wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Food for thought - Collectors wouldn't value a driven car unless it's defects are fixed. (ie: cracked door panels) This cooler is one of the things that doesn't hold up and could act to ruin a nice car. Plus, not all cars between 1998-2002 came with coolers. (I recall it was added to the higher performance models mid-year in '99.)

If you have a "good" cooler on the shelf, it's wasting space. You could sell it to a sucker who doesn't read this site (I threw mine away because I felt guilty giving the device to someone else.) or maybe you could sell it for more money to some kid and tell him he can make a "killer" bong out of it, or something like that.


The cooler-to-tank line goes away and the rack-to-cooler line just gets connected to the bottom of the tank. A new, out-of-the-box, return line is long enough, but if yours isn't, you can use a length of your discarded rack-to-cooler line (or another line) and splice them together. The return hose is low pressure, so you don't need to worry about leaks.

Installing the new radiator hose is easy. Just drain the radiator and that will empty the hose. Just keep the drained coolant clean and you should be able to dump it back in once you put the new hose on. (minus the cooler)

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Gotcha---one of the lines becomes useless (cooler to reservoir one) Is the OEM return line (rack to cooler) long enough to reach the bottom of the cooler, in your experience?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I don't know. When I did my work, I tossed the original and put a new hose on. The replacement GM part was long enough. (I understand these hoses are hard to come buy, now.)

I have assumed that since the OEM hose is the same part number as the part I measured up, that it would be long enough. The only reason it wouldn't is if they cut it at the factory, which would surprise me.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

So if I do need the longer hose I would be searching for the return hose for non-PS cooler cars, correct?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I recall it's the same p/n.

Firebrian

I think you mean long enough to reach from the rack to the bottom of the reservoir. I did that same thing and the hose is actually too long. So you'll either need to coil it a bit or cut several inches off. The end of that hose that used to go into the cooler inlet will be expanded some. So no matter what, at least cut 1" off to get a fresh piece of the hose to seal properly to the PS reservoir fitting. Otherwise it's likely to leak a bit.

Earlier in the thread RPMWS6 mentioned that he just blanked off the no longer needed cooler stubs with pieces of the same same hose (3/8" or was it 5/16"?) then inserted a bolt into each that was tight....along with a worm clamp. You could also just jumper the 2 fittings with a small piece of hose + 2 clamps. For complete piece of mind down the road, you'll want to install the full length upper hose....maybe the next time you decide to drain your radiator for a coolant flush.

The longer hose needed for the non-PS set up is easy to identify vs. the shorter PS hose(s). They run from $13-$24 depending on source. I got mine from NAPA and it was a Gates. I would have preferred OEM but I think they wanted 2X or 3X that price....and it still might have been the same after-market hose.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Exactly. This is precisely what I did with my '02 car (cut it down to fit), and it then mimics the exact routing of the factory non-PS cooler cars as referenced from my '98.

This method did in fact work just fine for me (3/8"), and it held without leaks for the next couple of years before I sold the car, and....

...that was exactly my plan. I had just done a coolant flush prior, so I was going to wait until the next coolant change to swap out the hose for a non-PS cooler version. I was also planning to change the radiator at that time, as it had a couple of superficial cracks forming in the tank. I ended up selling the car before getting to either of those projects.

Only thing I have to add is that my cooler was not actually leaking/cross-contaminating at the time I deleted it, so there was no coolant pressure being applied to the block-off bolts. But even if there had been, I think it would have held as the bolts were a tight interference fit with a solid clamp as well. This would be fine as a long term fix in applications where the outer shell of the cooler was not leaking. Ultimately though, for cleaner appearance and to avoid any future issues it would be best to just swap over to the radiator hose that allows total removal of the cooler.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the clear up fellas- so many talks of coolers and hoses, hoses for non cooler cars vs cooled LOL.

So-

-get non ps cooler upper rad hose
-cut 1 inch off the return line to guarantee tight fit at bottom of reservoir
-done and done?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I'm pretty sure I had to cut off more than 1" to eliminate extra hose and get a proper factory look (just like the non-cooler cars had.) Otherwise you will have extra hose sort of floating around and it won't look clean. The ~1" deal is just a minimum, as Firebrian mentioned, so that you'll get a fresh seal when attaching it to the bottom of the reservoir. Personally I'd recommend cutting it down to an exact proper fit (like the factory non-cooler cars) for better appearance and to avoid any potential of the extra hose length moving around and possibly making contact with the belt system, etc.

smitty2919

Not a fan of this style cooler. I tried one one of these cheap autozone coolers and I still had issues at autocross. Went to a stacked plate B&M with 1/2" inlet/outlet. Much better.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

rpm- I'll cut it down for sure than, never thought about the belt issue too.

You said that in your testing, there aren't any differences in temps between having the cooler vs. no cooler? The car will never be auto crossed, raced, etc.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

OK, no more talk about cutting tubing. The thought makes me queasy for some reason...

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I don't think I made a blanket statement like that, as it's not really that simple. I do seem to recall mentioning that, with stock fan settings, there were conditions under which the stock cooler could actually become a "warmer" since there were points in my post-delete temperature measurements where coolant temp was higher than the PS fluid temp (with no cooler.)

But there are a lot of variables. If you are not ever racing the car in any way (especially autoX/RR) and don't live in a super hot climate, I just don't see any need for a cooler. Temps stayed reasonable on mine even in summer heat for basic city driving, and I also change the PS fluid on mine from time to time which further negates the need for a cooler. All the data I posted earlier in this thread should still be visible, I think that was in 2012 or '13.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

It didn't bother me until you posted that picture. Now I don't feel so good either.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

This is key. We have a lot of experiences here that show that new fluid is less likely to boil over than old/dirty fluid.

^ In my case, I chose to retain my modified cooler. I just use my car for street driving, but am not yet in a position where I can retire my car to full-time garage queen status and maintain these fluids as I would like.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

I've got redline in the ps tank right now, i may change it out again just to be sure no mixing of fluids occurred.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Only place I can find a GM upper rad hose is eBay for 50 bucks....anyone have any other sources?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Any autoparts store within earshot of your house will have them. Are you looking for a GM-branded hose?

This is one of those parts where you don't get a payback in buying a GM part. (They don't have any special patents or monopolies on special radiator hose rubber.) They get their molded rubber from other suppliers, slap their name on it and charge you 10X what they paid for it. You could go to your local parts store and get the exact same part you'd get from GM, just with a different name on it...

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Just a quick update: took the car out of storage for the first time in a while.

Power steering fluid cap was showing "add" and the cap looked very clean as did the coolant dipstick. I've also had the low coolant light come up on every start up (I've had this come up for a long time even when it wasn't low) now my a/c wont work which kinda sucks

Hurin

I hope it's okay to resurrect this thread. I deleted my stock power steering cooler several months ago due to it failing and cross-contaminating engine coolant and power steering fluid.

I didn't think I'd want or need a cooler since I just drive around town in temperate climate (only gets into the 80s+ here a few weeks out of the year). So, when I deleted the cooler, I cut my return hose to just the right length to reach the pump reservoir.

Now, I'm beginning to think I might need/want a cooler. . . but my return line is too short to reach behind the air dam.

Is there any reason whatsoever why I wouldn't just be able to get a 3/8" barb coupler/connector and extend my ps return line?

Why am I now considering a cooler? Well, I'm getting power steering fluid on the driveway. . . which has never been a problem before. I had a mechanic I trust look at it and he thinks it's leaking form the reservoir/pump. But, knowing these cars, I think it's just been barfing out the top of the pressure release cap as is commonly reported. I have placed a scrunchie around the cap to catch any future barfs and the "leak" seems to have slowed and will hopefully stop (judging by drips on the pan on my driveway). At which point, I need to start figuring out why the "barfing" is so much more prevalent that it was before. . . I'm thinking: (1) I didn't flush the ps fluid as well as I thought and there might still be some water/coolant in the lines. (2) There might still be some air in the lines? (3) I might need a cooler after all. (4) It might just be time for a new pump (it's noisy).

Thoughts? Especially about the (admittedly simple/paranoid) question in bold?