Why the gusher of steering fluid?

['74 Sport]

My son Aaron and I finally got his "DARTSTER" on the road this weekend for its maiden voyage. While we were tying up a few loose ends with misc. items, we needed to install the plastic splash shields at the back of the front fenders. To gain access I had him turn the wheels sharply to one side. The Dart has power steering and I had just topped off the fluid level to the "cold" mark before we took the car for a spin. When he cut the wheels to one side, a gusher of power steering fluid dumped out the fill neck.

Is that typical for over-filling (and the dipstick mark means nothing), or is it a symptom of something more serious? I looked down inside the pump and the fluid level was down below the cast-iron-looking curved surface that's below the bottom of the fill neck. I topped it off again, not wanting to run it with low fluid.

Any ideas?
Jerry

 

[superdart]

It could have been over full.

or

In a new system, you need to turn the wheels full turn to get all the air out of the system. This often results in big air bubbles blowing out and making a mess. Happened on my friends Ram when we did his steering...blew PS fluid all over the engine..what a mess........

 

[rumblefish360]

Hummmmm, did you also take note to a possible reading of one side of the stick and not the other side. I noticed that on side says cold and the other says hot with the fill marks.

 

['74 Sport]

Nope, both marks are on the same side, hot above the cold.
Now, it sounds like in my ignorance, it's simply a case of not bleeding the system of trapped air. Looks like a simple solution after all.

Thanks,
Jerry