Logo
FULL SITE MENU

350 power steering oil cooler

M

mercruier

New member
My boat (Proline 2950) has a couple merc 350 I/O's with fresh water cooling. It has engine driven power steering, with both engines pressurizing the system, and both PS pumps share an external reservoir. I had some hydraulic fluid leaks due to over-heating of the PS system, which warped the external reservior (Latham style acrylic cylinder between alum plates with o-rings). The system was installed a few years ago, and for some reason no PS oil coolers were installed, so I am trying to get them installed. My mechanic said it would be very expensive (labor), because he said the oil coolers had to be located at the back of engine where the seawater intake comes from the sterndrive. Access is poor back there.
I would think the oil cooler could be placed in the seawater line just before it enters the fresh-water cooling heat exchanger. The exchanger is at the front of the engine, close to the power steering pump. This would also make it much easier to hook up the hydraulic line (low pressure return line to the PS pump) to the oil cooler. Am I missing something?
thanks,
Roger
 
mercruier said:
My boat (Proline 2950) has a couple merc 350 I/O's with fresh water cooling. It has engine driven power steering, with both engines pressurizing the system, and both PS pumps share an external reservoir. I had some hydraulic fluid leaks due to over-heating of the PS system, which warped the external reservior (Latham style acrylic cylinder between alum plates with o-rings). The system was installed a few years ago, and for some reason no PS oil coolers were installed, so I am trying to get them installed. My mechanic said it would be very expensive (labor), because he said the oil coolers had to be located at the back of engine where the seawater intake comes from the sterndrive. Access is poor back there.
I would think the oil cooler could be placed in the seawater line just before it enters the fresh-water cooling heat exchanger. The exchanger is at the front of the engine, close to the power steering pump. This would also make it much easier to hook up the hydraulic line (low pressure return line to the PS pump) to the oil cooler. Am I missing something?
thanks,
Roger
Click to expand...

If I were doing the conversion, I would mount at the front, as you suggested, somplace as easy to get to as possible.
Those hose fittings can be a bear to get to if hidden, I know for a fact because I changed mine last spring and cooler is under the port motor mount, out of sight. Makes no matter where the cooler is located in the line from the transom to the heat exchanger, as long as it's in there somewhere. 10 GPM flowing in from the transom is 10 GPM flowing to the cooler. Period. Unless he knows of a problem w/ hoses or something, but I doubt it. Even the attitude doesn't make a differance, horizontal, verticle, at an angle, it's all the same, just make it as simple as possible.
 
My mechanic said it would be very expensive (labor), because he said the oil coolers had to be located at the back of engine where the seawater intake comes from the sterndrive. Access is poor back there.
I would think the oil cooler could be placed in the seawater line just before it enters the fresh-water cooling heat exchanger. The exchanger is at the front of the engine, close to the power steering pump.
Click to expand...

Ayuh,.... I agree,... A cooler won't care if it's ahead, or behind the pump,...

Convenience of plumbin', 'n mountin', 'n service are much more important....
 
The raw water pump is belt driven on the engine. Splicing the oil cooler into the hose between the water pump and exchanger does seem like the simplest solution.
thanks.
 
mercruier said:
The raw water pump is belt driven on the engine. Splicing the oil cooler into the hose between the water pump and exchanger does seem like the simplest solution.
thanks.
Click to expand...


That's where the OEM one is, mounted to the port side if engine. Mine is all but invisible, behind the port engine mount. Helen Keller could probably work on mine with the same effort as I have to exert.
 
Back
Top