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Power steering fluid vs ATF+4

115K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  jgbat 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I need to add some fluid to the power steering on my van, but an not sure whether it should be standard power steering fluid or ATF+4. The fluid in there at present is red. I do know that the previous owner had warranty service work done that involved replacement of the two hoses and fluid to solve a "honk" problem from the power steering system, but I am on the road and don't have the paperwork to see what fluid they filled it with. I know that the normal fluid for this van is not ATF+4, but I would have thought standard power steering fluid would be amber, not red.

- G
 
#2 ·
I still have the steering 'honk'. I called the Chrysler dealer about it and spoke to the tech. He said to flush the system and use ATF+4. If it's red and work was done at Chrysler, then I'm 99% sure it's ATF+4. Power steering fluid is clear/amber. ATF+4 is what I'd put in. Some say the 3rd gen's use power steering fluid and not ATF+4 but if the tech at Chrysler told me that ATF+4 is recommended then that's what I'm using. :)
 
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#3 ·
I've noticed the "honk" two or three times in the last year or so, but apparently the Chrysler service done on the van early in its life pretty well solved the problem. I found two TSBs for the issue, both of which seem to specify standard Mopar power steering fluid, not ATF+4. Perplexing....
 
#5 ·
Back in 2006 the power steering on our 1998 DGC was getting a little noisy so I too was faced with the ATF+4/Power steering fluid conundrum due to noise. I ended up evacuating as much of the old fluid out of the reservoir and refilling the system with ATF+4. The process quieted the steering down considerably but not completely; I'd say it knocked off 90% of the noise and that was good enough for me. I did this when the van had just over 100,000 miles on it. When I sold it with 180,000 the system was still operating perfectly and (mostly) quietly with no leaks or other ill effects from the ATF+4.
 
#6 ·
Red = ATF+4, other power steering fluid is amber. ATF+4 is good, only problem is finding ATF+4 at the smaller gas stations. WalMart carries it and most service shops will as well. So, color match and top up with ATF+4.
 
#7 ·
I've done my homework on this subject and this is what I have found. If you have a repair (such as a rack replacement) that causes you to lose most/all of the fluid, Chrysler recommends to refill the system with ATF+4 no matter the year of van. So if you had major steering work done at a Chrysler dealer, that is what happened. Also if you want to flush the system and refill it with ATF+4, that is not a problem either.
 
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