power steering coolers

[mikeinaustin]

so i have been looking at purchasing an audi a5. it comes with a power steering cooler, if you can call it that. basically, they take a metal line and run it in front of the radiator and then loop it back. i suppose as the car moves, "cold" air goes against that looped metal line.

so what a lot of folks have done, is cut that out and put in a real cooler (stacked plate or fin or whatever).

what are your thoughts on this? you think the factory design is really doing much of anything?

 

[Schmoe]

Probably dropping the temperature down a little, but overall, and depending how long the line is exposed to inside the engine bay, I seriously doubt it would have a noticeable affect. Power steering coolers are pretty rare on other stock models.

 

[IndyIan]

I'm pretty sure both of my cars have the same style of "cooler", any particular reason you need a better one? Even running double duty for autocross my Neon didn't have a problem with the powersteering fluid overheating as far as I could tell. No whine or falling behind.

 

[Kestas]

It might make sense if you're doing slaloms all day.
Do you "thread the needle" giong down the road?

 

[Volvohead]

Other than some late '60s Fords that included hydraulic wiper systems, I've never seen a need for complicated PS cooling systems in any street car. The fluids just don't get that stressed.

Then again, the Germans are very creative at coming up with ways to overwork fluids.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: mikeinaustin
so i have been looking at purchasing an audi a5. it comes with a power steering cooler, if you can call it that. basically, they take a metal line and run it in front of the radiator and then loop it back. i suppose as the car moves, "cold" air goes against that looped metal line.

so what a lot of folks have done, is cut that out and put in a real cooler (stacked plate or fin or whatever).

what are your thoughts on this? you think the factory design is really doing much of anything?


My Santa Fe has this same thing. But instead of running it in front of the radiator they run it against the front cross beam under the radiator and dissipate the heat into this cross beam.

Power steering units generally don't create a lot of heat, what the problem is, is the pump, lines and rackinpinion are too close to the engine heat and this can cause premature wear so they cool the fluid a few degrees to extend the fluid/component life.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Other than some late '60s Fords that included hydraulic wiper systems, I've never seen a need for complicated PS cooling systems in any street car. The fluids just don't get that stressed.


60s and 70s-80s rear-drive Mopars with 4.10 rear end ratios, police packages, or HD cooling packages had them. I guess the thinking was that sustained high RPM heated the fluid, but I think it was more likely the fact that many muscle-era big-block Mopars practically wrap the steering gear in exhaust manifold.
That said, I've run close to a million miles (literally) on vintage Mopars without coolers and never had a heat-related PS failure.

In the modern era, the PT cruiser has a PS cooler. But then again, the rack position on that vehicle makes it subject to radiant heat from the exhaust system.

 

[The_Jeff]

Seen long metal loops for this purpose on 80's cavaliers and cutlass cieras. IIRC ford tauruses put these sharp little fins on theirs.

 

[Gary Allan]

I recall the late 60's full sized Fords having them. Something like the LTD with 390 engine. Just a little U with fins. The trans cooler (aside the rad cooler) appeared to be the long metal tube out front in my older daughter's 91 Taurus. Haven't looked on the 93 yet.

I imagine that the heavier front ends, with bias tires and massive engines sitting over the steering wheels added a bit of heat to the equation.

 

[tig1]

I had a 2000 Ranger for a while and it had a PS finned cooler in front of the radiator.

 

[wafrederick1]

Some GMs had them,the FWD Buick Lesabres,Oldsmobile 98s and Delta 88s and Pontic Bonnevilles including some trucks.Usually bypass the powersteeering coolers by removing them on the cars since they rust up up and leak which is a very common problem.They are under the car bolted with one 10mm headed bolt on the frame section to collect road grime and salt.

 

[pzev]

My Focus has several loops in front of the rad...though the exhaust manifold is right on top of the steering rack. I do run synthetic fluid in mine.

 

[ffhdriver]

Miatas came with a looped line in front of the condenser for years.

 

[Shannow]

My 1987 BJ42 Landcruiser had one, 1990 4Runner had one, my 2003 Nissan 4WD has one.

I think that they are a great idea, and being a single pressurised tube with no cross section changes or stress risers will be as reliable as a brick.

I wouldn't mess with it.

 

[Virtuoso]

Our Windstar has a tube that curves around in front of the radiator. Apparantly ones with the towing package have a finned-cooler type of design. I believe my old Avenger had the same.

My old Taurus SHO's had a small 5"x5" or so finned-style cooler.

 

[Greaser]

Install a Magnefine in the line where it gets a cooler flow of air..it has fins on it

 

[HM12460]

i've owned several full sized fords from the 70's that used them. i usually bypassed them if they gave trouble with no noticeable ill effects.

 

[VNTS]

My 00 Durango with tow pack has a cooler for the PS, my 02 WJ has one, also it hydarulically powers the rad fan, and my PT Crusier has one. they are all bar tube.

I think it is cheap insurance to cool the fluid. I of course suction mine a couple times a year to freshen it up. I know a lot of people who have kept their cars a long time and have had to replace the racks.