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steering cooler?

I

ipkyss

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Hampden, MA
Just had a thought here. I have a 98 xj with 35s. After a lot of wheeling at higher rpm, snow, sand, mud, ect. The power steering starts to over heat and get noisy. I figured on just adding a cooler in the return line. More fluid/ capacity and better cooling at the same time. Then I had an idea. Sense I have a 5-speed, I am not using the factory trans cooler in the radiator. I just replaced the radiator with a 3 core. Is there any reason I should not use the trans cooler for my steering? Anyone try it yet?
 
ipkyss said:
Just had a thought here. I have a 98 xj with 35s. After a lot of wheeling at higher rpm, snow, sand, mud, ect. The power steering starts to over heat and get noisy. I figured on just adding a cooler in the return line. More fluid/ capacity and better cooling at the same time. Then I had an idea. Sense I have a 5-speed, I am not using the factory trans cooler in the radiator. I just replaced the radiator with a 3 core. Is there any reason I should not use the trans cooler for my steering? Anyone try it yet?
Click to expand...

I personally don't think that is a good idea. I don't have any idea what the normal operating temp of the PS fluid. I do think that it would be cooler than 210° though(which is roughly what the radiator should be). I would think that using the cooler built into the radiator would just heat up the PS fluid quicker. I have no evidence of this, just my gut feeling on it.

Anybody know the normal operating temp of the PS fluid?


Hale
 
Dont run the power steering fluid through the in radiator cooler. Coolant runs hotter than the steering fluid. Do want I did and run it through a stock auto cooler that mounts in front of the radiator instead.
 
get a tranny cooler and a small fan and mount it near the cowl. dont run it through the radiator. you could also put the cooler under the core support with a small fan. be creative. i have good results from doing this and i plan on doing the same thing when i get home for Christmas break
 
According to the Mitchell manuals here at work, the normal operating temp. on a 1999 is 170*. Other years may vary, but I can't imagine it would be by much.
EDIT: Just so there's no confusion with my terminology, by "normal operating temp.," I'm referring to the power steering fluid's temp.
 
I wouldn't route it through the radiator's cooler. Trans fluid goes through there both to cool it down and to heat it up when it's cold, and you don't need to heat up the steering fluid. It's very simple to install a small trans cooler in front of the radiator, just pull the return line from the resevoir, slip a barbed connector in it and route more line to the cooler, then route out of the cooler back to the resevior. No need to setup a seperate cooler and fan, there's plenty of room in front of the radiator.

It will make a difference. Mine quite whining after adding the cooler.
 
I was planning on putting a cooler infront of the radiator anyways. The other way to look at it, would be at 210, the power steering would not be over heating as it is now. 210 is not hot for tranny/ power steering fluid. I would asume I am well over that when having problems. I think the extra capacity alone would be more than enough. Maybe I ill just try it to see how it will work. Either way, I don't see how it will hurt anything.
 
When I finally get around to doing this, I'll be putting in one of the one- or two-pass framerail coolers. They're sort of expensive when compared to a "normal" style cooler, but I think their small size and placement capabilities make up for it.
 
I'm running mine through a B&M stacked plate cooler in front of the condensor.
 
ipkyss said:
I was planning on putting a cooler infront of the radiator anyways. The other way to look at it, would be at 210, the power steering would not be over heating as it is now. 210 is not hot for tranny/ power steering fluid. I would asume I am well over that when having problems. I think the extra capacity alone would be more than enough. Maybe I ill just try it to see how it will work. Either way, I don't see how it will hurt anything.
Click to expand...


That is not correct. You don't want your trans fluid over 200*. You gain nothing by routing the PS fluid through the radiator cooler, so save the hassle and give it up.
 
a lot of ford full size vehicles and suv's have a little one or two pass p/s cooler in the engine compartment. at some point i'm going to rob one off a jy vehicle and just mount it somewhere simple that will give it a nice wash of air.
 
To say I will gain nothing is also incorrect. What your saying means that everyone with a xj, with and auto is running at 210 all the time? Because the tranny fluid runs though the radiator. If it was not capable of cooling the fluid below 200(which you say the trans should stay under), what would the point of the factory trans cooler be? I will asume that for the power steering fluid to get as hot as it is and puke out, and be burnt. It is atleast in the 240-250 range. SO keeping it at 210 would be a big help. And my jeep also sticks to right around 195. Then sense the cores are different for the tranny cooler in the radiator, I will say its not going to be the same temp as the water anyways. Maybe close, but atleast little cooler.

I am not saying this is a better idea than running another cooler, but it is almost free to someone that needs the extra cooling. It is alrealy in the jeep, and also has 2 fans on it already.

I guess sense I answered my own question, I will leave this post to die.
 
I'd just find a cheap trans cooler. this is how I am doing it, I scored this from work for free. Its a Ford Trans/ Ps cooler. It has two cores seperated by a 1/4 " air gap. it fits nicely on my condensor although I am going to have to monkey with the inlets/outlets to get it to fit behind the grill.
DSC_0030.jpg
 
Thats just what I had planned.
 
ipkyss said:
To say I will gain nothing is also incorrect. What your saying means that everyone with a xj, with and auto is running at 210 all the time? Because the tranny fluid runs though the radiator. If it was not capable of cooling the fluid below 200(which you say the trans should stay under), what would the point of the factory trans cooler be? I will asume that for the power steering fluid to get as hot as it is and puke out, and be burnt. It is atleast in the 240-250 range. SO keeping it at 210 would be a big help. And my jeep also sticks to right around 195. Then sense the cores are different for the tranny cooler in the radiator, I will say its not going to be the same temp as the water anyways. Maybe close, but atleast little cooler.

I am not saying this is a better idea than running another cooler, but it is almost free to someone that needs the extra cooling. It is alrealy in the jeep, and also has 2 fans on it already.

I guess sense I answered my own question, I will leave this post to die.
Click to expand...

Give it up dude.
You are wrong.
Live with it.
Live and learn.
No big deal man.

Do it once, do it right, and be done with it.

Hale
 
ipkyss said:
To say I will gain nothing is also incorrect. What your saying means that everyone with a xj, with and auto is running at 210 all the time? Because the tranny fluid runs though the radiator. If it was not capable of cooling the fluid below 200(which you say the trans should stay under), what would the point of the factory trans cooler be? I will asume that for the power steering fluid to get as hot as it is and puke out, and be burnt. It is atleast in the 240-250 range. SO keeping it at 210 would be a big help. And my jeep also sticks to right around 195. Then sense the cores are different for the tranny cooler in the radiator, I will say its not going to be the same temp as the water anyways. Maybe close, but atleast little cooler.

I am not saying this is a better idea than running another cooler, but it is almost free to someone that needs the extra cooling. It is alrealy in the jeep, and also has 2 fans on it already.

I guess sense I answered my own question, I will leave this post to die.
Click to expand...

Sounds like your mind is made up........so why ask?

Every vehicle, including the XJ, that is going to tow or work the ranny hard comes with or needs an auxiliary trans cooler. It comes up in discussion regularly whether or not to bypass the radiator cooler when installing a cooler or upgrading the factory cooler. It is always recommended to continue to use the radiator cooler as a means to heat up the fluid in cold weather so it can reach it's normal operating tempuarature.

Since you already said that you intend to add an aux PS cooler to the front of the radiator, I stand by my comment that you will gain nothing by going through the trouble of routing the PS fluid through the radiators cooler. There is no need ot heat up the PS fluid, and a small aux PS cooler works very well.

That's the answer to your question, but hey, it's your Jeep, do what you want.
 
Blkxjkrawler said:
I'd just find a cheap trans cooler. this is how I am doing it, I scored this from work for free. Its a Ford Trans/ Ps cooler. It has two cores seperated by a 1/4 " air gap. it fits nicely on my condensor although I am going to have to monkey with the inlets/outlets to get it to fit behind the grill.
DSC_0030.jpg
Click to expand...

Problem with this setup is that your are reducing the airflow through your engine radiator and not only that, heating up the air coming through it as well! Many have done this and then found there engine over heating or at least running hotter due to such a huge cooler mounted in front.
That is why mine is running under the radiator where is has no influence on the engine radiator.
http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoAutoCooler.htm
 
The trany line looks a little small to me but I like the idea over all. Cheep, simple, light, If it keeps the trany cool most of the time it should have no problem keeping the PS temp down.
But remember unless you hang something oversized, overpriced and overrated on you XJ. Your not a real man:)
 
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