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Quick question about power steering fluid


icyd

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Im about to head for a long journey in slightly more than 12 hrs and found that my ps fluid is quite low.not passed below min line yet but quite a distance below max lvl already.also, the hose is covered in oil so that's most probably the culprit. I hv no time sort it and im looking for a quick top up instead. Thing is with the time i dont have i can't find any vw approved fluid.can i; 1. top up with generic ps fluid. 2. Use atf, (heard mobil 1 atf can be used) 3. Leave it as it is until i get back and pour in the correct fluid.

Which is the least harmful? My journey is going to be about 600 miles in total

[emoji26]

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Altough many advise to use ATF, personaly I would never use that. Its red colour and it is recomended for Opel, Fords ps.

So, my advice is to get right fluid when you can, and that is OEM green fluid.

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I would go for option 3, with the ammendment to check along the way the ps fluid, just in case.

It is not recommended to mix ps fluids in the system (you'll do more damage than driving with it at the min level), that's why they are color coded. AFAIK the original one is yellow-brownish and the equivalent is from Febi, the green bottle, if you can't find OEM: 

 

post-105349-0-67296500-1424252982_thumb.jpg

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So im gonna go with option 3.as long as it hasn't reached the min lvl should not be too bad rite?it does whine a bit when i turn lock to lock though.it's chinese new year.most part shops around here are run by chinese so its almost impossible to get hold of the correct fluid.hope its safe

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I think you will be safe... Maybe you can find along your trip some ps fluid (OEM or Febi) and carry it along, just as a back-up measure. 

I would change the hose upon return though...can happen the hose to burst and then you won't have ps anymore, this is done only hydraulic.

Edited by iob
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You know, that is just like holy water - doesn't really help, doesn't do harm either... :D

Of course that not pushing the system pressure too much helps (most obvious is turning the wheel hard left or hard right at standstill), but at the end of the day you have to eliminate the cause (fix/replace the hose).

 

Worst case scenario you loose ps, you can still drive, but harder to steer; the hydraulic pump will not be very happy though. But as long as you can still see some fluid in the tank this is not the case, so it really depends on the rate at which you loose the fluid.

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Maybe the newer ones are green, I replaced mine 2-3 years ago when I did the timing belt kit change and I remember it was yellow-brownish...Both the replaced and the new one...

A bit of whine at the end is normal (like humming or slight buzz), but when there is not enough ps fluid in the system the sound becomes louder and changes to a metallic rattle (I had this issue in the past).

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  • 4 weeks later...

apparently the car survived. im looking to changing the hose. is this the correct part? part no. 1J0 422 893 DD. cant really tell from pictures. its should be the hose running from the pump towards the firewall. thanks for helping

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That is the part number for the flexible hose running from the pump to the steering rack, best would be to buy the OEM part, due to special and high pressure materials.

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I will post below the schematics of the hydraulic steering circuit and I can identify for you items 5 and 10 (replaced due to leakage in my car):

 - no 10 is part number 3B1422893C - the flexible hose from vane pump to steering rack (this was very expensive ~ 300 Euro, due to the metallic/rubber insertions and serpentine cooling) 

 - no 5 is part number 8D1422891T - the cooling return hose from steering rack to oil container 

 

My understanding is that you are looking for part 10 in the drawing. Is this correct? If so, this would be quite some work to change, as you need access to the steering rack and this is located above the gear box. I changed this hose at the same time with the clutch kit.

 

post-105349-0-50371800-1426671665_thumb.jpg

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thanks for the visual.was really helpful.but,300 euro?really?does that even make sense?

 

i'll give another proper inspection on where the leak actually is.

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is 3B1422893C number is the same with that on audi a4 and passat? do they interchangeable between these cars? im asking because most part shops in my country are not familiar with skoda, they'll go, what? no no don't have.but i'll get better chance if i mention audi

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Yes, the parts are interchangeable between Skoda-Audi-VW.

 

If Skoda is not popular in your country, the best suggestion would be to go for the Passat B 5.5 parts, as Jimbof suggested, taking into account the engine code. 

 

But first I would inspect closely the leakage on the part itself, as you don't want to pay for the wrong part, especially if it is the expensive one (the other is ~ 3x cheaper). Even better, ask an independent service to identify the part itself for you, considering that if it is the expensive one, anyhow you will need them for dismantling/mounting due to the gear box unit.

 

The reason of that part in particular(3B1422893C) being so bloody expensive is that you'll not find it elsewhere besides the dealer (at least here I didn't) and I would not recommend to get a used part, due to the high working pressures and difficult access to it. If it helps any further identification, see below the picture of the one I changed:

 

post-105349-0-59548200-1427293290_thumb.jpg

Edited by iob
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As you can see in the circuit schematics, there are only 2 pipes connected to the pump, one rubber hose going to the oil container (part no 5) and the pipe going to the steering rack (part no 10).

 

Regarding the exact shape of the pipe, for sure there are some differences (due to engine displacement, size, oil pump location in the engine bay) between various engines (i.e. 2.5 tdi vs. 1.8t) - you could see from the picture of my actual pipe that it has a large bend which is not shown in the drawing. Important things are the connecting parts and the engine code giving you the correct part number, which in this case might be different than mine.

 

By the looks of your last picture (I can't make too much from the others) it seems that part no 10 is your leaking part, but I would ask an independent service to have a look, just to be sure. Anyway you will need them to replace it, as this is not a DYI job, due to the gear box unit.  

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Looked around for replacement and nobody has it.it has be shipped direct from Germany and thats for another 2 weeks.bloody hell.how is it so uncommon?it never breaks?well mine does.not to mention the price,€300,or myr1250 just for a hose.i could get a major service done with most expensive oil for that.

Im going to a mechanic to have a look, probably just change some o-rings or patching up using heavy duty silicone or something.hope it'll hold up for another few thousand miles.do u think its a smart move or will it completely backfire?

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