cwalk26

So I have a 98ss and the p/s cooler is obviously leaking because I have milky power steering fluid, and I have low coolant. I already have a new p/s cooler (should have deleted it, but oh well), and the install should take 5 minutes. only thing is I am away from home right now and am unable to flush both the coolant and p/s fluid without any tools. One place I went to wants $240 to get this service done which seems very steep. I just need this done before I make the five hour drive home through the mountain roads. How much should this cost? I know I shouldnt drive it that far how it is.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Its not gonna hurt it to drive it, alot of people drive around like that for weeks or months before they notice it. the only harm the PS fluid will do in the coolant is slowly eat away at the seals and rubber hoses, but that literally takes a year to do any harm. After I fixed my leak and flushed both the PS system and the coolant system, a whole year later one of my tranny cooler ports on my plastic radiator side tank started to leak from a seal that was deteriorated from the PS fluid from that year before.

Just drive home and flush it. Top of the PS fluid and go.

edit: also, when you do flush the coolant system, you need to flush is for like 30 minutes straight with the engine running. That PS fluid accumulates in the block somewhere and swirls around and does not come out that easy, it stays in the block somehow. I did like 5 flushes over a couple months and each time I kept getting globs of black **** out of there. Your overflow reservoir also needs to be taken out and cleaned. When I cleaned my reservoir the black **** never stopped coming out. So I filled it with gasoline, let it sit for about an hour, then shook the hell out of it and poured it out. A TON more of those black chunks came out. I then filled it with gas a few more times and I kept getting it out....I did that till I got nothing more out.

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LS6427

iTrader: (2)

One more thing.....you will be MUCH better off taking the 30 minutes and about $40.00 it takes to do this aftermarket PS fluid cooler mod. Its actually a cooler, unlike the factory PS fluid "heater".

Scroll to the end and see what I did. Its very easy to do. Return your factory cooler for a refund.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...teering+cooler

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cwalk26

ok, thanks for the great response. I am more curious if it is safe because the coolant/ps fluid mix is blowing out of the p/s cap regularly and is constantly overfilled. I will use a baster and take it down to the right level and it is full within a five mile drive again. what do you think?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Hmmm, thats a bad leak then and its really pressurizing your PS system. How about going to an auto parts store where you are and just buying a full upper radiator rubber hose and put it on. Tell the guy you just need the hose for your year car (without the cooler) Then buy a Philips screwdriver and a razor knife and a two-way brass fitting that will fit the cooler lines and two clamps. Cut the cooler lines close to the cooler ports with the razor knife then slide the cooler lines onto the brass fitting and clamp them. Install the upper hose and your done.

That would set you up fine for the ride home. Then you can either put the factory cooler on or do the mod I showed you.

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pjb

iTrader: (2)

you say the factory PS cooler heats the fluid instead of cooling it. What factual evidence do you have? Not disputing, because I have no evidence, just wondering how you make that claim.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Its very simple. If you go drive a car with the factory power steering fluid cooler and get it up to operating temp.....then you go wrap your hand around the cooler and hold on for 2 seconds, you will be going to the hospital with 3rd degree burns.

My aftermarket cooler, which holds more volume of PS fluid then the factory one is never much more than warm to the touch....even on a 90* degree day down here in south Florida traffic.

210* radiator coolant can't cool PS fluid. The same holds true for the factory tranny cooler in the radiator, its a joke. My B&M cooler is still pretty hot to the touch but tranny fluid gets alot hotter than PS fluid does. But I still rather my tranny fluid be going through a cooler thats being ramed with outside air, then bathed in 210* coolant.

I do understand that GM did this to make people think that these are road race capable cars...lol...and yes, out on a road course I could see PS fluid reaching 280-300 degrees if driven hard, same for the tranny fluid.


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pjb

iTrader: (2)

I hoped for something a little stronger then theory, like actual fluid temps with the cooler and without it. not doubting your theory but I would like to think the engineers and designers at GM know a litlle bit about what they are doing. how do you explain that almost all car makers have run automatic trans fluid through radiators for decades? to heat it up?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

So tranny's don't last as long so they get BILLIONS of $$$ per year in repair work to do........ Kind of like when SES lights on almost all makes of cars come on for no rason at all, but the majority of people will pull into the dealer and get a bill for $200 for nothing.......

My totally built 4L60E has been going strong for 3 years now with ~500 RWTQ....I definitely attribute that to it running cooler than my previous built trannys with my 427ci, one of which was an FLT IV and it lasted 6 months, rebuilt that one and it lastd another 6 months. Then my friend rebuilt it and I added the cooler and it lasted 2 years. This one now after that 2 year run and a new rebuild by my friend is past 3 years now and still perfect. Thats pretty good evidence of a cooler that actually works.

All I can tell you is my hand on my atermarket PS fluid cooler.....HUGE difference. Factory cooler = 3rd degree burns......mine = warm

Factory tranny cooler lines coming from the radiator tank = 3rd degree burns......my B&M cooler and lines = hot, but nowhere near as hot as the factory lines coming from the radiator tank

Isn't that VERY VERY solid conclusive evidence???? I think if I gt a laser temp guage and put it on a factory cooler, then put it on mine, you would see a HUGE difference. I really never felt the need to go buy one to prove that, the skin on my hand tells me that my stuff is alot cooler than before.
Also, my power steering pump is my 12 year old original. Cooler makes things last longer.

This is really all I can tell you.............

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pjb

iTrader: (2)

I guess I'm not quite as cynical as you.
the rebuilds done by you don't last, the ones done by someone else last longer - sounds like there could be more to that then just the cooler (although the cooler certainly helps).

FWIW - my 98 SS has all the original PS parts and is running strong still, using the factory cooling pipe. I did have a leaking PS cooler pipe a few years ago and replaced it with a GM factory part. Its been fine since.

I don't argue that a remote cooler may work better, but I don't share your opinion that the original design was to make the system fail to get the customers money, and the factory system does more harm then good.

whats a normal operating temp for PS fluid?

THE SHOP

Yeah I would hope for some real numbers but its simple enough I can get my own and I will post them.

THE SHOP

Im curious how does it cool when your parked or idling? Also being that I have rebuilt numerous 4L60E trans for multiple vehicles, including work trucks etc please do not attribute your sport cars trans life due to a cooler.

THE SHOP

Seriously? Ses is a conspiracy? There isn't a code or something to be repaired the just come on for kicks, now your going off the edge.