Power Steering Cooler Install

Updated 6/12/99

One weakness with the LS1 equipped F-body cars is the placement of the power steering pump; on the front of the driver's side head. Sustained high RPM driving with rapid wheel movement will rapidly heat up the fluid in the power steering pump to its boiling point. After melting the seals in the steering rack after two autocross events in the Camaro. After the pump and rack were replaced, I set out to find a way to mount a cooler of some sort for the power steering fluid. Below are the instructions and some pictures we took during the installation.

So far, it seems to be working fine, as both the pump, and rack have survived a year of roughly monthly autocrosses without any problems.

Parts needed:

Smallest Permacool (or other brand if you prefer) transmission cooler. I used the Permacool unit from Jegs due to its low cost ($25). P/N: 771-1010

Extra 3' length of trans cooler hose same ID as the one shipped with the cooler.

1 barb connector to join the two hoses together (In the plumbing section of your local hardware store)

6 or so hose clamps

Bunch of zip ties

2 bottles of GM power steering fluid (regular non synthetic fluid has worked fine for me for the last year, I don't see the need to spend the extra money on a synthetic fluid)

Installation instructions:

Put the car on jackstands, with the wheels off the ground.

Take the cap off the resevoir

Undo the return line from the rack, and allow the fluid to drain. Move the wheel back and forth to 'help' it along.

Reconnect the return line to the rack and make it just snug, and disconnect the rubber end of the line from the resevoir.

Use a closed box wrench, slip it over the return line, and use it to bend the tubing to point the line towards the AIR pump box. Figure 1 shows how the return line should be bent

Undo the plastic panels, and the airdam around the AIR pump fitting, and use a set of dykes to cut a couple of holes like what's in the pictures in figure 2 and figure 3

Run the hose through that hole. At this point you'll need the barb connector to extend the hose.

The cooler mounts where its shown in Figure 4, on top of the brace in front of the radiator

Run the other hose from the cooler throught he hole, and up and back to the resevoir

With the wheels still in the air:

Tighten everything up, add fluid to the resevoir, slowly turn the wheel lock to lock. Refill the resevoir. Repeat till the fluid level doesn't drop any more.

Start the car, move the wheel slowly lock to lock, add more fluid as you go.

Drop the car down, repeat lock to lock, add fluid if needed.

Nick: snicko@noid.org