Power steering pump setups for ls

jccarter1 · Jan 2, 2017

Well looking for some opinions and input from some other guys who have hopefully had better luck or maybe found a setup that seems to last a little longer
My current setup is a stock GM P-pump with cooler and stock truck bracket, it works great the only issue is when I have some rev-limiter beat downs it will burn the pump up the fluid isn't getting hot just turning the pump to fast. So my quandary is do I get a underdrive pulley or change pump types I am tired of dealing with this issue. Also I have tried PSC pumps they last a touch longer but they are 150 a pop and no warranty so I really would like to find something that last more than 6 months

417chevy · Jan 2, 2017

Re: Power steering pump setups for ls

Was seriously just about to start a post about ls pump set ups! I'm going with the dual pump set up from patparts, maybe that's something you may look into??

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jccarter1 · Jan 2, 2017

The problem is the p-pump over spinning I don't need two pumps just one that works correctly

whiskeymakin · Jan 2, 2017

Krc seems like a good one for high Rpm motors I'd say. Possibly just because of the under drive pulley tho

jccarter1 · Jan 2, 2017

Krc cast iron pump is only good to 6000 rpm so I would have to use a underdrive crank pulley their aluminum pump is good for 9000 rpm but is like 700 bucks and won't flow that much

TBItoy · Jan 2, 2017

You'll probably need to look into a TC or CBR style pump from PSC (bearing mounted shafts vs bushing on P pump).

The baller fix would be to run an underdrive crank pulley, dual pumps so they have half the load on them and still have plenty of flow, plus a badass mechman alternator with an overdrive pulley so the amps are pumping

Eddyj · Jan 3, 2017

How many you burned up? What exactly is breaking? Is it the bushings on shaft?

tallnate · Jan 3, 2017

What size pulley are you running on your P-pump? I've been running a GM factory 6.5" pulley on my psc P-pump for 5 years with no failures.

JRowe · Jan 3, 2017

tallnate said:
What size pulley are you running on your P-pump? I've been running a GM factory 6.5" pulley on my psc P-pump for 5 years with no failures.

Exactly. PSC told me that you can't over spin a P pump and expect it to live. If I remember right it was nothing smaller than 6" pulley.

redneckengineered · Jan 3, 2017

PSC CBR pump is what you need.

Hudson1 · Jan 3, 2017

Brown santa just dropped off my new XR CBR pump and external flow control valve from PSC. Goatbuilt set me parts to adapt the CBR pump in place of my TC pump I had been running with their bracket. I have not had time to put it all in yet.
PSC suggested 11.3 pump for reference to work with my full hydro and LS .

jccarter1 · Jan 3, 2017

Eddyj said:
How many you burned up? What exactly is breaking? Is it the bushings on shaft?

I have killed probably 6 total in 3 years the pump just stop working at low idle and most of the time I can front dig to get back to trailer

tallnate said:
What size pulley are you running on your P-pump? I've been running a GM factory 6.5" pulley on my psc P-pump for 5 years with no failures.

I have been running a stock truck pulley don't know of anything bigger to help slow it down I have a underdrive pulley for the crank but was kinda saving it for something else but might have to try it on this motor

redneckengineered said:
PSC CBR pump is what you need.

I was leaning towards a cbr pump and called psc today and was told (I didn't get the guy's name...I was kinda in a rush when I called) that if I am burning up one type of pump that switching to another type of pump isn't going to help. He was saying that with 43s and a spool up front that the pressure is too high and killing the pump and said it would kill any pump I tried he recommended me changing Rams from at 2.5 to a 2.75 and that would help the problem but then I would have to change orbitals as well not to mention I don't think I could fit another size ram in my Artec front truss :dunno:

redneckengineered · Jan 4, 2017

jccarter1 said:
I was leaning towards a cbr pump and called psc today and was told (I didn't get the guy's name...I was kinda in a rush when I called) that if I am burning up one type of pump that switching to another type of pump isn't going to help. He was saying that with 43s and a spool up front that the pressure is too high and killing the pump and said it would kill any pump I tried he recommended me changing Rams from at 2.5 to a 2.75 and that would help the problem but then I would have to change orbitals as well not to mention I don't think I could fit another size ram in my Artec front truss

That doesn't make sense. 43s and a spool has to be one of the more common setups. May want to look into the PSC N pump as well. I think it was the model before the CBR came out. It's what I'm running on my buggy, going on 5 years now of flawless operation.

mcutler · Jan 4, 2017

Re: Re: Power steering pump setups for ls

redneckengineered said:
That doesn't make sense. 43s and a spool has to be one of the more common setups. May want to look into the PSC N pump as well. I think it was the model before the CBR came out. It's what I'm running on my buggy, going on 5 years now of flawless operation.

Psc no longer has the N-pump. It is what I have run for 5 years on my ls2 (43's, spool front, 2.5 ram), not one failure aside from an o-ring on output fitting. Psc says they can't get the castings any longer, but they can rebuild them indefinitely. I'm told it's basically a p-pump internally. I let my spare go when I sold the buggy, I've been looking for a spare now for nearly a year...I'd rather have one in my box to finish a weekend if things went south, rather than load up and go home while psc rebuilds my current one.

If anyone has a line on one, I'm willing to purchase, good or rebuildable unit.

Part #- sp1500ax

Matt

TBItoy · Jan 4, 2017

Re: Re: Power steering pump setups for ls

mcutler said:
Psc no longer has the N-pump. It is what I have run for 5 years on my ls2 (43's, spool front, 2.5 ram), not one failure aside from an o-ring on output fitting. Psc says they can't get the castings any longer, but they can rebuild them indefinitely. I'm told it's basically a p-pump internally. I let my spare go when I sold the buggy, I've been looking for a spare now for nearly a year...I'd rather have one in my box to finish a weekend if things went south, rather than load up and go home while psc rebuilds my current one.

If anyone has a line on one, I'm willing to purchase, good or rebuildable unit.

Part #- sp1500ax

Matt

$75 at Rockauto. Have to swap the feed tube for a fitting (if that's how the PSC is set up)

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4985019&jsn=62

mcutler · Jan 4, 2017

Re: Re: Re: Power steering pump setups for ls

TBItoy said:
$75 at Rockauto. Have to swap the feed tube for a fitting (if that's how the PSC is set up)

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4985019&jsn=62

The google-fu is strong with you grasshopper....

Thanks for the lookup hookup!

Matt

tallnate · Jan 4, 2017

jccarter1 said:
I have killed probably 6 total in 3 years the pump just stop working at low idle and most of the time I can front dig to get back to trailer

I have been running a stock truck pulley don't know of anything bigger to help slow it down I have a underdrive pulley for the crank but was kinda saving it for something else but might have to try it on this motor

Gotcha, so if you're not over spinning the pump then maybe it's slightly starving for fluid at WOT. How and where is your reservoir mounted? I burned up my first pump in just a couple months so I did a bunch of research and made the following changes.

I made a bracket to mount my reservoir to the head of the motor so that any drivetrain torque or frame flex wouldn't pull or kink the supply line to the pump.
I made sure the reservoir was mounted directly above the pump and as high as possible with a large feed hose so that there was always gravity feed of fluid to the pump even on steep uphill climbs.
I up'd the size of my fittings from -6 and -10 to -8 and -12.
And I did away with the heat sync style cooler in favor of a tube/fin style oil cooler mounted in front of my radiator. Not sure if this was necessary tho.

A friend of mine also had 3 or 4 P-pump failures until he mounted his reservoir off the motor and all has been good for him since then as well.

fabricator1 · Jan 4, 2017

Re: Re: Power steering pump setups for ls

TBItoy said:
$75 at Rockauto. Have to swap the feed tube for a fitting (if that's how the PSC is set up)

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4985019&jsn=62

So what kind of vehicle is stock with this pump?

TBItoy · Jan 4, 2017

Re: Re: Power steering pump setups for ls

fabricator1 said:
So what kind of vehicle is stock with this pump?

Mid 80s Chevette molaugh

Apparently mcutler ordred all the acdelco ones on rockauto though, they aren't showing up any more. "Lares" brand is still in stock though. Or just google the part number and get one from anywhere.

There is another's application that has the inlet tube on the opposite side, but I can't think of the application right now. Maybe an 80s corvette or something

I have a notebook full of power steering pump info and part numbers that I accumulated back before everyone just "called Lance at PSC"

I'm still on the (casual) hunt for a commonly available, cheap CBR pump that is either factory remote reservoir or easily adapted.