of damaging the engine or belt, without power steering?

air compressor still works

a thousand thank-yous

evan

[PatrickBaptist]

Sorry I can't answer your question, but IF you run it out of PS fluid then you will burn up the PS pump if you let it go very long. If the brakes are not air brakes and you have hydro brake setup you will lose brake function as well as normally the PS pump drives the brakes on a non-air brake setup.

[EastCoastCB]

That bottom pic is the ps reservoir. Its red because its Dex 3 tranny fluid.

[stlthe]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

That bottom pic is the ps reservoir. Its red because its Dex 3 tranny fluid.

THANKS!

just to be sure i understand, the black cannister with two tops is the p.s.res, right? i bet the small one is a dipstick.

i posted a pic of it along with the mystery resevoir next to the windshield wiper fluid.

the black 'cannister' is driver's side rear corner (of engine) under the engine cover, and the other two are inside the driver side 'access hatch' just above the headlight. Is the one next to the wiper fluid the transmission fluid?

i bet they both take Dex 3 dont they?

[EastCoastCB]

The bottom pic. The canister with the dipstick and the lid. That's the PS reservoir.

[stlthe]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

The bottom pic. The canister with the dipstick and the lid. That's the PS reservoir.

Thanks to you i'll sleep better tonight, that is after some dex 3.

[stlthe]

Originally Posted by stlthe

Thanks to you i'll sleep better tonight, that is after some dex 3.

i tried my darndest to get that dipstick out... no joy. the larger screw-top has a filter inside. if i were to pour the fluid into the large hole... any idea how much i should put in?

There is a handle shown in the picture with the words 'easy grip' on it, adjacent to the dipstick, does anyone know what that is? I circled it in white.

[Gilligs/Crowns and Parts]

Originally Posted by stlthe

hi all

2005 FE thomas cat C7 with air brakes

i'll take my lumps later on this but my PS is out and i dont know where to put the fluid. under the behind the front driverside panel are two plastic resevoirs, one clearly marked wiper fluid and the other unmarked but containing a small amount of a reddish fluid. i did not take picture of this.

the other unmarked resevoir is pictured in the two images. upper left hand side of one, closeup in the other.

can someone PLEASE tell me where the power steering fluid goes, and/or what is pictured and what is next to the windshield wiper resevoir in the front of the bus.

can someone tell me if it is dangerous to drive, in terms of damaging the engine or belt, without power steering?

air compressor still works

a thousand thank-yous

evan

"my PS is out" What do you mean by "OUT?"

Your Thomas probably has a massive hydraulic pump to run your PS and cooling fan. Just follow the lines/hoses from fan back to pump.

If you get stuck call me. Patrick 559 251-3814 or 559 513-9369

Or wheelchairbusproject at yahoo dot com

This is an easy one, don't sweat it.

[stlthe]

Originally Posted by Gilligs/Crowns and Parts

"my PS is out" What do you mean by "OUT?"

Your Thomas probably has a massive hydraulic pump to run your PS and cooling fan. Just follow the lines/hoses from fan back to pump.

If you get stuck call me. Patrick 559 251-3814 or 559 513-9369

Or wheelchairbusproject at yahoo dot com

This is an easy one, don't sweat it.

Thanks Patrick

I mean the steering was acting as if it were manual. from what i could tell there was no irregular noise coming from pump. Last night i added around 1.5 qt ATF to the resevoir (thank you EastCoastCB) indicated and the PS resumed functioning, though I didnt road-test it.

Diesels are new (and i'm not too proud to admit also somewhat intimidating so far) to me, especially this FE Transit style in a bus that is new to me. I knew my way around my '72 Intl 392 to some extent. I just hope the learning curve isnt to damaging or expensive.

If you dont mind I'll save your number, thanks for the offer to talk. You may hear from me before too long (i have some wheelchair questions too). I'm just getting settled in a new place and will begin work in earnest on the bus this week.

I've attached pic of fan, it appears to run from serpentine, and i need to add separate belt to the a/c compressor also pictured (how, I have no idea).

Take care

Evan

[wrenchtech]

On my rear engine Thomas the power steering reservoir is in the back and it uses motor oil. Of course I checked the level before I set off on my maiden voyage, or at least I wanted to check the level. unfortunately the dipstick. Unfortunately the dipstick was detached from the from the cap. Thanks for reminding me of this issue. Glad you found out where yours is.