Power Steering Fluid

[mrd]

Why does my PS fluid keep turning to a nasty color? I've tried filling/turning/pumping out/repeat a bunch, and the fluid I put in is clear.. a few days later it looks like this:

the only thing I can think is that the boot on the steering rod is torn. would that cause this?

 

[Creager]

nah boot aint going to cause it

its turning colors because the pump is getting old and tired, and starting to get hotter then normal. changing the fluid is about your best bet.

its almost clear which sticks out to me...

whenever ive put new pumps in the fluid comes out a milky-reddish/pinkish color.

i wanna go check my PS pump now to make sure everything i 'A OK' haha

 

[RangerX]

Maybe 95s and up are different, but the 1st gens call for ATF, not power steering fluid.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

My 2000 takes Mercon/Dexron II or III, for the power steering. I'm almost certain that all the Gen 2's use ATF also.

 

[aldive]

My 2000 takes Mercon/Dexron II or III, for the power steering. I'm almost certain that all the Gen 2's use ATF also.

I use synthetic power seering fluid in my '99.

 

[Longjohn119]

I'm waiting for the day Al tells us he uses synthetic water in his cooling system ... as far as I can tell it's the only fluid left ...

All kidding aside, even discounting the less wear and tear, with the way oil prices are going synthetic is getting to be more cost effective than dino ... especially when you can use it longer

 

[gijoecam]

Indeed, it should be ATF Dextron II or better. Regular power steering fluid will cook in a Ford pump, hence the change in color.

-Joe

 

[CDW6212R]

Indeed, it should be ATF Dextron II or better. Regular power steering fluid will cook in a Ford pump, hence the change in color.

-Joe

Interesting statement Joe, without facts. This thread is another example of why power steering fluid should be used in power steering systems. I have no transmission fluid in any of the power steering of my seven vehicles. None of them leak, they all operate and smell fine, and look normal.

Clear or almost clear fluid will more quickly show signs of contamination, when the fluid becomes darker. Good luck, you need it.

 

[gijoecam]

Interesting statement Joe, without facts. This thread is another example of why power steering fluid should be used in power steering systems. I have no transmission fluid in any of the power steering of my seven vehicles. None of them leak, they all operate and smell fine, and look normal.

Clear or almost clear fluid will more quickly show signs of contamination, when the fluid becomes darker. Good luck, you need it.

Well, apparently you know something that the Ford engineers that designed the system didn't. They've used Dextron transmission fluid at the factory in the majority of Ford products for the last 20-something years across the product lines with no problems. I've had nothing but dextron in all the vehicles I've ever owned and they've never shown any signs of contamination in any way, shape, or form. The only time I've EVER replaced any power steering fluid was when I had to change the gearbox on my Ranger due to a worn out sector shaft bushing, not something any type of fluid could have prevented.

So, tell me, where does the contamination come from in a closed system exactly? Pump breakdown? Hose breakdown? How come the clear 'power steering fluid' turns brown, but the pink trans fluid stays pink? Ever had an oil analysis done on the two fluids in two identical vehicles? Ford has (we've done some of it here in our facility).

Then again, what do I know? I just know how to read the owner's manual and the shop manual where it recommends Dextron. If you want the facts, I'll look up the page number in the shop manual in the morning for you. That's all the facts I need. If the owner's manual calls for 5W30, you can just throw some cooking oil in there since it doesn't turn dark as quickly, right?

Ridiculous argument.... the owner's manual and service manuals call for Dextron. Why on God's green Earth anyone would use anything else is beyond me.

 

[410Fortune]

Ford uses Mercon, not Dextron.

The fluid in your pump will change color quickly, even with a new pump and box and lines, that is the nature.

A power steering cooler is the best thing you can do for a Ford pump.

I am so happy with my 5.0L pump, no more whine, ever!

I tried everything with the 4.0L pumps, addatives, synthetics, nothing stopped the whine. You can use a turkey baster or similar and replace the fluid in your resevoir every couple of days for a week, and it will exchange most of the fluid, do this once a year and you should be fine.

 

[410Fortune]

You can use ATF or mercon or Dextron in the PS system if you wish, hahaha it wont hurt it. The tollerances are not like an auto trans.

I agree the manufacturer knows best, but geesh man relax.

 

[Rhett]

I'm waiting for the day Al tells us he uses synthetic water in his cooling system ... as far as I can tell it's the only fluid left ...

If you put enough Water Wetter in there, you'll just about have "synthetic" water. hehheh.

 

[gijoecam]

oops.... yeah.... I meant Mercon.... my bad.

But my point still stands.... True, you should use power steering fluid in systems that call for power steering fluid. You should also use Mercon in systems that call for Mercon, 5W30 in systems that call for it, and cooking oil in the deep fryer. Use what the system calls for and you won't have any problems. Stray from that and you're taking matters into your own hands. To each his own.

I don't think I'm out of line in sticking with the manufacturer's recommendation. It seems to have worked pretty well in the last 20-some years of production.

Can you imagine the lawsuits if it turned out that the power steering fluid (aka trans fluid) used in the steering systems was found to cause a breakdown in the system?

-Joe

 

[aldive]

They've used Dextron transmission fluid at the factory in the majority of Ford products for the last 20-something years across the product lines with no problems.

Then again, what do I know? I just know how to read the owner's manual and the shop manual where it recommends Dextron.

Ridiculous argument.... the owner's manual and service manuals call for Dextron. Why on God's green Earth anyone would use anything else is beyond me.

Geem and I thopught Dextron was a GM product ....

What owners manual recommends using a GM product?

I sure as heck won't be using any Dextron.

 

[gijoecam]

oh, lord.... split hairs. Find me a Dextron ATF that's not Mercon-rated too.

 

[RanSit]

i had a small leak in my power steering and regular fluid would leak out in about 4 days...i started using hyrdolic fluid...wouldnt have to add for about 3 weeks its a lot thicker and i think it worked great

 

[big_hoovie]

so does this mean that using power steering fluid instead of ATF will cause the pump to whine, and go bad, or if I switch to ATF the whine will go away(perhaps I'm too late)?

 

[Glacier991]

Other than laughing at Al's comment about syn in his PS pump, I am staying WAY AWAY from this one.

 

[CDW6212R]

I do not understand how anyone would build something, and not make the fluid named for it compatible. Something written down in print is not sufficient to justify such a massive illogical implication.

I do not believe that Ford, or anyone, would build a power steering system, and not make it compatible with power steering fluid. That is what power steering fluid is made for. This is really a trivial subject.

There are Ford rack and pinion steering systems which will be ruined by transmission fluid. The Fox bodied Fords and Lincolns are a perfect example. I have been around many with leaking racks, and every time there was not power steering fluid in them, but transmission fluid.

I don't know if someone was confusing one type of transmission fluid for another(Mercon versus Type F), but the result was caused by the fluid.

There is no way to confuse power steering fluid, because there are not countless versions, standards, etc. There is simply cheap, versus expensive. I use the Valvoline $5 per quart stuff in everything of mine. I have never had any power steering issues, other than one 1986 Crown Vic pump with 335,000 miles on it. It went with 265,000 miles, over half of that was mail delivery mileage. Good luck,

 

[CDW6212R]

I agree with you Chris, this is like discussing intake manifolds(intakes) versus air cleaners(not intakes), or gear ratios(A 4:10 ratio is higher than a 3.73:1 ratio).

In certain subjects like these, common sense and/or logic is not part of the discussion. It's all about the masses, the mob, the "follow the leader" mentality. I don't follow the leader. I watch, listen, and make up my own mind, using common sense and/or logic. Regards, I'm done.