power steering cooler....another one
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2006
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power steering cooler....another one 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.
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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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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Last edited by LS6427; Mar 30, 2010 at 12:39 PM.
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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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
.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
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?
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?
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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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
.
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
.
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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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.
.
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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Verdad Gallardo 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?
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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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 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?
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 143
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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?
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
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.............
.
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.............
.
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
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.
