2017 Journey Power Steering Fluid Replacement

[Gina58]

Hi, I'm new to the forum.  I noticed a whining noise when I accelerated and when I turned left or right.  It got worse within a couple of days.  I always have an oil change and top the fluids every 5,000 miles and I'm over that by 200 miles.  I looked under the hood and the reservoir was almost bone dry.  I checked under the engine and on the ground and did not see any  noticeable leaks.  I knew I couldn't drive it, so I went onto amazon and did a search for Mopar Power Steering +4 fluid.  This one bottle came up and I really didn't think much of it.  I poured some into the reservoir and noticed it was clear.  I tried searching hydraulic power steering fluid and really couldn't find whether it was bad to use that on my 2017 Journey.  I ended up going to auto zone who told me a comparable replacement was the Castrol ATF Transmax +4  by Castrol.  The guy there told me to take a turkey baster and take out as much of the hydraulic P.S. fluid and then turn the wheel to the left and to the right and whatever fluid was in the lines would dump back into the reservoir that I could remove before adding the Transmax.  So my question is, was the Hydraulic Power Steering Fluid bad for the vehicle, 2nd can transmission fluid be used to replace the power steering fluid and 3rd, where the heck did all that power steering fluid go if there's no visible signs of a leak when just 5,000 miles previous, the Dodge dealership would have topped off all the fluids?  Thank you.

[2late4u]

first off welcome to the group, your manual will tell you the exact fluid to use but almost all power steering fluid is the same you can buy name brand like Preston and on the can it will say okay to use in dodge vech, or you can buy ANY the transmission fluid +4 as well,your second question since we cannot see your journey is that you DO have a leak somewhere in your system as this fluid does not evaporate,also not sure of what hydraulic power steering fluid you used, if it was right or wrong   (The term “hydraulic fluid” is a general term that would refer to any fluid used in a hydraulic system. There are many different hydraulic fluids. Depending on the use, they can be mineral, synthetic, or even water based. ... However power steering fluid *IS* a hydraulic fluid)      And as far as the dealership topping off your P.S. fluid that  would be a concern you can bring up with the service manger and they will probally say they didnt see it low...BUT you do have a leak if your power steering unit was empty..good luck on what you find and please report back on what you find..... PS my daughter yrs ago had a power steering rack that was going bad and the seal was leaking at the ends of the rack near the drivers side but wasn't leaking as the rubber boot on the end contained it till it blew then is was easy to find

[John/Horace]

There is a recall on the power steering return line. Call dealer with your vin number, it’s no charge , I had mine changed on a 2014.

Not sure about your year, call.

 

https://repairpal.com/recall/16V273000