Power Steering Fluid

dominiaa · Post by **dominiaa** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:39 pm

My power steering fluid is low, and the manual says to call the dealer go figure, Dodge just couldn't list what fluid to use. Anybody know off hand what fluid to use.

Wisher2 · Post by **Wisher2** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:53 pm

If I had my manual with me I would be able to tell you but if you go down to the dealer and tell the service department that you need to speak to a tech they will go get someone and just say what kind of fluid do you guys use and usually they will tell you

lilolneon · Post by **lilolneon** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 9:04 pm

If its the same as the 03+ then its the same as the tranny fluid, ATF+4, sounds weird, buts its the fluid the dealer told me to use. Had to buy a quart cause i had a PS leak near the wheel or sumtin. Dealer fixed it under warranty tho after i kept having the leak, first i just thought i was low.

Post by **Diablo0** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:11 pm

ATF+4... same as the Tranny

dominiaa · Post by **dominiaa** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:19 pm

Thanks for the help

refect · Post by **refect** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:32 pm

yeh i was just wondering the same thing. is it ATF+4 for the 2000 too? when i drained mine out it was more of a clear liquid. so i dont think it was ATF+4. im gonna have to refill mine up though since im doing the srt4 swap, but im not swaping over the whole srt4 power steering stuff. just the srt4 pump, pulley, reservoir, and lines coming from the reservoir that is all attached to the engine. so im gonna assume i should stick with the type that is used in the 2000 neons right?

Post by **Diablo0** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:03 pm

I'd stay with the ATF

Post by **racer12306** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:13 pm

but you wouldnt want to mix them. right?

Baal · Post by **Baal** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:31 pm

Well 2000 and other year neons have the same steering right? (besides the ACR).

Anyway its not like it sustains a lot of punishment like a tranny fluid.

Post by **Diablo0** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:54 pm

racer12306 wrote:but you wouldnt want to mix them. right?

I woudln't and looking at the 2000 FSM... it says not to use ATF fluid. The SRT uses ATF though... hmmm The 2000 book says to use Mopar Power Steering Fluid

Baal · Post by **Baal** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:06 am

imho its not that important o_o

Sparky828 · Post by **Sparky828** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:18 am

use water... jk

refect · Post by **refect** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:19 am

Diablo0 wrote:
racer12306 wrote:but you wouldnt want to mix them. right?
I woudln't and looking at the 2000 FSM... it says not to use ATF fluid. The SRT uses ATF though... hmmm The 2000 book says to use Mopar Power Steering Fluid

hmm ok so im gonna assume the mopar fluid was wat i orinaly had in there because like i said it came out clear and not red color like tranny fluid. so should i still stick to the mopar fluid or change over to tranny fluid? i would think to stay with the mopar since i am not replacing all the steering stuff. just the pump and stuff that is conencted to the srt4 engine....?

Baal · Post by **Baal** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:22 am

refect wrote:
Diablo0 wrote:
racer12306 wrote:but you wouldnt want to mix them. right?
I woudln't and looking at the 2000 FSM... it says not to use ATF fluid. The SRT uses ATF though... hmmm The 2000 book says to use Mopar Power Steering Fluid

hmm ok so im gonna assume the mopar fluid was wat i orinaly had in there because like i said it came out clear and not red color like tranny fluid. so should i still stick to the mopar fluid or change over to tranny fluid? i would think to stay with the mopar since i am not replacing all the steering stuff. just the pump and stuff that is conencted to the srt4 engine....?

id go with the steering fluid, remember chrysler cheaped out in 2002 with all the fluids.

For example the manual transaxle fluid was replace for the cheaper and shittier ATF-4 wich eachs much faster the syncs in the NVT-350, i guess they did the same thing with the steering fluid.

Post by **Diablo0** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:25 am

Well... here's the thing I'd be wondering about....

Sounds like right now you're using your Neon rack and the Neon rack is about an inch or so longer and rumor has it that there isn't enough adjsutability with the neon rack to be able to correct the toe enough b/c it's longer. I really don't think you'd have to worry with using either... other than maybe one is a different viscousity and the SRT pump was possibly designed with ATF+4 in mind while you rack could somehow be better designed to use the PS fulid....

If you have your rack out can you snap a pic? I'm curious to know if there is a design change in the early 2GNs.

refect · Post by **refect** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:53 am

Diablo0 wrote:Well... here's the thing I'd be wondering about....

Sounds like right now you're using your Neon rack and the Neon rack is about an inch or so longer and rumor has it that there isn't enough adjsutability with the neon rack to be able to correct the toe enough b/c it's longer. I really don't think you'd have to worry with using either... other than maybe one is a different viscousity and the SRT pump was possibly designed with ATF+4 in mind while you rack could somehow be better designed to use the PS fulid....

If you have your rack out can you snap a pic? I'm curious to know if there is a design change in the early 2GNs.

sorry diablo, but i dont have the rack out it is still connected up in there :\ ....if i do end up having to remove that then i will go ahead and get a pic for ya. as for length of them..basicaly you are saying the steering rack in my year is longer than later years? i know when i swaped over the whole srt4 front brake, spindle, struts, steering knuckle, and everythign else connected up to that.... i popped the arm back in the srt4 steering knuckle and my tire was slightly turned. outward...this only happened on one because i didnt hook the other sides steering back up yet so im not exactly sure if it will turn the wheel slightly outward on the other side as well. i just figured my alignment had been fucked form playign around with the arm and i was goign to need an alignment....but if the case is that it's a different size and the alignment wont fix it then im gonna have to go gather me an srt4 steering rack...and as like you said with the srt4 pump possibly being designed for atf fluid and my steering rack designed for regular fluid makes me wonder if it would hurt the pump to use regular mopar fluid, but i dont really see why it would other than thickness of fluid or something causing it to clog?.........im gonna have to do some more research on this one...

Baal · Post by **Baal** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 2:26 am

i think you are overestimating DC, early neons use ATF4 in the tranny not because its designed to use it, its just becaue its cheaper, and they dont care how fast it eats up the synchros, i think its the same with the steering.

dominiaa · Post by **dominiaa** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:10 am

So should I use the mopar fluid or ATF-4?

Post by **Diablo0** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:19 pm

If you're fluid is Red use ATF+4... if it's clear use the Power steering fluid. The ATF also has a ver nice smell to it

refect · Post by **refect** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 2:51 pm

Diablo0 wrote:If you're fluid is Red use ATF+4... if it's clear use the Power steering fluid. The ATF also has a ver nice smell to it

lol you like the smell of the atf?? i guess you are right it has a decent smell to it... i got it in my mouth while draining it though. i didnt like that. nuff said bout it

Post by **Diablo0** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 3:45 pm

Not really... it smells very bad. Never tasted it... have tasted a little bit of coolant and that wasn't very pleasing lol

refect · Post by **refect** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 4:32 pm

Diablo0 wrote:Not really... it smells very bad. Never tasted it... have tasted a little bit of coolant and that wasn't very pleasing lol

lol yes i tasted the coolant once too. it is not much far behind atf

the coolant in the eye is even worse though haha.. damn that sucked when i splashed it in my eye. why does everything want to go in my eye!!?!?!? and back to the steering rack issues i was worried about...spoke to josh about it. said he kept his original older style neon steering rack, but would recomend using the srt4 one if doing the srt4 spindles and and brakes and stuff. due to the fact that it is different length like we were talking about earlier. however, the original one can be used, and is being used with his and probably will remain same with mine since it is able to be adjusted to get the wheels straight again. alignment however will definitly still be needed. not sure how much this will affect turning radious, but i dont see why it would and i guess ill find out once the car is able to move again. as for fluid, since i am keeping same steering rack and just changing out pump, lines, and reservior; i am gonna stick with the original mopar fluid that was in there to begin with since im not swapping out to a newer style steering rack. after speaking with josh about this he mentioned he stuck with the regular mopar fluid for this too. so i am just gonna do the same since it doesnt seem to be harming the srt4 pump and stuff on his. just thought id share and maybe this will be usefull to someone who does something similar in the future

edit: not sure if this was a real good way to adjust everything, but i popped the tie rods back in the steering knuckle and noticed one wheel some how was turned inward (before it was facing out) while the other side remained straight. i disconnected tie arms again and jumped in the car and started turning the steering wheel back and forth and it seemed to eventualy even out with same turning radius on both sides. now both tires are almost straight. just both now slightly angeld to the right. both evenly angeld though, but they are no longer one angeld in and the other straight. so im not sure if i fucked anything up, but i seemed to of saved myself the time of lengthening and shortening the tie arms to get the wheel straight again. my turning ability still seems to be there from this....good or bad?

Baal · Post by **Baal** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:08 am

i tasted used mopar transaxle fluid, when i changed my clutch (was my first time), someone on the other org told me that the tranny fuild level is below the axles, so im under the car, i pry an axle out and the damn fluid fell in my face.. nasty.