Some brands of power steering fluid is red. Advance Auto store brand, for one.

It's kinda strange how MB has this stuff categorized. Power steering fluid is in the 236.3 category of ATF, and anything in 236.3 is for power steering systems ONLY, nothing in 236.3 can be put in transmissions despite being listed in the ATF category. Seems like it would've been simpler if they had a list devoted to only power steering fluid that wasn't under the ATF header.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Its interesting that there is suggestion that ATF could make power steering systems leak. Our power steering has shaft seals like an auto trans and fluid lines like one to. I was not aware that the seals or fluid lines in a power steering were some how inferior to those in a auto trans. Maybe the leaky seals or hoses were due for changing any way.

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I had asked this question of Penzoil:
"Hello,
I have a 1999 Ford F-350 7.3 diesel and a 1981 Mercedes 300 SD 617 diesel. I am overdue to change the power steering fluid in both. The owner's manual for the Ford calls for Mercon fluid to be used. The owner's manual for the Mercedes calls for Dexron III fluid to be used. Is the Pennzoil Power Steering Fluid a compatible replacement for both the Mercon and the Dexron III in these two applications?

Thank you"

The reply was;
"No, you will need to use the ATF (DexIII/MA) fluid, not P/S.

Should you desire to speak with a technical representative to discuss
this issue in more detail please call Pennzoil-Quaker State Technical
Information at 1-800-237-8645.

Sincerely
Jerry Harvell
Product Technical Service"

Where as when I asked STP, they said:
"Thank you for contacting us about your STP Power Steering Fluid. We always appreciate hearing from our consumers.

The STP Power Steering Fluid is compatible with both Dexron and Mercon fluids. Our fluid is considered a universal fluid.

Patti Copper
Consumer Response Representative
Consumer Services

Did you know: STP stands for Scientifically Tested Petroleum. "

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Pictures of the MB: http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/EricandRobyn/1981%20Mercedes/

1981 300 SD with a Goldenrod water block and Injetor line heaters. EGR is missing

1999 F-350 with HP X-over, Dahl 100 Fuel Filter, Coolant by-pass filter, CCV mod, Tymar intake.

Both on single tank WVO blend

Dexron III did not exist in 1981. Are you 100% sure that your owner's manual specifies Dexron III?

That statement in my e-mail to them was dead wrong. I put that in without even thinking about it in part because when I asked Russel of Diesel Giant if Dex III could be used as it shows on one of his how-to's, he told me it was fine. When I wrote that e-mail Dexron and Dexron III were the same thing, in my mind anyway.

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Pictures of the MB: http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/EricandRobyn/1981%20Mercedes/

1981 300 SD with a Goldenrod water block and Injetor line heaters. EGR is missing

1999 F-350 with HP X-over, Dahl 100 Fuel Filter, Coolant by-pass filter, CCV mod, Tymar intake.

Both on single tank WVO blend

Anyone have any thoughts about the fluid in the SLS systems ?

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1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/10414-help-i-need-check-stretch.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/156207-photo-step-step-post-showing-w123-evaporator-removal-1983-240d-1982-300td.html?highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

I don't own a MB with an SLS system. If I did, I would use either the MB branded fluid, or the cheaper, MB approved Febi fluid which looks identical to the MB branded fluid's bottle, except for the absence of the MB logo everywhere.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

This was a good thread on fluids and changes to fluids over the years.

I offer this observation: translation from one language to another.

You would think a world-wide company like Mercedes Benz/Daimler Benz
would be able to have properly educated Americans with approproate
vocabularies proof read their documents.

I own factory service manuals for my 1980 300D.
Bought them in 1984. From the MB dealer.

Have actually read most of the material in them. Many phrases and
words and whole concepts are not easily conveyed.

Now I work for an international company and find the same to be true of
hundreds of technical documents published.
It can make you laugh, but in the end you really have to be careful
to grasp the entire meaning.

I am not saying this is true, but the idea of "Automatic Transmission Fluid"
for the Trans and a different but similar fluid for the PS makes
me wonder if they simply did not mean hydraulic fluid.

Just a thought.

__________________
80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250