PS cooler

jeepnuts311 · Jan 13, 2007

hey all,

just intstalled a new radiator since my old one's plastic tank cracked on the trail (not a fun trail fix, had to leave the trail to locate a new rad.) anyways when this happened i was happy i had bypassed the tranny cooler in the radiator when i went with an aux cooler, and i didnt have to do all that nonsense on the trail since they are separate systems now. so i have a nice shiny new radiator with some open fittings.

what i would like is info on using the fittings on the radiator as a cooler for the power steering, the only problem i see is that running it thru the radiator might actually make the power steering fluid hotter than it is without a cooler? i dont know the temp of power steering fluid and i certainly dont want to be pre-heating it.

-Tim

5-90 · Jan 13, 2007

jeepnuts311 said:
hey all,

just intstalled a new radiator since my old one's plastic tank cracked on the trail (not a fun trail fix, had to leave the trail to locate a new rad.) anyways when this happened i was happy i had bypassed the tranny cooler in the radiator when i went with an aux cooler, and i didnt have to do all that nonsense on the trail since they are separate systems now. so i have a nice shiny new radiator with some open fittings.

what i would like is info on using the fittings on the radiator as a cooler for the power steering, the only problem i see is that running it thru the radiator might actually make the power steering fluid hotter than it is without a cooler? i dont know the temp of power steering fluid and i certainly dont want to be pre-heating it.

-Tim

I haven't looked into it, but it's probably not worth bothering. Besides, you don't have as many friction worried in power steering as you do in the automatic transmission - that's why A/T fluid temperature is so important.

You can install a P/S cooler if you feel the need (it's usually just a one-pass fin-and-tube arrangement,) but I'd really only worry about that if you're running tyres over, say, 35" in diameter (and if you're over 33" or so, you should get a reinforced mounting for the steering box first...)

5-90

BlueCuda · Jan 13, 2007

I know when its hot outside my powersteering starts to get weak. It also burns the fluid sometimes as well. The fluid looks like someone has barfed in it lol. Changing the fluid helps alot but it gets bad again eventually. I plan on using my stock external trans cooler for a PS cooler and replacing my trans cooler with a larger one.

87manche · Jan 13, 2007

I'm not sure about using the radiator to do it, but I watched a power steering system die in redbird due to heat.
It boiled over, and he drove the rest of the trail with no power steering and I think it killed his pump.
I'd consider it cheap insurance. You could always just get a small trans cooler and plumb it in on the return side.

PS cooler

jeepnuts311

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5-90

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BlueCuda

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87manche

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