CHEAP Power steering cooler options

[Kern Dog]

I have a steel power steering cooler in my 70 Charger and have been looking for spares. Mine came from a mid 80s M body police car. Diplomats and Gran Fury models had them.
Mine is attached to a Saginaw power steering pump.
These donor cars are harder to find than they were in the early 2000s when I found mine.
Aftermarket coolers are available but if you’re one that likes to save a few bucks and repurpose things, here is a solution.
Dodge/Plymouth Neons, PT cruisers and Mopar minivans!
Here is one I pulled from a Neon:

These are aluminum. The lines are 1/2” but they are swedged down at the ends. The lines are a little weird but they could be shortened. I looked further at other cars and found that these models are even better:

Their design is better since the nipples are close to the body of the cooler.

They are really easy to reach, too.
There are two 9mm bolts and cut the hoses. One minute if you are slow.

The “Pick-N-Pull” yards are having a 50% off sale this weekend so I grabbed three

 

[Kern Dog]

To answer the question…”How Cheap?”
Nine dollars each!

 

[khryslerkid]

Your name should be Junkyard Dog not Kern Dog!



I always liked this song.

 

[Kern Dog]

On a Charger, you could drill two holes in the pinch weld and mount it sort of like so:

Mount it with the nipples pointing to the rear, use these bolts through the edge of the top of the frame rail flange...

The nipples bend easily. This makes a straight shot to the steering box return line. The hose to the pump would need to be in a loop to avoid a kink.

 

[Toxic Orange 493]

On a Charger, you could drill two holes in the pinch weld and mount it sort of like so:

View attachment 1378542
Mount it with the nipples pointing to the rear, use these bolts through the edge of the top of the frame rail flange...

I have been thinking about mounting one in this exact same spot. I am just not sure how good the cooling would be since the air would not be directly blowing through the fins.

What are others thoughts on this?

 

[Kern Dog]

I think the cooler benefits from air flow but also works by rejecting heat regardless of air flow. You would get air around it indirectly from the fan and radiator and from under the bumper. Air cooled lawn mowers and motorcycles don't have fans blowing on the fins on the cylinder heads yet they survive.

You may only see a small degree of heat reduction but that may be all that is needed.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Awesome!

 

[wasco]

This information is perfectly timed - just got my new Borgeson box and was wondering which candidates at the pull n save would be good donors for a steering cooler. Thanks!

 

[Kern Dog]

Glad to help.

 

[streetmachine]

Glad to help.

Gives me something else to buy when I get a chance to go to the Pull-A-Part now.

 

[DeltaV]

I have been thinking about mounting one in this exact same spot. I am just not sure how good the cooling would be since the air would not be directly blowing through the fins.

What are others thoughts on this?

That cooler has narrowly spaced fins...it is designed for forced convection. The location under the battery box isn't going to provide very much forced convection through the fins.

There will be some free convection (aka: natural convection) under some conditions under the battery box, but (again) the cooler fins are narrowly spaced. Coolers designed for free convection have wider spaces between the fins.

All of the above to say the cooler will not be effective in the proposed location under the battery box. The "cheap" cooler should be mounted in front of the radiator.

Will the cheap cooler located under the battery box provide a beneficial reduction (if any) in fluid temperature? Try it under different operating conditions, extended idling, and extended highway speeds. You could use an infrared thermometer to periodically check the reservoir temperature. Better yet, instrumentation for reservoir temperature and engine bay temperature so as to plot temperatures out against time.

 

[DeltaV]

That cooler has narrowly spaced fins...it is designed for forced convection. The location under the battery box isn't going to provide very much forced convection through the fins.

There will be some free convection (aka: natural convection) under some conditions under the battery box, but (again) the cooler fins are narrowly spaced. Coolers designed for free convection have wider spaces between the fins.

All of the above to say the cooler will not be effective in the proposed location under the battery box. The "cheap" cooler should be mounted in front of the radiator.

Will the cheap cooler located under the battery box provide a beneficial reduction (if any) in fluid temperature? Try it under different operating conditions, extended idling, and extended highway speeds. You could use an infrared thermometer to periodically check the reservoir temperature. Better yet, instrumentation for reservoir temperature and engine bay temperature so as to plot temperatures out against time.

The cop car p/s cooler location is great:
1) Fan blade air is pushed through the cooler when the car is sitting/idling.
2) Lots of air available when traveling at high speeds for extended periods of time.

Note: The p/s pump is a positive displacement pump and generates a lot of heat when you're turning high rpm while traveling at higher speeds.

Again, the "cheap" and more readily available cooler should be mounted in front of the radiator for effective cooling.