Wrong power steering fluid (did I really do this)!...🙈

[Georgeandkira]

Most everyone else here, and on every other Volvo board, has already heard this tale.

A 1999 V70 base was my first Volvo. The PO's mates at the "work garage" tended to his car. Some red ATF they added caused a growling which induced him to sell the car.
I flushed it with the proper green CHF-11S and the noise went away for ~40,000 miles.
Then, at highway speed on a temperate day, the pump growled softly-to-loudly over a 30 second time frame.
The $40 junkyard pump I found (true bargain) was from a '99 and dripped green fluid.

The mistaken "red fluid" spec remained in {No. American} Volvo owner's manuals for a long time. I even contacted Volvo about it.

I don't know how long Mr. Previous Owner ran the bad fluid. As mentioned above, get on this job.

As for beating one's self up for adding incorrect fluid? Remember, only the mediocre are always at their best

[MarvinMitt]

Plenty of Volvos drive with ATF in PAS without problems.
"Some red ATF" that one garage put in your second hand used car is not a reason for Volvo engineers to rewrite their owners manuals.

[ckracer76]

I'm glad I posted my issue now as I've learned a lot of facts from everybody. Thank you.

Very interesting that USA cars and owners manuals have and recommended red ATF fluid.

My brother checked and he says Volvo S80 mk1 part numbers for steering rack, pump, hoses and ancillaries all list same part numbers Europe, Asia, USA and Middle East regardless of red power steering fluid or green. It appears the components are designed for either depending on region and perhaps climate vehicle sold?

Still, I'm fairly certain from you guys the red ATF fluid and green CHF 11 S fluid don't mix so will be flushed and renewed next week.

Thanks again everyone.

[Georgeandkira]

I had the thought that "Type-F" (for Fords-claimed to be heavily friction modified and always excluded from listings as CVT fluid is today) could have been the culprit.
That I contacted Volvo regarding an apparent oversight in their manuals was based on the fact that the pale green fluid had been, for several years, universally installed in Volvo cars whilst the "red ATF" spec was still in print not merely my experience.
Several Volvo owners had experienced the same inconsistency and mentioned it on boards such as ours.
That the spec was finally changed could suggest mine was not just another "UFO sighting".

Oh, another thing. I saw and showed the management at a Volvo dealer the pale green fluid in their cars PS reservoirs while nothing but Castrol ATF was stocked as PS fluid.

And Marvin: Given the dishonesty behind Volvo's, and other car makers, contention that their automatic transmission fluid is lifetime and that the reason was to produce lower projected maintenance cost totals, it isn't any stretch to assume something like avoiding the cost of substituting a cheap mineral fluid with a synthetic one wouldn't be an engineers' choice but that of the accountants.

Remember, both "fluid follies" took place while Ford was buying Volvo and likely bending numbers all over the place.

This occurred during the time Ford played with the programming of the rock solid AW55-50 series transmissions and hurt them and their customers. The Stop Neutral feature had to vanish. These people have penny-pinching on their minds at all times.

Keep in mind this is the company which installed proven weak transmissions from their Taurus line into the heavier and more powerful Lincoln Continentals and Ford Crown Victorias.

[barrybritcher]

The mondeo mk3 had the same issues, swapped from atf to hydraulic between facelifts