power steering cooler

[boatman37]

hi guys. i have a 1986 sundancer 250 with a merc 260. i have a PS fluid leak and checked it out today. the cooler is wet but so is the PS hose that enters through the top. still not sure if it is the hose or the cooler. i can't see and corrosion on the cooler but i can't see it that well. it sits behind the motor mount and behind the alternator from the front. hard to see it. i tried to move it over a little but can't move it. is it bolted to the block or something? does anyone have a picture of this cooler so i can get a better idea of what i am working with? i will try to get my son to squeeze down in there when he comes home from college but i can't fit down in there...lol

the hose that i am talking about goes from the cooler to the power steering rack around the rear of the engine. i'm hoping that is what is leaking. it just has a hose clamp on the cooler end but a threaded fitting on the rack end

 

[alldodge]

More then likely you need to cut the hose off a bit and reinstall. The one below is what I think you should have. The threaded ports on the right are for the engine oil cooler, the ones on the left are the power steering cooler ports.

 

[alldodge]

Actually you probably just have the ports for the PS and do not have the oil cooler

 

[Bondo]

s it bolted to the block or something?

Ayuh,..... I'm guessin' yer P/S cooler is as AD says, 1/2 the length of the one he's holdin' in the picture, just the port-side 1/2,.....
That strap mount ya see is usually held to the motor mount by a 3/8" bolt,.....

I'm also guessin' it wasn't properly winterized, froze, 'n split Inside,.....
Yer P/S oil is goin' through the motor, 'n out the exhaust,.....

The cooler is in the low pressure return line, 'n is secured to the cooler, 'n pump with small hose clamps,....
The water is comin' from the transom fittin', goin' to the t-stat housin',.....

A Hose Pick is a tool that will help, Alot, worth findin', 'n buyin' one or a set,...

Maybe I'm wrong, 'n the hose clamp is just loose, if so, tighten it up,....
If as AD says, it's deteriorated, you oughta have enough slack to cut off an inch, 'n put it back on,...
Otherwise, it's gotta come Out, for repair or replacement,...

 

[boatman37]

that looks like it, minus the oil cooling lines. the hose is wet and oily about 1" up from the hoseclamp so i'm thinking (hoping) it is just the hose. i can't get my arm wrapped up around to feel for the bolt so the picture helps a bunch.

thanks all and i will let you know what i find but it probably won't be till next weekend. going to be pretty cold and rainy this weekend

 

[Bayou Dave]

You might find it a lot easier to access it by removing the alternator.

 

[boatman37]

you might be right. its a pretty tight fit to get in there (considering i'm 6' tall and 250lbs.

 

[Bayou Dave]

After you get the alternator off check the ends of the hoses on the cooler. On my old boat I found that the end of one hose was splitting and just cut off about 1 1/2 to 2 inches and reattached it. Solved the problem. Maybe you will get lucky also.

 

[boatman37]

fixed my PS cooler issue today. luckily the problem was a split hose right at the end of the fitting on the cooler end. cut it off and reattached it. should be good now. thanks all

 

[Bayou Dave]

Easy fix and didn't cost you anything. :joyous:

 

[boatman37]

yes. those are the best kind of fixes:joyous: