Wrong power steering fluid top off

[IamPro2A]

So what did he put in that makes you think it’s not compatible?

Well, she said "regular power steering fluid". To me that means probably old style mineral oil based stuff, or ATF based, neither of which is compatible with the synthetic stuff used in our electric pumps.

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[IamPro2A]

Whatever fluid he used must say it meets MS-11655 specifications. There are a handful of non-mopar brands that do, but they certainly are not "regular power steering fluid". These are the ones I know of:

 

[Badunit]

There is a specific procedure to follow to get the air out after draining the system. It requires a hand operated vacuum pump along with the usual lock to lock a bunch of times. There are warnings about running with air in the system.

I assume like most systems that use fluids, it might take more than one drain and fill to flush it out. The correct fluid is expensive so this is not going to be a cheap procedure.

I wish I knew to tell you whether the two fluids were compatible (as in won't do damage) but I don't know.

 

[mfayecro02]

So what did he put in that makes you think it’s not compatible?

He put in regular shop pro power steering fluid, not their synthetic version.

 

[mfayecro02]

There is a specific procedure to follow to get the air out after draining the system. It requires a hand operated vacuum pump along with the usual lock to lock a bunch of times. There are warnings about running with air in the system.

I assume like most systems that use fluids, it might take more than one drain and fill to flush it out. The correct fluid is expensive so this is not going to be a cheap procedure.

I wish I knew to tell you whether the two fluids were compatible (as in won't do damage) but I don't know.

I wish I knew it was too! However, I did get it scheduled next week to have it flushed. That’s still me driving it almost 2 weeks but it’s the soonest I can get in and I’m not sure I want to tackle it myself.

 

[RHINO79]

I hope they make the effort to get all the air out of the system, you will know when you turn the wheel back and forth, good luck

 

[JTGuy]

That's why I use Mopar power steering fluid .

 

[g2020]

Whatever fluid he used must say it meets MS-11655 specifications. There are a handful of non-mopar brands that do, but they certainly are not "regular power steering fluid". These are the ones I know of:

To see this table and additional details, see my original post:

Power Steering Fluid Options for Jeep Gladiator

 

[Hootbro]

Full flush is ideal, but if not possible, I would just turkey baster suck out,refill with correct fluid, run awhile and refill a couple of more times with the correct stuff and call it good. Damage if any has already been done and would not get too paranoid about it.

 

[IamPro2A]

To see this table and additional details, see my original post:

Power Steering Fluid Options for Jeep Gladiator

Thanks for posting it, I just saved the list, forgot where I found it.

 

[Gvsukids]

Full flush is ideal, but if not possible, I would just turkey baster suck out,refill with correct fluid, run awhile and refill a couple of more times with the correct stuff and call it good. Damage if any has already been done and would not get too paranoid about it.

What damage could occur?

 

[Hootbro]

What damage could occur?

Someone with more knowledge of hydraulics would have to chime in as my damage statement "if any" is speculative on my part. I know fluid incompatibility that are not like chemistry miscible can cause problems with seal that may not be compatible and cause mixed fluids to either become acidic or hydroscopic.

 

[IamPro2A]

What damage could occur?

Could? It could gel up, or it could soften and swell all the seals in the steering system. Will that happen from such a small amount? probably not.

 

[biplaneguy]

If there's a problem, it will most likely be incompatibility with the seals in the system. Different fluids require different rubber compounds.

 

[GoatPowder]

So this thread reminded me I filled mine with regular p/s fluid (1/2 pint) in a pinch, and was going to swap it later... That was 40k ago.

Main difference between regular and the synthetic is temperature. If you leave both bottles out in 20 degrees the synthetic will still pour like oil, regular is like maple syrup. In a traditional p/s setup the pump is running while the engine is and generating heat so the oil gets up to temp too quick for it to matter. In an electric assist it'll generate heat quickly, but not until the motor is activated, so ideally you want the lower viscosity fluid to avoid cavitation and allow the heat to be extracted fast to avoid the motor burning up (it also handles rapid heat better).

In short: less than ideal, but not damaging anything unless you're into rock crawling, especially winter rock crawling.

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