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You may be asking yourself, “is it okay to bypass a power steering cooler?” Let’s hear what our experts have to say. If your vehicle comes equipped with a power steering cooler, it should not be bypassed. There are reasons why the OE car company added this important part to your vehicle. The cooler is designed to prevent the power steering fluid from overheating and damaging power steering components. Not all vehicles are equipped with a power steering cooler. So, if your vehicle has one, it is because the engineers designing the vehicle deemed it was a necessary component for the operation of the vehicle. Unless you want to risk a $1,000+ repair of your steering system, the power steering cooler should never be by passed.
How necessary is a power steering cooler? Well, if the vehicle came equipped with one from the manufacturer, they deemed it was necessary in order to maintain proper power steering fluid temperature. Power steering fluid has an operating temperature that is required to be maintained in order for power steering systems to operate as designed. If the fluid exceeds the intended operating temperature pre-mature failure and inconsistent power steering assist.
If a vehicle comes equipped from the manufacturer with a power steering cooler it is a necessary component. The cooler helps lower the temperature of the power steering fluid after it leaves the power steering gear box, or rack and pinion unit. The friction generated in the steering unit can generate enough heat to cause the steering fluid to rise above its operating temperature. This causes the fluid to become less viscous and diminish its ability to properly lubricate and cool the system. Power steering fluid that is above operating temperature can cause excess steering effort than the driver is used to, and become potentially dangerous. In addition to the fluid becoming too hot, the result can be the power steering pump and steering mechanism becoming overheated resulting in premature failure. Not all vehicles come from the manufacturer with a power steering cooler installed. The reason for this, is that during vehicle design testing it was determined a power steering cooler was not necessary. Only vehicles that run the risk of developing overheating power steering fluid come with a power steering fluid cooler from the manufacturer.
Power Steering Q & A > Is?
You’re considering some performance upgrades for your vehicle and now you need to know if a power steering cooler is worth it. For those of you considering aftermarket power steering coolers, know it may be worth it to add a power steering fluid cooler in order to prevent overheating of crucial power steering components. We’ve got more details for you in an article on why you need to consider if a power steering cooler is worth it.
And if you’re asking if it is okay to bypass a power steering cooler, we’ve got the information you need. If your vehicle came from the manufacturer with a power steering fluid cooler, it is not in your best interest to bypass the cooler. Plus, we can direct you to our shop where you can find the best power steering coolers for your vehicle. Whatever questions you have concerning power steering, we’re here to help. Post a question in our Ask the Experts forum to hear from our technicians. We are your resource or the best information on power steering.
If you’re not familiar with its functionality, you may be wondering if a power steering cooler is necessary. The necessity of a power steering coolers comes down to a couple scenarios. If you want to know more about why a power steering cooler is necessary, we have a great article for you to check out. As a quick note, if a vehicle comes equipped from the manufacturer with a power steering cooler, it is a necessary component. A power steering cooler is certainly worth it if your vehicle needs it to maintain proper fluid temperature. There are aftermarket power steering coolers that can be installed if a vehicle did not come with one and you are having performance upgrades installed. We’ve got more information for you in this article on the necessity of a power steering cooler.
