SSInnovations

iTrader: (8)

For those of you searching for a mysterious coolant leak in your LS1 F-body, check the power steering fluid. It took me forever to figure it out and it was easily fixed by replacing the PS Cooler, 20 min job. I’m sure others have had this problem but I really couldn’t find much info about them leaking so I am making this post to save someone a headache. An easy way to check this is to let the car sit for a day and then suck some fluid up from the bottom of the PS reservoir. I used a straw and just slowly sucked it halfway up the tube, when I took my finger off the top it was all coolant. I had checked the PS fluid in the past but surprisingly the it always looked normal, despite the leak. This is also a possible reason for PS whine and other related problems, that’s what I was trying to fix when I figured it out. Catch it before it chews up the pump….

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Yea, most people just remove that piece of junk cooler, which is useless for a street car anyway. Some just put a straight rubber hose in place of that upper hose and connect those two PS cooler hoses, or they install an aftermarket cooler, if they want to keep the cooler.

That cooler is hilarious anyway. The coolant that passes through that power steering cooler pipe is hotter than the power steering fluid ever gets, so really, that cooler is a power steering fluid "heater".

Unless your racing the car on a road course, the fluid never even gets hot, just warm to the touch. I know this because I have an external, aftermarket power steering cooler. After a 30 minute drive in the city on a hot day, I can touch the cooler lines and its just warm. If you touch that upper radiator hose....you'll burn the hell out of your hand.