After 8+ years, It was again time to flush the power steering today on 2 Fords. The T-Bird is a slight pain because I have to jack it up a little to work under it for this. I suck the fluid out of the reservoir and disable the fuel pump. Disconnect the return line on the reservoir (another effort) and plug the reservoir outlet with a pinched hose. Then cranking the engine a couple seconds at a time to replenish the reservoir...with new fluid---until flushed.
Today I discovered something I have missed all these years. The return line was resting against the Stabilizer bar.....and you guessed it, the rub caused a nice wear spot on the hose--right down to the threads in the hose. Not much more wear needed for a line rupture? I replaced the return line and rerouted it slightly. This was an original line and I am surprised I had not seen this in past years, but the appearance is deceptive. If you have a V-6, you may want to check that return steering hose. My understanding is fluid spraying on a hot engine could have a bad outcome--possibly a fire?
JR