My power steering absolutely drops off the face of the planet when I have to turn slowly. I bought STP power steering fluid, but I was wondering if it is a safe product to use for my 1996 Buick Regal with the 3800 engine. Also, where is the power steering fluid reservoir located?

to bleed power steering, with front wheels off ground slightly with front wheels pointing straight ahead.engine off. remove power steering filler cap.add power steering until fluid level stop dropping,wait couple minutes and wait, add fluid until level stay at full cold mark on power steering cap dip stick. dont over fill.when fluid level stop dropping, start vechicle,let it idle few minutes. see if fluid level drop if so add more fluid full cold mark.then turn steering all the way to left and right with out hitting a stop.turn steering wheel several times, then turn front wheels pointing forward check power steering fluid level.if power steering fluid level stop dropping air should be out of system, if steering turning wheel dont turn smoothly and power steering fluid look light tan color air getting in the system.check all power steering lines to rack and power steering pump for leaks.be sure you replaced all the power steering lines with new o rings if not you will get a leak.if you find a leak, you need to fix the leak and bleed system again.dont drive vechicle if your steering dont feel right,have vechicle towed to a garage.

I suggest only using power steering fluid in the power steering system in VW Jetta's. I tried using trans. fluid before and it made the pump wine constantly especially when cold and I had to purge the system and refill it with power steering fluid to get it to stop.

It sounds as if you have a volume of air in your power steering system. This is causing the bubbling and also some of the noise you might be generating when you turn the wheels hard right or hard left. This air might have been introduced if your old belt was slipping so much that the pump was essentially not operating and fluid wasn't regularly circulating throughout the system. Another, more expensive possibility is that your old belt was slipping because the power steering pump itself was starting to fail, and the new, grippier belt is turning the damaged pump and showing you its lack of functionality.
The first and easiest thing to do would be to bleed the system. Open the hood and take the cover of the power steering fluid reservoir. With the engine off but the steering wheel unlocked, slowly turn the steering wheel all the way to one side and then to the other. Repeat this several times while watching the power steering reservoir. Is the fluid bubbling? If so, good, you're purging air out of your system. In general, this is easier with the front wheels off the ground, but that is not absolutely necessary (if you have strong arms).
Once you have purged the system, put the cap back on the power steering reservoir, topping it off if the fluid level has dropped to the fill mark. Now, restart your car and observe the power steering pump. Does it seem to be operating quietly and smoothly? If you touch the pump 1-2 minutes after the engine has been running, is it hot to the touch? It will probably be warm, but _hot_ is an indication that something is overheating inside the pump. Is the power steering fluid very dark colored or does it smell burned? This is also a sign that the fluid should be changed ASAP and that some internal damage may have occurred. Burned fluid isn't necessarily an indication that your power steering pump is bad. However, if after changing your PS fluid the new fluid quickly becomes dark and starts smelling burned, then it's probably time to start saving money for a new or rebuilt power steering pump.

YOU HAVE A RUPTURE PRESSURE LINE IF YOU HAVE NO POWER STEERING FLUID IN THE POWER STEERING RESERVOIR.LOCATE LEAK THEN BLEED POWER STEERING SYSTEM BY ADDING POWER STEERING TO RESERVOIR.DONT OVER FILL BY FULL COLD MARK ON POWER STEERING DIP STICK.ADD FLUID TO RESERVOIR WAIT A 2 MINUTES.CHECK FLUID LEVEL AGAIN.WHEN POWER STEERING FLUID LEVEL STOP DROPPING.START ENGINE LET IT RUN FOR 10 SECONDS.THEN TURN OFF ENGINE CHECK POWER STEERING FLUID ADD FLUID IF FLUID LEVEL DROPS. WHEN FLUID LEVEL STOP DROPPING.SAFELY RAISE SUPPORT VECHICLE FRONT WHEELS.START ENGINE.NOW TURN STEERING WHEEL GENTLY FROM STOP TO STOP MEANING LEFT TO RIGHT DONT HOLD IN POSITION.LET THE STOP TO STOP BE QUICK.CHECK POWER STEERING FLUID AFTER YOU HAVE TURN STEERING WHEEL ABOUT 7 STOP TO STOP.WHEN FLUID LEVEL STOP DROPPING YOU AT HOT MARK ON DIP STICK BLEEDING PROCESS COMPLETE.TURN OFF ENGINE LOWER VECHICLE BACK TO GROUND WAIT ABOUT 5 MINUTES CHECK YOUR FLUID LEVEL.IF FLUID LOOKS LIKE A TAN COLOR.YOUR POWER STEERING SYSTEM FULL OF AIR.TURN OFF VECHICLE LET VECHICLE SET A LONG WHILE TO AIR BUBBLES SETTLE DOWN LOOK FOR LEAKS AROUND POWER STEERING PUMP FRONT SEAL AND CHECK FOR LEAKS AROUND POWER STEERING LINES.

You will have to look where it is leaking from and get it fixed. Running without power steering fluid will eventually burn you power steering pump out and yes if you power steering is that hard to turn when out of fliud, it is dangerous.

As mentioned check ps fluid. If it wines when turning and still no power then the pump is internally bad.. If the fluid is dissapearing fast then its a hose or most likely a leaking rack& pinion assembly..

Dextron II or Dextron III is Automatic Transmission oil.

Hi Dale,

At the risk of sounding, well skip that.

The first two things to check when the steering gets stiff are the belts and the Power steering fluid level.

The belts should be checked for tension and wear.

If the fluid in the pump was allowed to get low and was recently filled, there may be air in the system.

Bleed it out like this:

1. Start the engine
2. Slowly turn the wheel back and forth .
3. Bring it almost to the stops, then back the other way
4. Repeat 4 - 5 times
5. Check the Power Steering Fluid level - fill to the line if needed
6. If more was added, go back to step one and repeat the procedure.
7. Take it for a test drive
8. Check the levels one more time

Hope you find this to be Very Helpful

Mike

STP POWER STEERING fluid is good. Don't put transmission fluid for power steering !