I was talking about the thick stuff, the conditioner with stop leak. If you want to experiment, and if air/pump cavitation is not the cause of your noise, you could try to go thicker with the Lucas stuff. Pumps can get noisy with high miles or if run dry in the case of one with a leak that keeps going low or a hose blows apart, and gets driven home dry. I found a qt bottle of the Lucas at an independent auto parts warehouse for $12, which was not bad, considering Advance Auto had it for nearly $23. That was too high for me.
PLEASE provide some input on this!!!!!
- Thread starter KelleyHFR1982
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Some power steering systems take time to quiet down after repairs or fluid exchanges. DEX III is good enough, you should be fine.
Keep in mind that Mazda uses an electric power steering pump. Is this what you're hearing?
My daughters Mazda3 P/S Pump isn't noisy but, it has an electric sound that I am not quite used to compared to P/S pumps that are hydrolic.
My daughters Mazda3 P/S Pump isn't noisy but, it has an electric sound that I am not quite used to compared to P/S pumps that are hydrolic.
i swapped the valvoline import m-III full synthetic and put the maxlife atf dex/merc formula in it. it was noisy as well. i ended up getting some of the steering stop leak and put that in there. it is still some what noisy but not as loud. i was hesitant to try that stuff since it was much thicker than the regular ps fluid i was using.
GSCJR - i understand that as well. the noise is louder, the hotter the vehicle is. its hard to describe the sound. its whining or screeching like the bearings going out or anything. it may just be how the pump is after a fresh fluid exchange. who knows, lol.
Char Baby - i thought that as well but the mazda dealership parts dept told it wasn't in my year of vehicle. there is a power steering pressure fluid switch which has an electrical connection on the pump, thats the only eltrical component there is on the pump.
now after thinking about it again, i was wondering if i could usethe lucas semi synthetic multi vehicle atf, says it exceeds the mazda m-III rating. it also has on the product sheet that its recommended for all power steering systems.
i'm still want to try what i can before replacing the pump, to see if anything helps.
GSCJR - i understand that as well. the noise is louder, the hotter the vehicle is. its hard to describe the sound. its whining or screeching like the bearings going out or anything. it may just be how the pump is after a fresh fluid exchange. who knows, lol.
Char Baby - i thought that as well but the mazda dealership parts dept told it wasn't in my year of vehicle. there is a power steering pressure fluid switch which has an electrical connection on the pump, thats the only eltrical component there is on the pump.
now after thinking about it again, i was wondering if i could usethe lucas semi synthetic multi vehicle atf, says it exceeds the mazda m-III rating. it also has on the product sheet that its recommended for all power steering systems.
i'm still want to try what i can before replacing the pump, to see if anything helps.
So, could it be a mechanical failure?
Power steering fluids have a few requirements.
1. They must be compatible with the seals used in the system.
2. They must flow properly at all encountered temperatures.
3. They must provide film strength to protect moving parts.
4. They must not deteriorate for the life of the fluid.
For most vehicles an ATF performs these tasks very well. They are tested on many different seal types. They have high viscosity index to operate at wide temperature range. They are typically an SAE 20 viscosity grade which is very common hydraulic grade. They have strong oxidation lifetimes.
If OEM requires more than this they will recommend a special fluid. Honda requires a heavier viscosity at operating temperatures and a lower viscosity at cold temperature. Thus they need a very expensive viscosity index improver.
Mercon have several varieties as does DEXRON. However most of them will work the same in a power steering system. The biggest changes of recent time are the later the specifications the longer the life expectancy.
1. They must be compatible with the seals used in the system.
2. They must flow properly at all encountered temperatures.
3. They must provide film strength to protect moving parts.
4. They must not deteriorate for the life of the fluid.
For most vehicles an ATF performs these tasks very well. They are tested on many different seal types. They have high viscosity index to operate at wide temperature range. They are typically an SAE 20 viscosity grade which is very common hydraulic grade. They have strong oxidation lifetimes.
If OEM requires more than this they will recommend a special fluid. Honda requires a heavier viscosity at operating temperatures and a lower viscosity at cold temperature. Thus they need a very expensive viscosity index improver.
Mercon have several varieties as does DEXRON. However most of them will work the same in a power steering system. The biggest changes of recent time are the later the specifications the longer the life expectancy.
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
So, could it be a mechanical failure?
I was thinking that as well. I had my good buddy look at it, who has been a mechanic for a long time, and he said it doesn't need to be replaced. He said that if the power steering pump was going out, it would be making a grinding or squealing noise. So I don't think It needs to be replaced.
I was thinking that a lucas power steering stop leak would quiet the noise. It even says so on the bottle. It made it a little more quieter. Still not as quiet as it was before the line replacement. I've checked and double, triple, etc to make sure the air has been purged and no air in the system. Everytime no air bubbles or anything.
So still at a loss of what to do. I want to say forget about it but my mechanical curiousity has gotten the best of me. I want to solve this and not just replace the pump.
Thanks again everyone.
So, could it be a mechanical failure?
I was thinking that as well. I had my good buddy look at it, who has been a mechanic for a long time, and he said it doesn't need to be replaced. He said that if the power steering pump was going out, it would be making a grinding or squealing noise. So I don't think It needs to be replaced.
I was thinking that a lucas power steering stop leak would quiet the noise. It even says so on the bottle. It made it a little more quieter. Still not as quiet as it was before the line replacement. I've checked and double, triple, etc to make sure the air has been purged and no air in the system. Everytime no air bubbles or anything.
So still at a loss of what to do. I want to say forget about it but my mechanical curiousity has gotten the best of me. I want to solve this and not just replace the pump.
Thanks again everyone.
I recently called a repair shop by mean and they told me that if the power steering pump isn't squealing or whining or grinding, then it isn't the pump and most likely the fluid. He said to try Mobil 1 full synthetic and if that doesn't work, try type f. I will try one and hopefully that will fix the issue. If not, they will trouble shoot and repair.
Originally Posted By: KelleyHFR1982
I recently called a repair shop by mean and they told me that if the power steering pump isn't squealing or whining or grinding, then it isn't the pump and most likely the fluid. He said to try Mobil 1 full synthetic and if that doesn't work, try type f. I will try one and hopefully that will fix the issue. If not, they will trouble shoot and repair.
Which Mobil ATF did you try/use in you original post?
Yeah, I think that Mobil 1 ATF(which is DexIII/Merc) will work fine!
I'd love to tell you that the Mobil 1 ATF would quiet down your pump or steering noise and it may/may not. It certainly won't hurt anything and it works well in many-a-mazda P/S units.
I have Castrol IMV ATF in my daughters '06 mazda3 P/S unit(over 3 years now) and it's fine although, her electric P/S pump has always had a mild whine since she bought it in 2009. You can only hear the whine at idle.
I recently called a repair shop by mean and they told me that if the power steering pump isn't squealing or whining or grinding, then it isn't the pump and most likely the fluid. He said to try Mobil 1 full synthetic and if that doesn't work, try type f. I will try one and hopefully that will fix the issue. If not, they will trouble shoot and repair.
Which Mobil ATF did you try/use in you original post?
Yeah, I think that Mobil 1 ATF(which is DexIII/Merc) will work fine!
I'd love to tell you that the Mobil 1 ATF would quiet down your pump or steering noise and it may/may not. It certainly won't hurt anything and it works well in many-a-mazda P/S units.
I have Castrol IMV ATF in my daughters '06 mazda3 P/S unit(over 3 years now) and it's fine although, her electric P/S pump has always had a mild whine since she bought it in 2009. You can only hear the whine at idle.
Originally Posted By: KelleyHFR1982
i have a 2004 mazada 6s
We, too, drive a 2004 Mazda 6S as our primary vehicle.
Originally Posted By: KelleyHFR1982
my owners manual calls for a ATF M-III, M-V, or equivalent(e.g. Dexron® III)
Our owner's manual calls for Mazda M-V spec transmission fluid.
i have a 2004 mazada 6s
We, too, drive a 2004 Mazda 6S as our primary vehicle.
Originally Posted By: KelleyHFR1982
my owners manual calls for a ATF M-III, M-V, or equivalent(e.g. Dexron® III)
Our owner's manual calls for Mazda M-V spec transmission fluid.
KelleyHFR1982 said:
The factory fill in my 2003 Mazda MPV was Mazda M-III; it is reportedly a clone of Dexron II-E, so any Dex/Merc ATF should suffice. The JATCO transmission in my MPV is prone to early failure so I change my fluid often and use a semi-synthetic or synthetic fluid. I use either Dexron VI (a semi-synthetic/synthetic which GM claims is backward compatible with Dexron II/III applications) or MaxLife ATF (a synthetic which meets Dexron VI specs but is not certified as Dexron VI because it does not use the Afton additive package mandated by GM for Dexron VI certification).
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