Edward,

CW has it that both fluids are very similar or even identical.  A friend of
mine used ATF in his PS without any problem, I don't know of anyone doing
the reverse (using PSF in the AT). I don't have PS in my Vanagon so I don't
know what the OEM requirements are.

Could be that the PO used it as injector cleaner (put in gas tank at fill
up).  It does an excellent job at injector cleaning as it is apparantly
super detergent.  But in this use, being burnt in the engine, I don't know
what else it does, good or bad, for the engine or the environment.  I don't
imagine it can be any worse than the crap in gasoline or the much more
expensive official fuel injector cleaner and other additives.

JGS

84 1.9L Westfalia
Bleu Schtroumpf

----- Original Message -----
From: Edward Maglott <emaglott@BUNCOMBE.MAIN.NC.US>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 11:09 PM
Subject: power steering fluid

> I have purchased an '86 weekender and am going through trying to
straighten
> things out.  I found in the rear cabinets 2 almost empty bottles of power
> steering fluid.  I read that the PS uses ATF and not PS fluid.  Is this
> really bad?  Is my PS toasted now?  THe PS seems to be working fine at the
> moment, though I have not driven it very much.  Any suggestions for
purging
> and flushing it to get it back to ATF like it belongs?  I do have the
> bentley manual and have read the procedure for filling the system, but
> wonder the best way to empty it and flush it.
>
> Thanks,
> Edward