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Power Steering Cooler Install


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Power steering cooler install.

I recently did an intercooler upgrade, relocated my oil cooler behind the hood latch support, and was stuck with the strange "power steering cooler tube", a loop of hard tubing getting in the way and looking ugly. This tube is connected to 3/8" hoses that run from the power steering reservoir and the tube coming out of the steering box, on the inside of the passenger fender.

 

I guess the idea is to cool the fluid off just by moving through this tubing which is front of the radiator. One option was to cut it down and connect it back to the rubber hoses, but whatever little cooling the tube provides would be reduced. I decided to put a trans cooler in place of the hard tubing since they are cheap (around $30 at Jeg's). This way I could relocate it where I want and cool the fluid better. Here's how I did it.

 

This is the Derale framerail trans cooler I used. You'll need about six feet of high temp 3/8 hose, four hose clamps and a couple sheetmetal screws. These come with AN fitting connections too, I decided to be cheap this time and skipped the AN stuff to keep it all under $50. (Had a $50 gift card, only reason why!)

http://waste-nj.com/d2/pscooler/pscooler1.jpg

 

This is the cooler, I decided to mount it on the bottom front of the core support.

http://waste-nj.com/d2/pscooler/pscooler2.jpg

 

I drilled a couple of holes in the lower front of the core support and mounted up the cooler behind my intercooler. Fits pretty well there, but depending on how you have things laid out you may want to stick it someplace else. Plenty of options because the cooler is pretty compact.

http://waste-nj.com/d2/pscooler/pscooler3.jpg

 

Here's the mashed up "cooler tube", I cut the flared ends off and deburred them, then used them to connect the stock rubber hoses to the new rubber hoses with the four hose clamps. Of course I spilled fluid everywhere.

http://waste-nj.com/d2/pscooler/pscooler4.jpg

 

Pretty simple stuff. -6 AN fittings can be used of you want to spend another ten bucks and pick a cooler with those fittings on it.

 

Resources:

Jeg's: Framerail trans coolers

 

Summit: Framerail trans coolers

Edited by Fuze
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Nice work. I have that stock one for a few reasons. I see you have aftermarket oil cooler lines. How is the clearance between header panel and the 90 degree fitting?

 

My oil cooler is behind the latch support, wouldn't fit in front with this intercooler. No clearance problems at all where I put it, as you can see the A/C condenser and fan are history.. (I made the lines long because I planned on sticking it behind the passenger side airdam opening.)

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I made my own PS cooler. I took an old heat sync from a stereo and brazed some copper pipe to the back of it. Then I used a flaring tool to make bulges on the end of the pipe to help retain the hoses. Followed that with some quality hydrolic line and black tubing to protect the hoses.

 

 

 

 

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq352/ucw458/MPI/DSC03790.jpg

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