hydro steering

[Captn. J]

my yellow buggy which i m sure most of u guys know , seem like to have a hard steering  like manual but the hydro does work n all ... i m running maybe 1/2 gallon or more reservior and cooler and   i think i shd be steering alot easier than i am ...   no leak anywhere      what would be wrong?

[Captn. J]

i m thinking the pump?

[woody11769]

u got a line on wrong ?? we got a stock power steering pump running mine with no res. and it steers like a dream wish I had an answer for you

[bmx0964]

It all depends on what you are using. There is a lot more to hydro steering than most people think. You have to first of all figure out the specs of your pump (flow rates). Then you have to find the cubic inch displacement of your steering control valve (orbital valve). This tells you how much fluid the valve will allow to pass through to the ram for each 360° rotation of the steering wheel. Next you need to make sure your pump can put that much fluid out (this should not be an issue) Then you need to know the displacement of your hydraulic ram. This is where most people go wrong thinking bigger is better. If you have a huge ram your pump and/or valve may not be getting it enough fluid to move it with ease. Your problem sounds like you have too big of a ram. If all your components dont work together it will not work.

Here is a link that should help you:
http://wegotmud.com/forum/index.php?topic=70505.0

If your pump isn't putting out enough here is a link of how to mod it:
http://wegotmud.com/forum/index.php?topic=70504.0

[Captn. J]

i m in middle of replacing the pump  it did work wonder then slowly die down...   and i have regular ram like everyone has  nothing too big in my opinion   and i ll update here after i m done with the new pump

[Captn. J]

bmx u had a good write up ...   how do i found out how much flow do i have a minute on my pump?  i m sure mine came off a van with 350... stock  and i m thinking about doing the drilling that u post to increase more flow.. 

[bmx0964]

Ok I have never done the drilling before but talked to a few guys who have and they reported good results. The best way is to figure out exactly what you have, find any numbers on the pump and start googleing. Once you figure out what you have get with the manufacturer (or the dealership) and ask them what the specs are. You could also look for a new replacement one on the internet there may be a site with the specs of it that has it for sale.

If you want to manually check the flow the only way i can think of would be to run your output line into a 5 gallon bucket fill your reservoir full and start the truck then run it for say 30 sec (make sure you keep the reservoir full while doing this) and then shut the truck off and see how much fluid is in the bucket. If after 30 sec of running there is 2 gallons in the bucket the output would 4 gallons per minute. You would obviously need a buddy to help with this. And also remember that would be your idle rate, once you raise the RPMs the output will increase. I would say the best way is to get the spec but if its not possible this would be the only way I could think of.

Also, and I will add this too the write up, you could look in to an electric pump. This will give you consistent volume at any RPM and allow you to have full hydro steering if your motor dies (until your battery dies).

[Captn. J]

yeah i m gonna look into drilling mine to get extra flow... wont hurt to give it a try.  and i ll try google up n see what i can find about my pump and yeah i know and have thought about electric pump but not doing that right now but in near future i might