Steering Box Temps

[THISISWEIRD]

I've just replaced the steering box (2nd time as Advance gave me some junk the first time) and was wondering what the temps are supposed to be, ballpark- for the steering box. It's hot to the touch where the input and output hoses are, but not blistering hot. It's fairly cool down toward the pitman shaft.

 

[THISISWEIRD]

Some more questions....

It seems that the input line into the gear box is leaking now too. I think I'll just go ahead and replace it and the pump while I'm at it. I assume I have to take the pulley off the pump before I can remove the pump from the bracket. Is that correct?

I've got plenty of power steering, but damn, the gear box is really hot now. I've stopped until I can figure it out.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Chaddy]

Just run a cooler.

I used a small tranny cooler for mine and it works great.

 

[pvfjr]

I don't really think the box itself would create heat would it? It may be that the fluid is just hot, cause the pumps tend to get pretty warm. I would definitely put a cooler on your system now, if you don't already have one. I'm running a nice tranny cooler on mine, as well as the extended resevoir, and mine runs nice and cool. A friend of mine had one that was steaming hot when wheeling once. We kept throwing snow on it, which would almost instantly vaporize. His pump was making all kinds of noise too, I figured that was the cause.

 

[Chaddy]

My steering gear would bubble the paint around the frame before I put a cooler on.

 

[THISISWEIRD]

I guess I put the cooler between the gear box and the pump on the return side, correct? Are you guys just using the OEM pump or something else?

 

[Chaddy]

I guess I put the cooler between the gear box and the pump on the return side, correct? Are you guys just using the OEM pump or something else?

My pump is factory with the usual pump mod's--ya know, bore the hole and strech the spring.

 

[miniwally]

When doing the research for my full hydro system I learned that the fluid running at 140 degrees was just getting warmed up. The fluid in my system runs at about 170 or so and I have had zero problems with my stuff.

So you figure 150 plus degree fluid is going to heat up averything it touches. If you can touch the box it probably isn't much more than 130 to 140 degrees.

If you need a cooler you put it in the return line to the res.