Ditch the turkey baster when finished, hydraulic fluid is poisonous, also it is absorbed through skin.
ATF and PS fluid are both hydraulic fluid. ATF has dye added which helps with leak identification. For the Cherokee, ATF can be substituted if actually necessary. However I do not see it as necessary when working at home garage. PS fluid is inexpensive.
Transmission lines and PS lines are in the same area, if one is leaking it is easy to determine which, if PS fluid is used.

ATF4 has no business in the XJ because even the transmission does not specify it, using it in the AW4 could damage it. Could technically use it in the transfer case but what is the point.


Some power steering units were designed to use a member of the Dexron family of ATF as their working fluid (ford). Other units were designed to use an entirely different chemistry of fluid (honda).

 

I didn't intend on giving my wife her turkey baster back for thanksgiving I'll get her a new one.


I never claimed to be a mechanic... just asked some questions here. That said, the ATF+4 does seam to have made my power steering work better. I'll know more after the weekend when I drive it some more... not my daily driver. Next time I'm near the Jeep dealer I'll grab some Mopar PSF and swap it out again.

 

No worries, I'm just just delivering info. Nothing will be harmed by using the ATF. I just use NAPA brand PS fluid.

 

The reason ATF+4 came up in the discussion, is because the real item would be Mopar Power Steering Fluid + 4. Which you won't find at a local parts store. But can easily be purchased on Amazon. However, MPS+4 -is- ATF+4. And ATF+4 can be found at most auto parts store.

The original recommended power steering fluid recommended for the 96XJ is no longer available. Though many off-the-shelf brands claim to be compliant with the same specification. However, when I used them, I had the problems mentioned in this post until I finally switched back to the MPS+4 (I had a quart of actual Mopar Power Steering + 4 floating around, but if I didn't, I would have gone to the parts store and grabbed ATF+4). The reason I had the MPS+4 laying around is because I had ordered what was described as a quart of the original mopar fluid recommended for the 96xj, but when it arrived it was actually MPS+4. So instead of using it, I chickened out and put it on the shelf, and instead went with an off the shelf brand that claimed to support the same specification as the original mopar fluid. I tried several similar fluids as I troubleshot the same problems described in this post. None of them made any different, and all generally performed about the same.

Whether you choose MPS+4 or ATF+4 (doesn't matter), you will quickly notice that it is not the same as the off-the-shelf generic power steering fluids sold at the parts store. The viscosity is definitely different, and it doesn't get scorched (burnt to a darker color) after a few days/weeks.