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My car is designed to use ATF as power steering fluid instead of a specific power steering fluid. However, the owner’s manual does not specify what kind of ATF should be used. I did some googling and the consensus seems to be it doesn’t really matter what kind of ATF is used as long as it’s a quality brand product. (I am talking only about the power steering here, not the actual transmission.)
If so, my question is, for just topping off, and without knowing what kind of ATF is already in the reservoir, can I pour any kind of ATF into the reservoir? If two different kind of ATF is mixed, it still wouldn’t cause any problem as far as power steering is concerned?
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[quote=”Commodore665″ post=154464]Use what your car uses from factory [/quote]
This^^
Really though, any generic ATF should work.
[quote=”DaFirnz” post=154487][quote=”Commodore665″ post=154464]Use what your car uses from factory [/quote]
This^^
Really though, any generic ATF should work.[/quote]
True , as long as it meets specs
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[quote=”plokiu” post=154422]My car is designed to use ATF as power steering fluid instead of a specific power steering fluid. However, the owner’s manual does not specify what kind of ATF should be used.[/quote]
I find this thread very vague. We don’t know the make/model of your car, nor do you link to any sources/references.
[quote=”plokiu” post=154422]it doesn’t really matter what kind of ATF is used as long as it’s a quality brand product. (I am talking only about the power steering here, not the actual transmission.)[/quote]
Could you point us to some of those threads?
Sounds very concerning. The chemistry of any lubricant has to be correct for and compatible with your car’s design. The fact that you bought a quality brand product is irrelevant.
A quality brand product could easily dissolve the seals in your rack or cause accelerated wear on the gears if it’s out of spec.
It’s like using 0w-30 engine oil in an engine rated for 5w-30. It does not matter you used a quality brand product. The chemistry’s just not compatible.
My car also uses ATF as power steering fluid, but the FSM mentions the fluid to be specifically Nissan Matic-D.
After research I found compatible fluids as Castrol Transmax™ Import Multi-Vehicle Automatic Transmission Fluid or Valvoline (MaxLife) Dexron / Mercon Automatic Transmission Fluid.
The owner’s manual might not specify these details, but the FSM should.
More importantly, why have you decided to change the power steering fluid?
What’s the specified maintenance schedule for your power steering fluid? The power steering fluid sees the least amount of suffering among all the fluids in your car.
Your owners manual should state which type of ATF you need – many cars use ATF as power steering fluid (for Subaru, it’s generally Dextron III)
[quote=”subhobroto” post=155582]It’s like using 0w-30 engine oil in an engine rated for 5w-30. It does not matter you used a quality brand product. The chemistry’s just not compatible.[/quote]
No – for engine oil, it’s a viscosity thing – most cars recommend different oils for different temperature ranges, with a higher viscosity being allowed for higher temperatures (e.g., might specify a 5W30 for low temps, but allow the use of a 10W30 or 10W40 for hotter months) – it has nothing to do with the chemistry not being compatible. The example of a 0W30 not working for a 5W30 is particularly bad since the specification for 0 and 5 has the same minimum kinematic viscosity.Once you get the right viscosity, the shear stability of the oil becomes important – particularly for engines that are hard on oil, such as turbocharged engines where a synthetic is often required.
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