jamesyarbrough

im goin to change my power steering fluid soon.
my owners manual says use mercon
my question is...
is dexronIII/mercon the same same thing?

The Pig

Check with your local Ford dealer. Ford has recently changed some of their fluids.

nuff

Ford says to use mercon5

jamesyarbrough

i can show you my owners manual if you would like to see where it says use MERCON

but any how i found the answer from exxons site. dex3/mercon was made for mercon and dex3 applications

transmaster

No you do no have to use Mercon. I have used Valvoline PSF in all of the vehicles I have owned for many years . Below is the official data sheet for it. Only Honda uses a different fluid.

Valvoline - Power Steering Fluid

Part Number: 602241
Line: VAL
UPC: 74130790896
32 oz.

Detailed Description

• Meets GM, Ford and Chrysler specifications
• Keeps seals and o-rings pliable
• Prevents leakage and squealing under severe conditions
• Prevents wear, foam and oxidation
• Protects against pump breakdown
• Meets GM part number 1050017 (Spec. 9985010), Chrysler Spec. 5391 and Ford Spec. M2C128C&D
• Not for use in Honda or Acura vehicles

bobkyle2

i been thinking about changin my PS fluid ... might use that lucas fluid

transmaster

I really don't think Lucas would be any better then the Valvoline. Royal Purple PSF might be though.

The absolute best thing you can do is add an filter to your power steering system. There are kits to do this but the easiest way is to use a Remote Mount, Oil Filter. The one below is $42.95 from Summit Racing. You hook this into the low pressure side and all of the return fluid passes throught it. You have a choice of several sizes of filters and typically you change filters every couple of years. It helps keep the oil cooler but the most important thing is it filters any particulates out of the fluid which adds tremendous life to your pump and steering gear. If you do any off roading this addition will pay dividends.

If you want to get fancy you can mount a pressure switch in the top port and tie it into a light on your dash which will light up to let you know when to change the filter.

bobkyle2

ive got all royal pruple fluids but PS...... lol i dont guess i even realized they made psf... thats prolly what ill do!..... ive always wondering about a ps Filter... i just didnt think it would need it ...

Thanks for the info, trans!!!!

BTW... is there an easy way to flush this fluid... or just releive it through an line??

transmaster

It is really hard to flush the system out it is not designed for it. take a turkey baster and suck out as much of the fluid in the reservoir as you can, drain out the hoses, with the hoses off remove the belt from the power steering pump and rotate it by hand until nothing more drains from the hoses. Yes it is a real PIA. When working on the hoses be sure to use the proper wrench to loosen and tighten the fittings. below is a picture of what this wrench looks like. It is called a fitting wrench, or a open box end wrench. It prevents rounded off edges on the threaded fittings. If you are working on hard brake line when you use this wrench design you will think you have died are are in Beer Heaven

bobkyle2

^ thinks i dont know what a line wrench is..lol j/k

Ya i know ive always hated doing it on our race trucks.. i dinally just started popping the end covor off the steering box letting it drain..and turnn the wheel back and forth a little.. and put it all back together.. but wouldnt attempt that on this truck lol