Need Help replaceing Power Steering Cooler

[mpls_kelli]

Hi, I need help with a leaking Power Steering Cooler in a 1997 Contour 2.0 Zetec.

I initially had a question in troubleshooting but since I know what the problem is, I thought I should post here instead.

My Power Steering Cooler and radiator were covered in gunk, so I cleaned it off and then watched for leaks and drips when the car was running. Found it right away. The leak is where the mounting bracket and the cooler line meet. (see arrow in picture).

View attachment 11110

I really want to do this repair myself even though I am a newbie when it comes to this kind of repair.

I have a bunch of questions about this whole process:

Issue #1 What after market part do I use?

I went to my local O'Reilly Auto Parts store and showed them the picture of my leaking cooler and they found the part/kit for me. They sold me this Power Steering Cooler kit from Hayden pictured below:

The guy at the store assured me it would work and walked me through how to mount it.

BUT, when I got home I went to their website to find the picture to post it here and guess what!!? No power steering cooler for my Contour came up! The compatibility listed for this unit is for:
"3 vehicles 1995 - 1998* Contour GL L4 - 2.0L vin 3 121ci 1989cc - MFI GAS DOHC."
The * by the dates then lists, 1995, 1996, 1998.

NO 1997.

So now I am not sure I even have the right kit.

Then I looked on Autozone's website, and they have a kit for the 1997 Contour. It looks like this:

The details for this kit say it includes a mounting kit. But in the Notes it says "3/8 hose. Requires mounting kit or mounting hardware sold separately."

I went to Autozone and the guy there said that it had the mounting hardware in the kit, same system as the Hayden kit from O'Reilly. They did not have it in stock and I will need to call them to have them order one for me if I want it. They kits were the exact same price from each place.

The biggest difference between the two from what I can see is the little connecter piece. In the O'Reilly kit the connecter has silver metal connections on each end. In the Autozone kit the gold part seems to only have a silver metal connection on one end. (Sorry I don't know the technical terms for any of this.)

Since I have NOT tried to take it apart yet, I am not sure if this will matter or if that is the reason that the Autozone kit will fit a 1997 Contour and the O'Reilly one won't.

Question: Do I even need this connector if I am not changing my current hoese or using the hoses that came with the kit?? (See Issue #2 for more on connecting the new cooler.)

Question: If I don't need that connector, should I just keep the first Cooler kit I bought from O'Reilly despite the fact that the manufacturer doesn't include my Model Year in their compatibility list? Or should I take it back and and order the one from Autozone instead just to be safe?


ISSUE #2 Mounting the new cooler

Both kits mount the new cooler by pulling the "zip-tie" through the cooling unit and radiator with some type of buffer in between them and locking it in place behind the radiator. Both places assured me this was standard for aftermarket installation.

But, when I look at my unit, I notice that the cooler lines are slightly bent so they can meet up with the hoses. The after market unit doesn't have that bend in it.



My concern is if I get the new cooler connected to the two hoses in the picture that will limit the range of where I can actually mount this new unit. It seems like it would be sitting much further down than the current one and it will obviously be way over to the left. That makes me think it will get less air and will cool less efficiently, but maybe that won't matter and I am worrying about nothing.

Let me add that the hoses, by the way, do not appear to be the problem and do not need to be replaced. All the blow back and gunk was located in the center of the radiator and towards the driver's side. Plus, no leaks in my initial test.

Question: Should I just mount it where the hoses will allow me to... or do I need to add extensions somehow to the hoses so the cooler will sit higher on the radiator and more in the center??

I have no clue how to do that.

Other Misc Issues/questions

Question: What's the best way to clamp of the two hoses before I try to remove the old cooler?

Question: Do I need to remove the front panel of my car in order to do this repair? It looks like I could do it without removing it, BUT I know it would be a lot easier if I did, plus... that would probably be the best way to get at all the grime and gunk this leak has caused, especially inside of front cover. I am also looking for an oil leak, and might need to remove this to clean everything up to help me find that anyway. But I have never taken the front of car apart before and it makes me very nervous even with the instructions in my Chilton as a guide.

Question: In order to remove the old cooler, I assume I should remove the whole unit, mounting brackets and all by removing the bolts in the photo below and then un-clipping the hoses.




Finally, I want to replace my current power steering fluid since it is very dirty.

Questions: Should I drain the reservoir first before starting the replacement of the cooler and then just let the hoses drain out? I don't know how to do that. Or can I drain the reservoir by just letting the fluid come out through the hoses?

Question: Once it is back together, what do I use to fill it? I have seen people recommend using ATX fluid instead of power steering fluid. I bought a bottle of Valvoline Max Life Power Steering Fluid with Stop Leak but I also have bottles of Valvoline Max Life Trans. Fluid as well. Or should I use something else completely?

Question: To refill the PS fluid my assumption would be that I should pour the new stuff into the reservoir and let it work its way through the lines. But how do I make sure that I get all the air out of the lines when I am refilling it?

FINAL Question (for now): What's the best way to get all the gunk out of my radiator from the leak?
Spray on a cleaner like Simple Green and then rinse with a hose? Use a brush of some kind with the cleaner and then spray?


So, as you can see, I have some idea about where to start, but I am sketchy (and nervous) when it comes to the details about actually doing this repair.

Any help is appreciated.


mpls_kelli

 

[jimbbski]

To fix the leak in the short term you can just get a length of 3/8 steel brake line tubing at the auto parts store. Bend it into a "U" and replace the stock PS cooler with that. The fluid going through the cooler is not under much pressure as it's on the discharge side of the steering rack. Hose clamps will work but I would use 2 per hose. Years ago many cars didn't even come with a PS cooler. But with the underhood temps getting higher with the small cramped engine compartments they started adding them.

Now to replace the cooler on a permenent basis I would just go to your local Pick-N-Pull auto parts yard and and check the cars there for a cooler that looks sorta like yours.
You could also buy an aftermarket cooler as you have already looked into. Placement of the cooler is only limited by the length of the stock hoses although you could lengthen the hoses with a hose-to-hose connector and additional hose clamps.

I replaced my leaking PS cooler a couple of months ago. I just used a 4-5ft length of 3/8th steel brake line tubing. I bent it into a long "U" with a tubing bending tool. I added a lip to the end of the tubing like the OEM tubing has. I have a tool that can do thatl. I then ty wrapped it to the cars frame in front of the AS condensor.

 

[ZX2Fast]

You are making this way harder then it needs to be. The lines going to and from the cooler are rubber, so it doesn't matter if the new cooler has bends or not, just get longer rubber hoses if you need to.

If the rest of the cooler is in good shape, there is no reason you couldn't use original JB Weld on the hole. Just remember, it takes 16 hours for it to set at 70* and around 50-60% humidity. I've used JB Weld to fix leaks on radiators for years, so it should handler that cooler without issue. When you mix the stuff, it will stay runny for about two hours. So, wait two hours to apply and check on it each half hour until 5 hours, to make sure it doesn't run off of the repair area. This can be done with the cooler on the car or off, off would be easier.

To keep fluid from leaking out of the lines, just use vice-grips to clamp them closed. You don't have to crank down the grips, it is only rubber hose. Just tight enough to keep it from leaking. I use this trick all the time to reduce the bleeding time on brakes if I have to remove the caliper.

 

[mpls_kelli]

**I fixed my pictures in my first post.**

Thanks for the info so far. I probably am making this harder than it needs to be, but as a newbie I am trying to cover my bases before I start this project. I really want a permanent fix and the cooler seems pretty rusty and beat-up along most of the tubing.

I am not brave enough to use something not specifically made for the car and make it work. For 20 dollars I am willing to use the aftermarket part and not pull one off of another car.

I am hoping that someone can tell me whether I will even need that connector in the kit(s) or if I can just use the first kit I brought from O'Reilly and whether the mounting is an issue or not as far as positioning. I am trying to avoid extending the rubber hoses or putting in longer ones because I don't want to add any more places that could leak than there already are.

 

[jimbbski]

Just remove the old cooler. Have a drain pan below to catch the PS fluid that may leak out of the hoses. Install the replacement cooler by slipping the hoses over the ends of the tubes. Make sure you install hose clamps first! Tighten the clamps. Zip tie the new cooler to the car, it doesn't matter that much where as long as it is securied so that is doesn't move around and the hoses are not pulled tight. Somewhere close to where the stock one was will work fine. Now start the car and run it for 10-20 seconds. Turn it off. Open the hood and check the PS fluid tank and add PS fluid until it's full to the indicated mark. Run the engine again for a bit and repeat the above process until the PS fluid level no longer requires additional fluid. Also turn the steering wheel back and forth with the engine running. Check the PS level again. Top off if required. You are now done! Close the hood.

 

[mpls_kelli]

That sounds like a very good plan. And I was going to just go for it today and try not to over think it.... but I have encountered one other problem.

The zip ties can't come through the back of the radiator because of the fan shroud. The instructions say I should "loosen" the fan shroud and pull it back so i can secure the ties. Ummmmm. NO!! I am not touching that shroud or anything connected to the radiator. It also says I can "drill a hole" through the shroud to secure the ties. Ummmmm. Bigger NO!! Can you say newbie. :shocked:

So, tomorrow I am going to head to my dealership to get my new TSS and when I am there, I will see if they can give me some advice and then make a new plan. It definitely needs to be fixed because it is dripping pretty steady when the engine is running.

On the bright side, after I removed the shield under the front part of the car and did some clean up underneath, I discovered that I most likely do not have an oil leak in addition to the PS leak. Everything else but the PS cooler was bone dry. So, that is progress!!

I will update after I talk to Ford.

 

[jimbbski]

I secquired my PS cooler to the car with with normal zip ties. i did not go through the AC condenser or the radiator. I attached it to the body/frame of the car. As long as it's in front of the above mentioned radiators the PS cooler will work fine. Just attached it anywhere you can.

You are over thinking this!

 

[mpls_kelli]

I decided to try some JB Waterweld. For now, it seems to be holding and no drips when I turn the car off.

It might be a temporary fix but it seems like a decent one for now and I can take back the PS Cooler I bought and get my $20 back. If I get a chance to visit my local junk yard/parts dealer, maybe I will see if they have a vehicle I can pull a PS cooler from to replace mine.

Additionally, I siphoned off some of the old PS fluid from the reservoir and added new clean stuff with a "stop leak" additive. Turned the wheels etc. and then ran the car/turned the wheel etc. Repeated the process. The fluid is still pretty dark in the reservoir but it is better. I will continue to repeat this process over the next week or so until I have fairly clean fluid in the reservoir after driving it. I know there are easier ways to do this, but I feel confident that I won't screw anything up doing it this way and it's super easy.

So, thanks to everyone for the advice. Hopefully, this issue can be considered resolved.