ATF & PS fluid for 2009 Kia Sedona?

[Number_35]

Guys -

Per the owner's manual:

ATF = DIAMOND ATF SP-III or SK ATF SP-III. ??? Does this correspond to Dexron III? Can I use a Mobil 1 or Amsoil full-synthetic AFT instead?

Power steering = PSF-III. Again, I'd like to use a synthetic, preferably the same as the ATF.

Recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[MolaKule]

Consider this one:

Castrol MultiImport

 

[Klutch9]

Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Consider this one:

Castrol MultiImport


I've used this in my Sedona. I've also used Amsoil ATF multiple times, and the transmission shifts great. As for the PS, I looked and looked as hard as I could, and it seems that PSF3 is basically Dexron3 (if someone knows better, please tell me). So essentially any decent ATF should work fine for the PS fluid. Therefore, I've used Maxlife ATF and Castrol Dexron6 in my PS system, and done many drain/fills. Still works great.

 

[artificialist]

SP-III is different than Dexron III because of friction modifiers.

Wherever I worked, we used Valvoline Maxlife and got perfect results. You can use Maxlife in both the transmission and power steering.

 

[Number_35]

Both the Castrol MultiImport and the Valvoline MaxLife sound really good. Are they synthetic? I've had great success with using synthetic ATF as PSF in my Mazdas, and would like to use the same fluid in the PS & AT.

The Castrol's available at the Walmart near my work. At C$8.79/US quart it's cheap compared to Amsoil universal synthetic ATF (around C$14/US quart).

I'm sure I can find MaxLife ATF here as well.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: Number_35
Both the Castrol MultiImport and the Valvoline MaxLife sound really good. Are they synthetic? I've had great success with using synthetic ATF as PSF in my Mazdas, and would like to use the same fluid in the PS & AT.

The Castrol's available at the Walmart near my work. At C$8.79/US quart it's cheap compared to Amsoil universal synthetic ATF (around C$14/US quart).

I'm sure I can find MaxLife ATF here as well.

Maxlife is synthetic. I don't know if Castrol Transmax Import is synthetic or not. The bottles used to say it was a synthetic blend.

 

[Number_35]

So, I finally changed the fluids in the Kia a couple of weeks ago. Was pleased to find the tranny had a drain plug - was able to drain about 4-1/2 quarts, and replaced it w/ Amsoil Signature Series multi-vehicle synthetic ATF. It is spec'd as a replacement for Mitsu/Hyundai/Kia SPF-III, and seems to work fine.

I also did a couple of PS reservoir drains & fills w/ same. This did not work out as well. The steering started feeling sort of jerky. This seemed weird as AMSOIL ATF has worked well in my Mazdas. The AMSOIL online application guide does show ATF as the correct replacement for the Mazdas, but not for the Kia. There, a dedicated PSF is recommended. Aha! (As confirmation, the owner's manual specifies Hyundai/Kia SPF III [different than the Hyundai/Kia ATF].)

The shop that sells AMSOIL is way across town and only open M-F until 5. I would have had to wait until my next Monday off (almost three weeks away), and wanted to replace the fluid way sooner than that. (I'm sold on sythetics for our winters.) So, I found OEM brand synthetic PSF for Asian vehicles at Canadian Tire, picked up two quarts, and did around five drains & fills until I ran out. The colour was starting to lighten up, but a little red dye goes along way. (The fluid I drained out originally was red, one reason I thought I was fine replacing it with ATF. The AMSOIL ATF I put in was also red, but the dedicated PSF is the colour of motor oil.) Took the van for a short test drive, and the steering felt quite a bit better. I'm hoping the use of the wrong fluid for a couple of hundred km didn't hurt the pump or the rack.

Anyway, the Canadian Tire OEM PSF is made by Recochem Inc, which I'd never heard of. It turns out to be a Canadian company. So far I'm happy with the product, and may not bother to replace it with the AMSOIL PSF.

Recochem

Has anyone else here used ATF instead of PSF with unsatisfactory results? Any chemists who can tell me why one would work and the other not? And why does the ATF work well with the Mazdas but not the Kia?

Thanks in advance!