hurk

2002 Escape XLS 2.0L 4-cyl w 5-spd manual.

I'm planning on doing a power steering fluid flush. The owner's manual says to use
Mercon ATF, but from what I've read it's no longer available (not sure).
The auto parts stores sell P/S fluid of course, but I have no idea if it's the same as the Mercon, and I'd guess that ATF would be cheaper.
So... What fluid can I use for the power steering?

Bert

Mercon has been replaced by Mercon V. It's semi-synthetic and costs more but worth it.

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Bert

hurk

Okay, sounds good. Thanks.

The repair shop replaced the p/s pressure switch which failed yesterday (I stopped the car asap & had it towed). After the repair the car seemed fine while driving it home from their shop (less than a mile), but pulling into the driveway there was the dreaded power steering whine. The level seems to be correct, but I haven't had a chance to investigate yet, and I have no idea what fluid they used to refill the system. I'll swing by their place later today, but in the meantime I'm just trying to gather info.
Any comments about the p/s noise? Thanks again.

hurk

Well, I checked the car today - no p/s noise. I drove the front wheels onto carboard, then turned the wheels left & right a few times just to make sure & following the procedure in the Chilton manual for bleeding any air out of the lines (the two pieces of cardboard per wheel make turning the steering wheel easier; a folded tarp would work good too).

Also, I stopped by the repair shop. They had Mercon ATF on hand, so that's what they used as per the manual.

The original problem was a p/s pressure switch failure - it was leaking really bad and was a sudden occurance - fluid was squirting out at the failed switch. I keep a regular eye on my fluid levels (several times a week) & was quite surprised when it happened.

Bert

Glad to hear it's all repaired. Thanks for letting us know.

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Bert

hurk

Me too. If the whine was still there, I was going to try a thorough flush w the Mercon V.