Hello,
I have a 92 Passat CL. The steering is making a groaning sound when I steer.
I checked the power steering resevoir and it is low!
What kind of power steering fluid do I need - dot 3 or dot 4? Or some other kind?
I do not have the manual as this car is used. I am quite sure the power steering resevoir is near the front and says SERVTOOL on the cap
- right? The brake fluid resevoir in in the back near the fire wall.
Anyone with a diagram of a Passat engine?
Thanks,
Tmuld.
I don't have a Passat but it's likely that yours uses the same fluid that my '91 GTI does. The Bentley manual says that cars through April of 1989 came with DexronII ATF for power steering fluid, but after that VW used a special hydraulic oil #G-002-000. It says the oil is compatible with ATF but it seems to say that VW recommends that the oil be used in place of ATF going forward.
Sure the oil is probably dealer-only and probably is more expensive, but I wouldn't risk a pump or your rack going bad because of using the wrong stuff. I'd say get the proper fluid from the dealer in this case, esp. since this is probably a rare thing that you'd have to do this.
dot 3 or dot 4 oh-no... that's brake fluid and a definite NO-NO for the PS Just use ATF or any auto parts fluid labeled as power steering!
Hey, guy!
Thanks for the help!
I thought brake fluid and power steering fluid were interchangeable. The factg being they are both liquids and cannot be compressed.
But thank you again for the advice!
Tmuld.
Probably. I think considering it's not like engine oil that you replace every 5000 miles and it's more likely to be a one-time expense (unless you have a leak) your better off using the VW stuff so you know that you're not going to create some weird chemical mix that might sludge-up your P/S system.
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