Geer Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 (edited) OK my '11 Journey R/T is not in yet...but...we have a '10 Grand Caravan purchased new in the fall. 2 weeks ago my wife calls...there's no power steering. It was a very cold day, almost -30 celsius. I picked the car up and drove it armstrong-style to the dealership. Before I finish my sentance, the tech advisor knows what the problem is - return/low side hose has burst. This is at 4700km! He tells me they deal with several vehicles per day in cold weather, all the same problem. A big part of the problem is the p/s fluid turns thick in cold weather, and it doesn't pump properly through the system. Another symptom of this is a bad squealing sound at very cold start-up. They recommended changing to synthetic p/s fluid...parts/labour/tax $165 beyond the warranty repair. Chrysler won't pay for the fluid upgrade to synthetic. Not impressed, but the headache of lost time and inconvenience of a potential reocurence...well I paid the money and had it done. If you have this problem living in a cold climate, its worth considering. When my Journey comes in, I'll have it done before I even pick it up. Edited March 18, 2011 by Geer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfp57 Posted March 2, 2014 Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 Late post but after 3 failed power steering hoses, we have just upgraded to synthetic p/s fluid. Hope it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkpaw Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 I know this is mentioned already in the other power steering thread, but I'm curious as to if they made note of what type of "synthetic" power steering fluid they are putting in. Out of the factory, they are all supposed to be using ATF+4 (automatic transmission fluid) in the power steering, and this is already synthetic. So what is the new fluid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Technically it is a semi-synthetic... I too am curious what fluid the dealer is using. Whatever it is needs to be Chrysler approved for warranty purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkpaw Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Can somebody who had this change done (to the new "synthetic" fluid) possibly pull the part number off their work order/invoice and post it? it should be listed in the shop materials section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 They do make a full synthetic ATF+4, but it would not be the MOPAR brand (I'm pretty sure Valvoline makes the MOPAR stuff anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey_SeXT Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 (edited) Castrol makes a full synthetic ATF+4.....http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9012225&contentId=7027046 O'reilly's & Advance Auto should carry it as it is shown on their website list. Another is Quaker State Full Synthetic ATF+4...http://www.quakerstate.com/CA/#/CA/products/transmission-fluids/atf-plus-4-full-synthetic Napa (Canada) should have them. Edited March 29, 2014 by Journey_SeXT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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