i thought i read somewhere that they're the same.

 

I doudt they are the same. I would beleive that they are close...as they are both being used in a hydrallic system...but I would never try it. All the different fluids under the hood of your car are tailored to specific needs and generate different sealing requirements and so on. I have heard of powersteering fluid ending up in brake systems and all the seals going bad....just doesn't seem worth any risk.

 

yes you can use atf in your power steering

 

Yup, ATF is power steering fluid. I drained mine from the tank and refilled with synthetic M1 ATF.

 

On other cars not ours. We use ATF in our hydraulic system, we dont use power steering fluid.

 

The owner's manual for my '98 states you can use Dextron III ATF in the power steering unit...I have used synthetic ATF in it (and in several others) very successfully for the past several years.

With that said, some manufacturer's require special power steering fluids for their systems. For example, Honda specifically warns against using ATF in their power steering systems and they require a special PS fluid (available in the aftermarket) formulated for Honda cars. Some GM cars also require a PS fluid that meets their spec.

So whether you can use ATF or not depends on the manufacturer.

 

Subaru recomended ATF for my powersteering fluid in my WRX.