Power Steering Fluid for 65 C Body

The big problem with those old tractors (I'm somewhat familiar with Massey Fergusen of the same vintage) is water getting into the hydraulic oil, either from directly leaking in or condensation. Turns the oil into milk over time, reduces hydraulic pressure and lifting capacity. And they spec'd mineral oil. Maybe it was less prone to water absorbtion?
 
Here's some more random info:

If you look at the manual for your 196x and probably early 197x mopar with auto trans, you'll see a reference to use "Type A" ATF as transmission fluid. Well, guess what. ATF type A has a whale oil additive to it.


Apparently as a rust inhibitor. When whaling was banned, car companies were in a rush to develop an alternative, and that article (maybe most articles?) says that many GM transmissions (actually the trans cooler lines in the radiator) were messed up with their initial replacement candidates (no idea what Chrysler or Ford did or how their early candidates worked out).

See also: Transmission Problems in Cars Linked to Ban on Whale Killing (Published 1975)

Your FSM will say not to use ATF as PS fluid, but what they mean is - don't use "Type-A" AFT as PS fluid. But they really didn't have to mention the "Type A" part because, well, that's a given that it was Type A they were talking about. Maybe that's when (and why?) Ford came out with Type F ATF? Which I believe I've read is what was recommended years ago for the 727?

The FSM will specify mopar 2084329 as the PS fluid (and someone is selling what they claim is an NOS can of the stuff on ebay currently), and if you search for that on the web you'll find lots of people asking what the modern equivalent is, and there will be no authoritative answer to that question as far as I can find.

Additional: "If you find yourself in this position, ask one of our transmission experts what type of transmission fluid you should use in place of the discontinued one. For example, it was discovered that the old Type A is nearly identical to a 50/50 mix of Type F (Ford) and Dexron (GM)."

 
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I use Valvoline Ps fluid in the white bottles. It’s the only fluid I’ve seen that claims to meet some manufacturer specs….

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If I remember correctly MS5931 superseded MS2084329.
MS5931 equivalent power steering fluids can still be found.

Fwiw, I use Ravenol PSF Y. ( German brand, so not sure if available in the US)

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I will not bore everyone with the several page write up I did a decade ago on the fluid to use in my 1940's MOPAR fluid couplings.

At the end of the day, I found an old sealed can of it and sent it in for analysis, I found a period scientific article on the fluid used in fluid drives and I talked with the managing engineer at Gyrol, who licensed the technology to Chrysler in 1939, about it.

The final analysis was that a low viscosity circulating oil with very high VI and anti foaming agents is what is needed in that application.

If someone really wanted to know the answer to this question, get a sealed can of MOPAR fluid from the 1960's and send it in for analysis. Also check the SAE papers to see if there is a write up on the subject.

A definitive answer is out there. One just has to do the leg work and spend the money to find it.
 
If someone really wanted to know the answer to this question, get a sealed can of MOPAR fluid from the 1960's and send it in for analysis. Also check the SAE papers to see if there is a write up on the subject.

A definitive answer is out there. One just has to do the leg work and spend the money to find it.


ps-can.jpg


Rare Vintage Mopar Power Steering Fluid # 2084329 Rare NOS Rare item for Mopar Collectors.
Located in: Overland Park, Kansas

$53
Ship to US Only

The seller has 77 items for sale. At least 70 of them are shirts or tops.
 
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I will not bore everyone with the several page write up I did a decade ago on the fluid to use in my 1940's MOPAR fluid couplings.

At the end of the day, I found an old sealed can of it and sent it in for analysis, I found a period scientific article on the fluid used in fluid drives and I talked with the managing engineer at Gyrol, who licensed the technology to Chrysler in 1939, about it.

The final analysis was that a low viscosity circulating oil with very high VI and anti foaming agents is what is needed in that application.

If someone really wanted to know the answer to this question, get a sealed can of MOPAR fluid from the 1960's and send it in for analysis. Also check the SAE papers to see if there is a write up on the subject.

A definitive answer is out there. One just has to do the leg work and spend the money to find it.
This is a great response.

As I said, I'm no chemist, so a lot of my results are antidotal or found from reading and searching. So much that you read is BS... Some old wives tales about oils with zero understanding or even attempts at understanding.

Most of what I read about "what fluids to use" is aimed at cars that were built in this century. While there's a lot of improvements both in the vehicles, they seem to be more fussy about fluids. I went through an hour of searching to figure out what anti-freeze to buy to top off my Ford Edge. The original had been discontinued and everything that could be ordered needed to be backwards compatible. Gone are the days when you decide between Zerex and Prestone. Then again, we expect to easily get 100K miles in our new vehicles where our 60's and 70's cars weren't expected to last that long.

There's some good... I use a semi-synthetic oil in my old cars for example. Brake fluid is another example of using better quality fluids with higher boiling points (just don't get me into the discussion of silicon fluid).

Getting the correct "modern" fluid by analyzing the old just makes perfect sense.
 
The big problem with those old tractors (I'm somewhat familiar with Massey Fergusen of the same vintage) is water getting into the hydraulic oil, either from directly leaking in or condensation. Turns the oil into milk over time, reduces hydraulic pressure and lifting capacity. And they spec'd mineral oil. Maybe it was less prone to water absorbtion?
I kind of missed this...

One thing you may need to understand is except for the synthetics and some glycol/water based fluids, all your hydraulic oil is really mineral oil... For that matter, all your motor oil (again, except for synthetics) is really mineral oil too. The difference is additives... The confusion probably comes from the labeling of things like "white oil" as "mineral oil". If you read the Wikipedia definition, even they say the name is "imprecise".

So, that tractor might be really wanting you to not use Glycol based hydraulic fluid, which has been around since the 40's.
 
Picked up my rebuilt steering box from Steer and Gear. I asked them what they recommend for fluid. The answer was Dexron/Dexron II.
Omni
 
I asked ChatGPT:

What power steering fluid should be used in a 1965 Chrysler car?

The answer:

Most 1965 Chrysler cars will use a type of power steering fluid called Dexron II. If your vehicle is equipped with a power steering pump from a later model, you may need to use a different type of power steering fluid, such as Dexron III. It's always best to consult a factory service manual or the vehicle manufacturer to determine the correct type of power steering fluid for your specific vehicle.
 
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