I swore ATF fluid was a waste until my friend in Denver proved me wrong

I always thought automatic transmission fluid in the power steering was an old wives tale (you know, just internet rumors). But my buddy Jake in Denver had a leaky pump that was whining like crazy and he topped it up with ATF+4. After two weeks of driving his 2001 Subaru around the city, the whine was gone and the leak actually slowed down. He showed me a YouTube video from a shop in Colorado Springs explaining the seal conditioners in ATF work better than standard PS fluid. So I tried a half quart in my own 2005 Honda last Saturday and the steering felt smoother within 5 miles. Has anyone else seen seal conditioners actually revive old seals like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

umamurphy2d ago

Did it actually help the leak or just mask it temporarily? I did something similar on my old Ford Ranger, the power steering was groaning so bad I thought the pump was gonna explode. I dumped in a bottle of Lucas stop leak mixed with some generic PS fluid and it quieted down for maybe 3 months before the leak came back worse than before. Ended up just swapping the pump out and it cost me like 60 bucks at the junkyard.

david1232d ago

The whole mechanics of seal conditioners is just like that thing with bar keepers friend cleaning rust off old tools (you know, the chemistry that makes stuff work better than it should). It's basically a bandaid that can buy you time if the seals aren't totally shot yet. But umamurphy's Ranger story nails it - those conditioners swell up the rubber temporarily, but once the seal is actually cracked or hardened from age, there's no magic fix. The Denver video your buddy showed probably hit on the real secret - newer ATF formulas have different additive packages that can condition seals while also being a thinner viscosity than most PS fluids. I've seen the same pattern with engine stop leak products where they work great on a weeping seal but totally fail on a gusher. Bottom line is it's worth trying on a high mileage car if you're not ready to replace parts yet, but set a reminder to check the fluid level every month.