2014 4.0 do you need to use OEM power steering fluid?

I was trying to do a power steering fluid flush on my 2014 Tacoma and I was trying to use OEM fluid but the dealerships only sells one size of the power steering fluid and it’s a 100 dollars. That’s more than what I want to spend. Would it matter if I use an aftermarket power steering fluid for my Tacoma that will be equivalent to the OEM stuff?

 

Dexron 2 ATF

 

1 Quart of valvoline maxlife atf will do the trick.

 

That's what I used in my '14

 

Thanks for the reply guys I shouldn’t of only gone to the stealership for this stuff. Just found out Amazon sells the OEM red fluid for 20 dollars.

 

any autoparts store / walmart sells the maxlife atf for under 10 a quart....

 

Walmart sold MaxLife for ~18 a gallon. That was about 2 years ago. Don’t know about todays price or availability.

 

I use Valvoline Maxlife ATF. Changed it out every 50K miles for the fun of it. No whining of the pump and very quick response on the power assist. Currently at 174,000 miles.

 

This.
And another trick I read on this forum……every time you do a oil change, just use a turkey blaster or some kind of syringe and get the old fluid out of the Reservoir and fill it up. Keeps the fluid fresh

 

2 quarts of Valvoline Maxlife ATF will be needed to really flush it. Disconnect the upper hose and put a cap on the res. hole that the hose connected to. Then put the hose in a container and turn the steering wheel over with the vehicle off, this will cause all the old fluid to pump out of the upper hose that was disconnected into the container. Continue to refill the reservoir after every turn of the steering wheel to ensure air isn't sucked into the system. After about 1 1/2 qts you should be seeing nice new red fluid flowing out of the hose.

It's $12 for 2 quarts from Amazon.

$12 Valvoline Multi-Vehicle (ATF) Full Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid 1 QT

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BOYCN...rid=2XCDBG6FB6G0T&sprefix=valvoline+maxlife+a

 

I use the Dexron also. I just pull the lower hose from my reservoir from time to time and let it drain out then refill. After a couple of times, driving for a week or so between swaps, it looks pretty clean.

 

Use Amsoil if you want the best. https://www.amsoil.com/p/multi-vehicle-synthetic-power-steering-fluid-psf/

 

I never use oem for a anything unless it's the tranny fluid. I just used dextrose mabe u Castrol for the power steering.

 

A cheap hand soap pump works great!

 

FALSE. DO NOT USE POWER STEERING FLUID, ONLY THE CORRECT DEXRON II/III ATF.

I'm an Amsoil fanboy but using power steering fluid in a system designed to use ATF is a recipe for leaks down the road. It also does not meet Toyota's spec (for a 2014 Tacoma that would be on page 425 of the owner's manual):

 

The Valvoline maxlife is Dexron 4 but the manual says to only use Dexron 2 or 3? I was wondering why everyone is recommending that over the OEM fluid which is Dexron 3? Could someone explain please? I’m a beginner DIYer trying to learn from you fine folks. The price of 6 dollars does sound a lot better than 20 though.

Also wouldn’t it be better to use OEM for fluids and parts? I remember using only the Toyota pink coolant was a big deal and people said to not use the universal coolants. Thought it would be the same for the power steering.

 

Just use Valvoline maxlife atf. It will give a much smoother steering.

 

Amazon baby!

 

If you look at the back of the bottle it will say that it is compatible with Dexron 2&3



As far as only using OEM fluids that is a personal thing to do. You can easily get away by just using good quality aftermarket fluids. It is in rare cases that you should only use OEM fluids since you won't really find and after market fluids for some. Like the Honda dual pump diff fluid or the Nissan e-psf which there is not aftermarket brand for so you are stuck with OEM. As far as your Tacoma you can use any Asian pink coolant or get the Aisin brand since I think they are the ones who make the fluid for Toyota as they also make their water pump and other parts.

 

Thank you for the explanation!