Cold weather P/S fluid in an older Ford??

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The power steering on the '03 MGM in my sig absolutely HATES below 0F weather, making noise for at least the first 5 miles when started in subzero temps. It was originally spec'ed for Dexron/Mercon in the P/S system-would there be any harm in using full syn Dex VI in it? Anybody tried it??
 
I've had excellent luck with Maxlife ATF in my Taurus

I've had similar success in Windstar/Escort/Explorer

However, panther bodies seem to always have a certain sound to them (PS pump whine or diff whine)

I'd try the two line flush method with a gallon bottle of Maxlife and see where it gets you

Make sure to fully bleed it, there is a special adapter for the reservoir if you can't
 
Before that I would recommend doing the Turkey Baster trick to remove the old fluid ( 3 times) and try out Mercon V which is backwards compatible with Mercon. I’m sure others are going to tell you other non OEM solutions as well.

SF
 
For cold weather applications where Dexron III ATF is recommended for p/s fluid, I would recommend either Mobil 1 ATF or Valvoline Maxlife ATF. I would advise against using Castrol Transmax Dex/Merc. Both Mobil 1 and Maxlife have very low pour points and viscosity at -40°C. But the Castrol ATF fluid isn't suited well for cold weather.


https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/FusionPDS.nsf/Files/68D5435223A1FD148025814500665523/$File/BPXE-ANM933.pdf

https://www.mobil.com/english-us/pas...-synthetic-atf

https://sharena21.springcm.com/Publi...0-ac162d889bd3
 
I have had some good luck with both the M1 ATF and with LubeGard who makes a P/S fluid and P/S additive that work excellent in cold-noisy FORDs.
 
Well, after reading as much as I could find (including an interesting post from Molakule about it), I bit the bullet and flushed it with 2 quarts of ST Dexron VI. So far it seems better, now to wait for the bone chilling temps to come back and I'll know if it worked. Old fluid wasn't burnt, but not very red either.
 
I run Mobil 1 ATF in the 240 wagon and Mercon V ATF and Power Steering fluid in the 240 sedan. Same pump and steering rack. Both have had many < 0 degree starts and a couple of < -15 degree starts in Stove VT. No squealing in either unit during start up. I can't tell any difference while driving either. The Mercon V is $21/gallon at the local Ford dealer. The Mobil 1 ATF almost twice that price. I'll be using the Mercon V in both cars shortly.

Sam
 
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I've been using M1 ATF in my Ford PS pumps for nearly 30 years including my 1996 Merc GM and they always perform well in very cold temps. I just turkey baster the fluid every 10K engine OCI. In your case I would do several quick changes to help the process along.
 
Well, happy to report the Dex VI was a night & day difference over the Mercon, just pulled the return line out of the reservoir, plugged the hose fitting, aimed it into a 2 liter bottle, dumped 2 quarts of full syn ST Dex VI in & ran it through. Now it doesn't howl & screech the first 3-4 miles when it's 5F or below. I never thought about Mercon V, but I'm not sure it's necessarily a full synthetic.
 
I'm glad it worked out. I'd suspect it would work well, but every company is a little different. The G37 calls for specifically Dexron-VI ATF as power steering fluid (or Nissan OEM ATF or PSF), but the Dexron-VI is listed all over the place. In the previous iteration, they called for the previous Dexron, and I highly doubt they redesigned the power steering pump for Dexron-VI for the subsequent model year.
 
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