PS Reservoir Relocation

[Mister.E]

i ran a few searches and i was unable to turn up the information i was looking for, so i ask...

...does anyone know the proper way to relocate the PS reservoir to the back corner of the engine bay? i dont know jack shit about the power steering system on my car other than there is a reservoir, a rack, a low pressure side, and a high pressure side. i honestly couldnt tell you how to identify which side is which and where in the system the reservoir falls into place. thats mainly why i havent just jumped in and fucked anything up. when performing the relocation are the stock hoses long enough already to relocate to the back or will i have to purchase newer/longer ones? also if i do need to replace them, is there a special type of hose that i need to buy? like high pressure hose or something?

any info that can get me pointed in the right direction is appreciated. thanks

[g6civcx]

If you looked closely,the reservoir has 2 hoses that are clamped on. Obviously they are not high pressure lines. Otherwise, the hose clamps would blow off.

You can put the reservoir anywhere you like. Just get longer power steering grade hoses of the same inner diameter. I would get new clamps while you're at it.

FYI, the only high pressure line is from the pump to the rack. Any other line is low pressure.

[Mister.E]

kick ass man. i already had to replace the clamps once since they were leaking so ill just get some new hoses. thanks a lot for the info. any idea what the inner diameter is for a redtop sr20?

[Sir]

i don't remember offhand but I'm pretty sure that there are 2 different sizes.

[g6civcx]

Originally Posted by E Double

kick ass man. i already had to replace the clamps once since they were leaking so ill just get some new hoses. thanks a lot for the info. any idea what the inner diameter is for a redtop sr20?

Should be the same as a KA24DE because you can reuse the reservoir from the US chassis.

[Mister.E]

oh ok, ill try and figure out what the sizes for the KA are. thanks again man.

[racepar1]

You could just use the KAE resovoir. It bolts on the passenger strut tower instead of the driver's one. That is what I am going to do.

[sideview_180sx]

its also because the PS pump is on the passenger side. with dohc KA/SR the PS pump and reservoir are located on the usdm driver-side shock tower.

[racepar1]

Originally Posted by sideview_180sx

its also because the PS pump is on the passenger side. with dohc KA/SR the PS pump and reservoir are located on the usdm driver-side shock tower.

Yes, I know that. All you need is some bulk hose in the correct size and you can move the resovoir anywhere you want as long as it ia mounted higher in the chasis than the pump.

[projectRDM]

Thank you. I was waiting for someone to say it. make sure it's mounted higher, the pump, although it's capable of pulling fluid, likes to be gravity fed. It's one less concern to worry about.

And please use ATF. There's no point in redoing it all and then running regular PS fluid through the system.

[Mister.E]

ATF as in Auto Tranny Fluid? ive never heard that one before....

can anyone confirm this?

[Neejay]

Originally Posted by E Double

ATF as in Auto Tranny Fluid? ive never heard that one before....

can anyone confirm this?

ATF is in the FSM. Also, projectRDM knows his shit, for future reference

[LongGrain]

Originally Posted by E Double

ATF as in Auto Tranny Fluid? ive never heard that one before....

can anyone confirm this?

if russ said it, that IS confirmation.

[projectRDM]

Originally Posted by E Double

ATF as in Auto Tranny Fluid? ive never heard that one before....

can anyone confirm this?

Read your owner's manual. Or the FSM. Or the service schedule manual. Or anything printed by Nissan. Nearly 80% of Japanese built vehicles since the late 80s were designed for and use ATF in the power steering system. Sadly no one can read and then they cry weekly about power steering noise, leaks, and catastrophic failure. If you've got the system open, do it a favor and flush it thoroughly and pour in fresh ATF, Dexron type. Otherwise you're just postponing eminent problems until later.

[Mister.E]

i didnt mean to question your knowledge i was just asking. i have never heard of this before so its kinda new to me. this being my first Nissan, i dont have much experience. believe me, i would gladly read my service manual, but they never made one for the 180sx in english. ill just read about it in the S14 SR20 manual. thanks for the info.

does the manual say anything about the proper way to flush the system of all that crappy powersteering fluid?

[g6civcx]

Don't mind Russ. He doesn't know anything. He still believes in fundamental things like searching and reading comprehension. He doesn't know that those things are a lost art.

Fluid type is covered in the US manual.

For flushing I recommend this: http://www.bgfindashop.com/bgservices/pwrsteering.htm

[Rittmeister]

Yes, Nissan uses ATF for power steering fluid.

If you do this, make sure to get hoses that are oil/gas rated. ATF or PS fluid will sweat right through vacuum or coolant hose.

[GSXRJJordan]

^^^ Confirmed. ATF is easier to bleed, leaks less, and takes pressure better than PS flud.

Edit: Wow, late response ftl.

[LA_phantom_240]

What are your opinions on using that Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak stuff? Its thick as molasses (as are most stop leak fluids) but I've had no problems using it in my cars.

[timlush]

Fix the leak?

[Sir]

Originally Posted by projectRDM

Read your owner's manual. Or the FSM. Or the service schedule manual. Or anything printed by Nissan. Nearly 80% of Japanese built vehicles since the late 80s were designed for and use ATF in the power steering system. Sadly no one can read and then they cry weekly about power steering noise, leaks, and catastrophic failure. If you've got the system open, do it a favor and flush it thoroughly and pour in fresh ATF, Dexron type. Otherwise you're just postponing eminent problems until later.

I keep telling people that all the time and they all look at me like I'm the crazy one.

Russ for president!!!!

[racepar1]

Originally Posted by LA_phantom_240

What are your opinions on using that Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak stuff? Its thick as molasses (as are most stop leak fluids) but I've had no problems using it in my cars.

That is a band-aid, not a permanent fix.

[Mister.E]

Originally Posted by g6civcx

Don't mind Russ. He doesn't know anything. He still believes in fundamental things like searching and reading comprehension. He doesn't know that those things are a lost art.

Fluid type is covered in the US manual.

For flushing I recommend this: http://www.bgfindashop.com/bgservices/pwrsteering.htm

thanks man but i dont think they have any BG shops around here

[projectRDM]

Originally Posted by racepar1

That is a band-aid, not a permanent fix.

It's not even that. ATF is a thinner, lighter fluid, and the pumps Nissan, Toyota, and others build are designed to use that type of fluid, period. Dropping heavy, thick, chunky fluid into the system will effectively block the flow heavily. The ATF not only keeps the system operable, it lubricates the bearings inside the pump, blocking flow through it will cause the bearings to overheat and eventually burn up.
There's a lot of good reads and I even wrote up one last year I think when some kid tried to argue with me, but it comes down to ATF having a higher viscosity, a higher thermal point and boiling point, and having detergent additives to help reduce buildup and sludge. I have found that Nissan builds a better steering pump overall (Toyotas shit pumps like a drunkard on a binge if you even mention PS fluid) but as soon as they get some clogs from the PS fluid overheating you will see reduced flow. Just like in a turbocharger, overheated oil will 'coke' and produce a varnish inside the housing, burnt PS fluid will coat the insides of lines and hoses and begin to stop up the system, and cause undue pressure on fittings and clamps since it's trying to go somewhere. If you're blowing air through a straw and someone sticks a grape in the end of it, where does the air go? Around the straw, dribbling down your chin. Hence all the power steering leaks people continue to have and can never understand why. The only stop leak that could work properly would seal up and harden as it dried, and there's nothing on the market like that. You're better off JB Welding all your hose ends down if you're going to pour a bottle of that shit into the car.

I went through three power steering pumps on my Lexus before finally getting everything flushed and cleaned out from the previous owner's ignorance. That included dropping the rack and cleaning the filter on it, which if you search around Toyota forums is a nightmare task. If you're not able to use a good flushing agent, buy a full case of average quality ATF and run all twelve bottles through the system, making sure you keep the fluid topped off and not stopping until you're certain only clear, red fluid is coming out. Then remove all the lines and hoses, spray them out with carb cleaner if you can't easily replace them, then blow them dry with high pressure air. Finally, add a high quality synthetic ATF or similar back in. I run that $6 a bottle Mobil One ATF in my car, but I also used a brand new pump, reservoir, an external cooler, and new hoses and lines custom made at a hose shop. There's nothing more frightening then driving a mountain road at high speeds and having your pump or rack freeze and lock up. Do it right or do it over and over again.

[LA_phantom_240]

Hmm.. interesting to know. Like I said, I've never had any problems, but I don't want to cause any. I'm gonna flush my shit out next week lol.

[projectRDM]

IMO, any kind of stop leak is the worst thing you can do. Whatever the active agent is it's designed to 'look' for the leak, so you've got something in your system that's actually creating more possible leaks than if you left it alone because it's hitting every possible culprit spot. I tried rear main seal stop leak on my brother's Camry to buy some time because I was booked solid for a few weeks, when I finally pulled the engine to replace it the front main, timing cover, oil pump, and valve cover were also leaking. But hey, the rear main did dry up a bit in the time it was in there, so I guess it did what it's supposed to do, right?