GEN 1 LEE power steering upgrade (light bar kit)

[Chinmasterflex]

Im running lucas


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Any issues with leaks (with regards to the rack) with the change from ATF to power steering fluid?

 

[ogdobber]

Any issues with leaks (with regards to the rack) with the change from ATF to power steering fluid?

No issues whatsoever, everything works so good i kinda forgot about it[emoji23]


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[Trick.Raptor]

Any issues with leaks (with regards to the rack) with the change from ATF to power steering fluid?

While I didn't do the Lee PS upgrade (I would if I had to) going with the RPG PS reservoir tank (similar size to the Lee tank) and switching to Royal Purple Synthetic PS fluid I've had no issues with my stock PS pump and rack. My PS pump has over 70k on it now and my rack is original at 105k.

The RPG res (and Lee) allow for more fluid and less cavitation, which is one of the main causes for OEM pumps to go out.

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[Chinmasterflex]

Unfortunately I've also been running an RPG reservoir with an additional cooler. Im pretty sure the last pump went out because the fluid just broke down from heat though (running it on a super hot day). Generally I'd agree with you say that it's been pretty reliable otherwise.
Maybe I should have just tried another stock pump and different fluid, but decided to give the lee kit a shot. I appreciate the input, though

 

[Marcus85]

 

[Chinmasterflex]

Awesome! I have the same thing going in today as well

 

[Trick.Raptor]

Unfortunately I've also been running an RPG reservoir with an additional cooler. Im pretty sure the last pump went out because the fluid just broke down from heat though (running it on a super hot day). Generally I'd agree with you say that it's been pretty reliable otherwise.
Maybe I should have just tried another stock pump and different fluid, but decided to give the lee kit a shot. I appreciate the input, though

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I made the change to the RPG tank, PS cooler (from PSS) and Royal Purple shortly after my first PS failure at 33k. I could tell my 2nd PS pump was having a hard time and probably wouldn't last all that long as well.

However I do believe a new PS pump with a setup similar to mine will last a long time. My Raptor has done each year about 6-8 300+ mile off-road trips with ROC along with smaller trips outside of the group. PS has not been much of a worry for me for a while.

I do suck out the res and re-fill with fresh fluid every few thousand miles, BTW. So the Royal Purple usually looks pretty good most of the time


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[gtxracer]

Thanks for posting this. Very interesting for sure. I run Lee's CB pump on my desert style Jeep. I looked at his Raptor setup when I killed a stock pump. I run Amsoil PS fluid now with great results, much better. I think the majority of the problem is cavitation like others have said. Just a good reservoir with baffles and a filter will do wonders but switching to a real PS fluid is the second key component IMO.

 

[Chinmasterflex]

Maybe the fluid choice was my issue, I was removing/replacing the fluid in the reservoir every oil change (5k interval) but was using motorcraft mercon V. After adding a magnefine filter the fluid consistently looked great as well.

The lee kit has been good for the last few weeks but I haven't really spent any off-road time with it. I have noticed that the new pump is quieter than any of my previous stock pumps but leaves you with a little more steering effort in parking lots. Time will tell

 

[elMechanic]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the info. sorry bring back this old thread. But, I have been looking around the forum for the same issue (upgrading Power Steering for the gen1) as I blew 4 of them.

I am considering the Lee PS kit, but have some questions.

First, whats you impressions on it for those who installed it after a long period? Any problems?

My second question, does the kit come with an intercooler? If not, does it need one?

Thanks in advance