Used Wrong Fluid In The Power Steering

[Firecaptain]

Had the ps fluid flushed and the mechanic put off the shelf ps fluid in.

What can this do to the ps unit, rack hoses etc, and do I really need to flush it all out asap?

Thanks

[bigbird]

ive used non toyota PS fluid for years in my old 96 and had no problems.

[kenwoodrunner]

fire captain, it is my understanding that most off the shelf power steering fluid is mecron dex 3 without the red dye. so you might be good to go?

[islandboy57]

Why are you concerned? My gen 3.5 was on the "MIN" mark (when cold) for PS fluid so I added some Dexron III ATF. I was under the impression that PS fluid was more or less universal?

[Firecaptain]

Bigbird, Kenwood.........thanks a ton guys.......I feel a lot better now!

Called the dealer that I sometimes go to and they said I was OK too, but wanted to double check.

My regular mechanic, a Toyota master mechanic for over 20 years left the dealership with another Toyota mechanic to open up their own independant Toyota / Lexus repair shop.

He normally works on my stuff, and I recently had him do a ps flush and noticed that the fluid was clear, and since the cap says Dexron III......and it was not red......I panicked.

I have since looked at the ps fluid in all the other vehicles in the fleet that he has serviced over time and they all have "clear" fluid in the ps resivoirs.........

[chullen]

The fluid will look clear if a full flush is done and the bottle properly cleaned as to not have grime build up on the sides of the bottle.

[Firecaptain]

Originally Posted by islandboy57

Why are you concerned?

Because the cap states "Use Dexron ATF"

And I was under the impression that ps fluid and ATF are two entirely different animals.
It's not like motor oil.
You can mix brands and even weights in a pinch, but to me this was an apples and oranges kind of thing.

I know there are those pundits that will say "never ever deviate from Toyota parts and Toyota's explicit requirements and recommendations" and I have committed the ultimate sin........

Thanks again to those that put my mind at ease.

[nikita]

Its just hydraulic fluid. The reason to spec Dexron ATF is just that everyone stocks it. Any ATF (F, A, Dexron/Mercon, +3, etc.) will work fine in a PS system, along with dedicated PS fluids. 5W-20 motor oil will also work if that is all you have on hand.

[eyeball96]

Originally Posted by Firecaptain

Bigbird, Kenwood.........thanks a ton guys.......I feel a lot better now!

Called the dealer that I sometimes go to and they said I was OK too, but wanted to double check.

My regular mechanic, a Toyota master mechanic for over 20 years left the dealership with another Toyota mechanic to open up their own independant Toyota / Lexus repair shop.

He normally works on my stuff, and I recently had him do a ps flush and noticed that the fluid was clear, and since the cap says Dexron III......and it was not red......I panicked.

I have since looked at the ps fluid in all the other vehicles in the fleet that he has serviced over time and they all have "clear" fluid in the ps resivoirs.........

Captain,Who do u use in this city to work on ur Toyota.

I've been going to Powermax auto on Midlothian and occasionally The Muffer Shop, behind Pence Nissan.

Just Curious, thanks

[Firecaptain]

Eyeball, I'm North of the river so I use Richmond Import Service in Innsbrook.
Chris the owner was with McGeorge for a long time, and went out on his own with another McGeorge mechanic.

Chris is as honest as they come, and has always treated me fair.


I was looking at a 96 coupe, dark green and tan 68k at a local wholesaler, but it had a rear main seal leak plus the other usual oil leaks, motor mounts, and radiator. Seems sitting must have done the seals in
They wanted 6800 as is!
Camry prices in the area are HIGH, but extremely so with dealers in the area.
I passed.

[eyeball96]

Thanks Captain!....I'll keep that in mind....I prefer experts to work on the Coupes...hopefully I won't need them anytime soon.