Anyone else using dexron VI for F1 fluid

I am using FormulaShell ATF, which is Dexron III / Mercon. You can get it at any Shell gas station.
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MG- My car has Valvoline synthetic power steering fluid in ithe power steering and that works great. Unfortunately, I think they stopped making it. The VI may make a good substitute. Still running the Fiat Tutella CS in the F1 system. Hard to find, though.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I am running VI in the steering but haven't change the F1 yet. That is on my list of things to do but brakes are first.

 

You are correct that Dexron VI withstands high temperature better than Dexron III. However, are you sure that it is compatible with the rubber and plastic gaskets inside the hydraulic pump and actuator?

I am asking this question, because had a bad experience with my own car... When I purchased my car in CA, somebody had added conventional power steering fluid to the reservoir, which I did not know at the time. a month later, I started hearing the sqeeling noise, which typically happens on older cars when the power steering fluid level is low or the pump is giving up... In any case, I had to change the whole fluid to find that somebody screwed up by adding all kind of wrong fluids into the system...

As you know, there are special synthetic hydraulic fluids available on the market (i.e., Pentosyn CHF11S and CHF202) used in different German-made cars (VW, Porsche, etc.), but I am not sure if those would be safe to use instead.

The recommended original fluid (oil) for power steering is Shell Donax TA (see attached product specifications and MSDS sheet in PDF), which can be purchased for about $20-25/canister (1 Liter each) from different petroleum/oil suppliers.
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Pentosin CHF-11s is a suitable and easy to get substitute for the Tutela. I've found CarQuest keeps it on the shelf.

I don't recall anything good coming from putting ATF in the F1 system though. I had to flush a Maserati out a couple weeks ago that had that stuff in it. The ATF was causing a lot of strange things to happen.

 

tutella for me. it gets pretty hot and no reason to run cheap fluids

 

Any suggestions to where to purchase Tutella from?

 

Josh, MG- Interesting and will look forward to the results.

Here is a spec sheet on the Pentosin CHF-11S. Specced on many power steering systems (Volvo, VW) because it operates fine down to -40 C (-40 F also, coincidentally the temperature where F = C, X=1.8X+32, -0.8X=32, X=-40F/C)

Taz
Terry Phillips
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GM quit licensing the Dexron III name several years ago. You will see lots of stuff that is Dexron III compatible but they can't sell as Dexron III. GM marched along updating the spec (higher requirements) and collecting new licensing fees. Dexron VI has a much better viscosity profile and a much higher shear strength. Overall a higher spec fluid that III.

Even though IV was out when the 360 was you won't find anything saying it is OK because they don't go through certification testing again for a given part. BUT GM requires that they be backward compatible so you can use any newer spec fluid.

I too used a fully synthetic fluid for my steering. No problems so far and it has been over a year.

 

The 599 recommended fluid for both the power steering and the F1 system is Shell Donax TX, which seems to indicate both systems work fine with synthetic ATF fluid, which is a Dexron III equivalent fluid. The Dexron VI should be an improvement and the Dexron VI backward compatibility with II and III indicates no problem with seals. Guess you will know pretty soon, but it does not seem like there will be an issue. Here are the specs on Donax TX.

My car has Valvoline oil, PS fluid, and anti-freeeze, so I am very comfortable with their excellent and widely available products. Since their synthetic PS fluid is NLA, I will probably be stuck with Dexron VI next time.

Taz
Terry Phillips
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Could someone please explain how to go about changing the F1 fluid without dealing with bleeding procedures.

 

Alex- The smart thing to do is just to suck the old fluid out and add new fluid to the tank. Let us see if we get any pros on here with a different idea on how to do it better.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

First, read this post:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=268458&highlight=clutch+sensor&page=2

It is possible to flush the whole F1 hydraulic system using an auxiliary 12V (8 A/h) battery connected to the electric contacts of the F1 pump electric motor:
1) turn off the main battery switch
2) disconnect the F1 pump electric motor connector
3) open the bleeding valve #1 (shown below)
4) connect an auxiliary 12V battery to the contacts of the F1 pump electric motor and activate it
5) keep adding the new hydraulic fluid into the reservoir (make sure that the fluid level never drops below 1/4 in the reservoir and no air is aspirated into the system !!!)
6) flush through the system about 0.5L of hydraulic fluid
7) stop the pump and close the bleeding valve #1
8) open bleeding valve #2 and repeat the procedure described above
9) there is a third bleeding valve indicated as #22 in the diagram (below); one should perform bleeding procedures through that valve as well.
10) fill up 3/4 of the F1 reservoir with a new hydraulic fluid
11) reconnect the electric connector of the F1 pump motor with the harness
12) turn on the main battery switch
13) drive the car while frequently shifting gears for 15-20 min.
14) repeat the procedures listed above 3-4 times to maximize the exchange of hydraulic fluid in all EV lines (hydraulic tubes going from the F1 power unit to the hydraulic gear shifter)

As with the SD3-mediated purge procedure, there will be some residual old hydraulic fluid contaminating the new one, which is OK...

If you have any questions, let me know.
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I may be wrong, but your approach will most likely result in an exchange of only about 20% of the fluid at a time, because most of the fluid is inside the lines past the power distribution unit with solenoids and pressure accumulator. The most important thing is to change the fluid inside the EV lines (marked 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 in the schema shown below). There is not much circulation of the hydraulic fluid through the EV lines in general, which means that changing fluid in the F1 reservoir can not ensure that the fluid inside the EV lines will be effectively changed to a new one...
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I'm going to flush my F1 fluid.
Any suggestions what is the best to use.
Someone once suggested to me Redline ATF.
Any thoughts?

 

I have also heard of some guys using Redline products but not sure which one(s) to use. For the F1 system they have D4 ATF which meets DEXRON II and DEXRON III specs. Then they have D6 ATF which meets DEXRON VI specs. As for the Power steering system, they have those 2 fluids and their own Power Steering Fluid. I am wondering if D4 ATF would be the fluid to use in both? Any suggestions?

 

Patrick- You will eventually get an answer if you keep asking. Ricambi sells Tutella CS, now rebranded, but it is $50/liter. I still use it since it is specifically designed for Selespeed applications (F1).You only need a liter every 3 years when doing complete fluid changes and bleeding, but we swap out half of mine every year to keep it fresh, so use a bit more.

I use Valvoline Dexron VI in my power steering. ​