What works for power steering fluid?
 

What other type of fluid works for power steering fluid in a big truck?

is it brake fluid or transmission fluid?

Automatic transmission fluid......

power steering fluid works real well.

Yup........But since the original question was what OTHER fluid works,I answered,hopefully,before he used brake fluid......

It should say on the power steering reservoir what the "Approved" fluids are.

Most of the time it is automatic transmission fluid. I've been told (not confirmed) that if you mix transmission fluid and power steering fluid you will void any warranties because it causes seals to go away.

The freightliners I drove previously- were set up to use 10w-40 in the power steering- One fluid for everything.. nice thinking.

The Volvo 670 I'm driving now calls for Mecron-Dextron II Transmission fluid,

Back home, I use Type-A Transmission in the Pickup and Cars.

In older days-- there was no power steering in semi trucks-- you just used a bigger 25'' steering wheel and more elbow grease. That's one of the reasons- drivers were taught to always park with their wheels straight(finish a maneuver clean)... because you had to be rolling to easily turn the wheels.

In an emergency any oil is better than none at all, but try to use the oil or fluid specified by the truck manufacturer or the power steering system manufacturer.

NEVER USE BRAKE FLUID!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Mack specifies 15w40 engine oil in their power steering systems, there was a reason for that: If the input shaft seal on a flange mounted spline driven pump should fail, the oil is the same in the engine and the power steering system, so there would be no "cross contamination" issues.



International specifies their own brand of power steering fluid in theirs.

Power Steering Fluid?
 

What Headborg said, 10W-40, that's what my Cornbinder likes per the company maintenance bubbas. BOL

well what comes to mind is, if he is somewhere where he can purchase another fluid, then he should be able to buy the correct fluid, if he is driving a truck with air brakes, why would he have brake fluid with him? and if he is home, why doesnt he just go purchase some?
if he is just curious about what other fluids will work then he got the correct information. I still try to always use what it calls for on the spec tag

Thanks much :thumbsup:

I worked for a trucking company that used KW trucks one time, and they started the drivers using motor oil in the power steering systems of those big trucks. Now as a driver and observer of this practice back then, I observed that all the steering systems seem to begin leaking like crazy because of this new practice or maybe it was not because of the practice where as they began to leak. It seems as if it blew every seal in the system over a certain amount of time though. Now could it be that the oil is to thick as the viscosity changes with the colder and hotter temps, therefore causing the seals to possibly blowout as a result of ? Is this a tried and found to be a true and tested practice in which has gone on over time, and is the leakage simply due to the standard wear on the systems over time (400 to 500 and/or above k miles), and maybe not due to the oil that was being used in these systems ? I'm just a curious person who is an observer of changes that are made over time to systems, along with the affects or impact those changes may have had or do have on them. I can't help but wonder was it worth it or not in the long run when viewing the bigger picture (cost effectiveness), etc. that was to be involved in it all?

I have used automatic transmission for many years and never had a problem.