Using trans cooler as PS cooler

[james750]

I have a manual trans, and therefore no need for the trans cooler in my radiator. Could I use it as a power steering cooler? Anyone know where I can get fittings that would allow me to clamp lines to, right now there is just two plugs in the place where the fittings should be?

[knever3]

I don't know if it would help that much? I know the trans fluid gets way hot and the 200F water cools the trans fluid, and when the truck is cold the trans fluid helps heat the antifreeze to warm the truck faster. Myself I would use a trans cooler for around $35 and have Car Quest make some hoses up for me. Any machine shop or hydrolic hose place can make you hoses with good crimped on fittings. Do you have A/C? The extra electric fan in front of the trans/power steering cooler would be awesome!

[james750]

Only reason for adding a cooler is because I am looking at putting in a PSC pump, that requires a cooler.

[jpnjim]

I used an external tranny cooler as a PS cooler in my last MJ (PS would go out after it got hot on the trails).

Simple instal (plumbed it into the return line), and it eliminated the problem,

the cooler in the radiator might work too, but the external type is cheap, and will definitely work.

[ParadiseMJ]

The "cooler" on the radiator would "cool" your PS fluid to about 200F. The plumbing in the radiator is not really a "cooler", just a heat exchanger. In an automatic it's there to bring the trans fluid UP to temp faster. It can't cool any cooler than the temp of the radiator (~190-210).

 

An external cooler plumbed to the return line and in front of the aux. electric fan would truly cool the PS fluid, especially at low speeds.

 

I like the external cooler idea, that's going in when I replace my leaking pump

[maddzz1]

There is a NOS tranny cooler for an 84-86 MJ/XJ on ebay right now. $20 I think. Should be able to make it work on later years.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NOS-OEM- ... ccessories