Power steering pump getting hot

[Scrapper_MV]

My power steering pump is a PSC with a separate reservoir. It gets very hot. I do have a hydroboost, 37” tires and a Detroit locker in the front, so it is being worked hard. It gets so hot that the power steering fades and you cannot touch the reservoir or pump. It will boil water poured on top of it! I asked PSC about it and the said I have a restriction somewhere in the system. I had a plate style cooler and PSC said that was the restriction, I removed it and it runs hotter now (of course).

My only idea is to start replacing parts one at a time, starting with the high pressure hoses. Anyone got another way to find the restriction?

 

[Apogee]

In general, to find a restriction, I'd look for a pressure drop between the inlet and outlet of any given component, but that's easier said than done unless you're setup for that type of thing. Even though it's a pretty basic loop, with the high pressure hose running from the pump to the hydroboost, and then from there to the steering gear, with the return lines for each then running through a cooler and back into the PSC remote reservoir, what would you replace? You then have an additional circuit tapped into the steering gear for the ram-assist cylinder, but that fluid only moves when the cylinder moves.

What size and configuration (straight, 45°, 90°) fittings are you using for tapping into the box? How about the hose fittings? Tight radius, sweeps or something else?

What size plate-type cooler are you running? Where is it mounted and does it have it's own powered cooling fan?

Which PSC pump are you running? Will it overheat the fluid if you're just cruising around, or do you need to be beating on it in the rocks to get it to overheat? Are you running ATF or power steering fluid or something else?

What steering gear do you have? Any leaks or issues with your box? Does the steering cycle easily/smoothly from lock to lock?

I'm curious to hear how this goes, as I'm in the process of adding ram-assist to mine now with 37's, ARB, etc, and have similar concerns.

 

[Scrapper_MV]

I had the high pressure hoses made at a local shop, one of them does have a 90* bend and one has a 45*. The hydroboost is inverted, can this be a restriction?

 

[garberz]

I’d say, it sounds like the pump is bypassing fluid. It’s putting out way more gpm’s than needed and the bypassing fluid is creating heat. I never had any luck with PSC.

Mark

 

[73azbronco]

I used a ford f350 PS cooler, excellent.

 

[1969]

https://www.pscmotorsports.com/part...eat-sink-fluid-cooler-single-pass-6-an-5.html

I had a Land Cruiser that would boil the power steering system and it blew the seals out of the power steering box a couple of times. I installed one of these coolers and never had another issue with it. I’ll be installing one of them on my Bronco when I get around to it as well.

 

[nvrstuk]

Scrapper, replace any fitting that isn't a sweep, then stick a different cooler in just to rule out your old one. The plate style is the best.

You're right it shouldn't be that hot. I run 40's w/6psi for hours at a time and my PSC reservoir is good and warm w/a plate style (Earl's cooler) but not boiling water warm. Can you check the amount of fluid returning to the box? Even if you open that return hose and see how much fluid is returning thru the HB. Should be very little

 

[Yeller]

Sounds crazy…. Up size the return to -8 hose, it helps. As nvrstk said all sweeps on the fittings if at all possible. When a buddy had a steering dyno it made a 20* difference getting rid of the angle fittings and going to sweeps.

 

[snipes243]

On thing to check is if it's a PSC res check the filter in the bottom of the res. They can clog up and reduce flow.

 

[nvrstuk]

HB doesn't care on it's rotation location.

Really seems like "it" (the pump) is working too hard all the time so it's developing heat.

We need some more info like Apogee asked for...

 

[ba123]

Are you sure it's a problem and not normal heat?

I mean...it is connected to your engine and the temp of your engine WILL boil water.

Although your PS fading there might still be an issues, but not necessarily from it being hot.

Right?