Red power steering fluid in 2007 S60 2.5T ?

Sven60 · Post by **Sven60** » 15 Dec 2017, 09:09

Soooo...

Replacing the power steering reservoir in the 07 S60 2.5T due to a broken clip(that attaches to coolant reservoir) and noticed as I'm removing fluid with a turkey baster it's red.....

Thought PS fluid should be green for this car?

Have a liter of the Volvo CHF11S fluid but thinking I should be using ATF or different PS fluid.

Bought the car used with all the receipts from dealer service (lot's of em) and know the owner well so I'm puzzled. The only service outside of the dealer was a radiator replacement as they were out if town when it went.

Can I mix the Volvo stuff?

Many thanks to all of you for your help!

David

Post by **oragex** » 15 Dec 2017, 09:29

All that transmission fluid should be well replaced, there are a few Youtube videos on it. Not need for turkey baster, just lift the reservoir and tilt it to empty the stuff then flush the rest of the system. Hint: a big thick old towel to cover everything around will be priceless

You will need a second liter of Chf to properly flush, some will say even more

The reservoir can still sit well in place with the two lower plastic hinges

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 15 Dec 2017, 09:45

The correct fluid for the 2007 S60 is Pentosin CHF11S or equivalent. Look on page 177 ( Maintenance and servicing) of the owners manual.

Volvo CHF11S is green, somebody may have put the wrong fluid in at some time in the past. I would do a drain, flush and fill with CHF11S.

As for the clip, I would plastic weld it and put it out of mind.

Post by **abscate** » 15 Dec 2017, 10:16

Thanks for reminding me to change out the DEX VI Ive been running in my 99 PS for the past year with no ill effects

Replace it immediately before it blows up!

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 15 Dec 2017, 10:59

Learning something new everyday .... I had no idea DEX VI was that unstable.

Post by **abscate** » 15 Dec 2017, 11:04

I think I used it when I accidentally dumped the reservoir and then had to use the car 10 minutes later for an emergency.

I think the PS system is pretty tolerant of fluid type as long as its clean, but not reason to experiment here.

Sven60 · Post by **Sven60** » 15 Dec 2017, 13:35

I put a drop of the old fluid,new Volvo CHF11S and a drop of red PS fluid I had laying around, onto a piece of white paper and looked at it closely in good light.The fluid that was in the reservoir is more clearish/brown than red and closer looking to a "dirty" CHF11S. Car has 106K miles and it has never been changed.

Originally I was working in a low light area and I'm an old dude now LOL so I think I got the color wrong when looking at it in the turkey baster. I'll fill with Volvo CHF11S for the moment and then order a couple more Liters from FCP to do a system flush just to be safe.
I think I'm done stressing about fluids as the trans, angle gear and Haldex have original fluid in them that will be changed soon. Brake fluid was changed by the Volvo dealer about 5K Miles ago by the original owner.

Can't thank all of you enough for your fast responses!

David

Post by **oragex** » 15 Dec 2017, 14:16

It's a good idea to hang a small magnet by a wire and to keep it inside the reservoir a few days (the wire goes out and it's kept tight by the cap). The magnet must be very well secured at the wire (I used a metal clamp) and have a solid wire. Plus it needs to be larger than the pipe diameter so as not to block the suction pipe in the reservoir. I let mine sat a few days and I was surprised at the amount of metal shavings it had trapped. Helps preserving those steering rack seals.

Sven60 · Post by **Sven60** » 15 Dec 2017, 14:53

Nice Tip about the magnet!

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 15 Dec 2017, 15:35

The magnet must be very well secured at the wire (I used a metal clamp) and have a solid wire.

Hum ... how about find something made of steel that will fit the reservoir then magnetize the steel. If it is too big to exit the reservoir, you could just drop it in, later retrieve it with screwdriver or a pick up tool.