camry 07 fluids

[gnasher]

stamped on the side of the power steering fluid filler are the words - ATF and dextron,

I thought ATF (automatic transmission fluid) and power steering fluid were 2 totally different fluids,

can I put ATF in there??

[DJKOR]

Most cars, unless otherwise specified, can use automatic transmission fluid (ATF) as power steering fluid. I've always treated the two as the same thing. Most of the time a Dexron III is the minimum recommended (as in not a specific requirement), but this shouldn't be as issue as Dexron IV or higher is more readily available and is a good substitute.

In the case of the Camry, is yours auto or manual? If it's auto, the power steering fluid and the ATF may be two different fluids, but that's because of the transmission using a long lasting transmission fluid I believe. Either way though, your off-the-shelf ATF will do the trick for the power steering.

[gnasher]

Hi,

It's an automatic, noticed the level was a bit low yesterday, then noticed it had ATF stamped on the outer plastic casing.

I had some Nulon ATF Fluid in the garage and wasnt sure whether to put it in or not, but it states on the packaging it exceeds Dexreon II III and IV.

Most cars, unless otherwise specified, can use automatic transmission fluid (ATF) as power steering fluid. Most of the time a Dexron III is the minimum recommended, but this shouldn't be as issue as Dexron IV or higher is more readily available and is a good substitute.

In the case of the Camry, is yours auto or manual? If it's auto, the power steering fluid and the ATF may be two different fluids, but that's because of the transmission using a long lasting transmission fluid I believe. Either way though, your off-the-shelf ATF will do the trick for the power steering.

[lateralus]

be careful with fluids!

one mistake HEAPS of people make (including people on here) is using more modern fluids where an older fluid is recommended (even on new cars).

if it says "DEXRON III ONLY", then under no circumstances use anything higher as it'll screw everything up over a few months, and will eat away at seals, etc.

this also applies to brake and clutch fluids. a lot of people see "use dot 3 or equivalent" on brake fluid reservoir caps and think they can use other fluids (eg. dot 4, dot 5, dot 5.1, racing brake fluid, etc.), and wonder why they start getting leaks later on down the line.

unless youre overhauling your entire car to safely use higher spec fluids (which you wont need unless youre doing very demanding driving) then use exactly what it says on the car, and nothing else.

toyota do this especially as compared to other manufacturers. not many car makes still recommend using dot 3 as the factory fluid on 2006+ model cars. thankfully they've progressed on the ATF front. also keep in mind to only use the toyota red coolant in your car, and not the green stuff. it can corrode your coolant passages

Edited June 23, 2009 by lateralus