track event + leaky power steering cap

[Vkoslak]

I was at a track event this weekend, and my 17 year old power steering cap apparently no longer seals correctly resulting in power steering fluid all over the engine bay. I also have an apexi cone filter which is conveniently placed right next to the power steering fluid reservoir. So what are the dire consequences of the rb20det ingesting power steering fluid?

My car temp got super hot after about 4 laps and I now suspect the head gasket has issues.

If I end up needing to pull the 20, I think I'm just going to go ahead and pony up for a 26.

I'm interested in hearing thoughts on the power steering fluid being sucked into the intake and possible problems this could cause.

[Coolwhip]

possible, too much fluid?

What size tires, what are your front end alignment settings, and what RPM range were you typically in during the laps?

Though none of those could of contributed to your problem but they will cause P/S issues and increased pressure in the system causing it to push past the cap's seal.

Time to upgrade that old reservior. :P

[HxC_Nismo]

man ive never seen that happen before and ive been an auto mechanic for 7 years now. i would clean all your sensors that possibly got fluid on it and clean out your intercooler, and then run some seafoam through the intake to clean the rest, and see if that helps. and also you might want to upgrade to an better p/s cooler and a new reservoir.

[Carl H]

do you have a ps cooler on the system?might have boiled the fluid over if not.

[l0nestar]

do you have a ps cooler on the system?might have boiled the fluid over if not.

x2

[AZhitman]

man ive never seen that happen before and ive been an auto mechanic for 7 years now. i would clean all your sensors that possibly got fluid on it and clean out your intercooler, and then run some seafoam through the intake to clean the rest, and see if that helps. and also you might want to upgrade to an better p/s cooler and a new reservoir.

WTF?

No offense, man, but if you've never seen someone boil over their PS reservoir, you've never been to a track event.

I do it every time I do a track day.

The PS fluid reservoir cap is NOT a "sealed" unit. It's not brake fluid, it can breathe.

Also, "clean out your intercooler"? Dude. He got some PS fluid on his air filter. He didn't submerge it.

To the OP: Your engine did not "ingest" PS fluid. Relax. Seriously.

Clean your engine bay with degreaser. Flush your PS fluid, maybe add a PS fluid cooler, and put a sock over the reservoir next time you do a track event.

Your overheating issue is SEPERATE. You have a cooling system problem. Check compression, look for oil in the coolant / coolant in the oil. Change all fluids, maintain your cooling system properly, and do a compression test.

[Vkoslak]

Wow. Lots of responses.

I'm currently running 5 lug, 17x8 up front 235-40, 17x9 rear 255-40. It is a hicas 240sx and I've kept the hicas active. I do not have a cooler on the system. I am considering a reservoir relocation as it's really close to the turbo right now. I should probably spray my MAF with some carb cleaner.

As far as the overheating goes, it didn't overheat last year at a different track. However it did develop a MAFS problem last year on the track where some of the wires in the pigtail became loose and under the right conditions would cause the car to loose power. I thought a coil pack was going at first. The car sounded really terrible when I pitted. At this point the car doesn't idle smoothly. Sounds like it misses every now and then.

I fixed the pigtail (corroded wires), added a big a** ground wire to the block, sent my injectors off to be cleaned and flow benched (609cc!) and spent big bucks getting a dyno tune. (309rwhp at 17.5 psi). Still doesn't idle smooth.

I attempted a track event in Jan and the car started overheating. So after that I put in heat range 7 spark plugs, gapped to .025, flushed coolant, new billion thermostat, already had a koyo and I had put on a new water pump last year, put in water with 5% of that silkolene stuff, put the factory heat shield back on the exhaust and turbo after triming to fit, and heat wrapped the dump pipe and down pipe.

It barely got over 70 at the track, but I still had overheating issues. Checked the rad cap, noticed cracks in seal, went and bought a 300ZX TT cap and put that on, took longer, but same result. So I got my timing light out and knocked quite a few degrees of timing off, same result. Turned the boost down, same result.

I started out taking it all the way to 7k rpms, then changed to shifting earlier maybe 5k, it took a little longer limiting to 5k, but it would still overheat.

I've noticed when I pit that for a few minutes the engine is making a weird noise. I guess just until the temps get low enough. It's a low pitched whirr. Almost like a moaning.

Maybe my 8" puller and 12" pusher just can't keep up anymore. I looked into adding louvers to my hood, but I haven't seen any evidence yet that will solve my issue and I prefer my car to look mostly stock.

It still has the funky idle. I need to get it compression tested and leak down tested. It's been difficult to diagnose this because no matter how hard I drive it on the street, it doesn't overheat. It's only at the track.

[Logan76]

WTF?

No offense, man, but if you've never seen someone boil over their PS reservoir, you've never been to a track event.

I do it every time I do a track day.

The PS fluid reservoir cap is NOT a "sealed" unit. It's not brake fluid, it can breathe.

Also, "clean out your intercooler"? Dude. He got some PS fluid on his air filter. He didn't submerge it.

To the OP: Your engine did not "ingest" PS fluid. Relax. Seriously.

Clean your engine bay with degreaser. Flush your PS fluid, maybe add a PS fluid cooler, and put a sock over the reservoir next time you do a track event.

Your overheating issue is SEPERATE. You have a cooling system problem. Check compression, look for oil in the coolant / coolant in the oil. Change all fluids, maintain your cooling system properly, and do a compression test.

LOL grouchy old man post of the week

Greg is right though, I doubt you got any p/s fluid into your motor and surely not enough to cause any adverse effects, clean your s*** and move on.

[AZhitman]

Your issue is cooling. Not PS fluid.

I'd be planning a wholesale renovation of the colling system, starting with ensuring the passages in the engine are pristine and clean.

Thermostatically controlled fans? Radiator unobstructed? Water pump bad? Moaning sound could be a bad impeller.

And running a pusher and a puller makes no sense. Get a pair of pullers. I'll bet there's some issue there.

Lastly, carb cleaner is NOT good for your MAF. Use MAF claner. Carb cleaner leaves a greasy residue. Seriously.

[s14_sport]

If you really want to get your coolant temps down, make the stock clutch fan work. I did so in my post here: zerothread?id=352458

After learning about it from CarlH who has another post somewhere about his stock clutch fan setup as well.

It will work wonders!

[l0nestar]

Just make sure to have a heat-exchanger for your PS fluid.

Then begin tracking down your cooling issues.

309 @ 17.5 psi sounds.. poor.. Sounds like your PS reservoir / cooler is the least of your worries.

[Logan76]

309 @ 17.5 psi sounds.. poor.. Sounds like your PS reservoir / cooler is the least of your worries.

He didnt even make any referance to his turbo, how do you know hes still not running the factory turbo or another small T3 turbo?

[Vkoslak]

Turbo is a hks gt2530.

No clutch fan due to the huge Koyo radiator.

I have a puller on the passenger side near the alternator, and a pusher on the drivers side in front of the condenser. I plan on having AC eventually as I live in TX and it gets plenty hot here. I already have the custom hoses.

Oh yeah, I put the underbody splash tray on before the last event too.

I should also mention, I'm using RB coolant sensor and stock KA temp gauge.I need to put in a real temp gauge.

[AZhitman]

Jasno (rotorimp) is running a huge Koyo with his RB and has room for fans - dual pullers.

Get that cross-wise nonsense out of there... both pullers or both pushers. Are you POSITIVE one isn't working backwards?

Add an oil cooler for track events, get a functional (aftermarket) temp gauge, and let's see what's going on.

May be something as simple as hose routing or needing to bleed the air from the system...

Does your heater work?

[Vkoslak]

I'd like to see the fans he's using. S13 right? I'm sure one isn't wired backwards, that accidentally happened about 3 years ago and it would overheat in traffic.

Heater works.

Any recommendations on an oil cooler setup? How about a power steering cooler setup?

I think I'm going to go with an electronic aftermarket gauge like the Defi stand alone unit.

[gawdzilla]

I should also mention, I'm using RB coolant sensor and stock KA temp gauge.I need to put in a real temp gauge.

That is most likely your problem right there. I'm not certain on the s13s, but stock KA temp gauge on s14 with RB coolant sensor makes the gauge read artificially high. Way high. I'm talking normal operating temperature ~180 F is already at the H. I know because I still run the RB coolant sender with s14 factory gauge, but I have an aftermarket gauge too.

PS cooler can be found for pretty cheap on summitracing. about 30 bucks. Oil cooler there are a bunch of options but I wouldn't cheap out on the lines nor the core itself.

[AZhitman]

I'm using a Mazda FD oil cooler on my KA-T.

Got my PS cooler from Summit for my G35.

[Joe]

wow this thread is kinda ridiculous.

its called boilover as was already mentioned. not a bad seal. its VERY common on tracked cars.

this is a picture from my old RB and what i had to do. the rubber glove prevents your engine bay getting covered in PS fluid and possibly catching fire (ive only seen it once)

stop worrying about it. my new engine just sprays PS fluid all over. its one of the things you have to deal with when you track your car.

a small cooler CAN work wonders. it can also cause more problems.

[Joe]

man ive never seen that happen before and ive been an auto mechanic for 7 years now. i would clean all your sensors that possibly got fluid on it and clean out your intercooler, and then run some seafoam through the intake to clean the rest, and see if that helps. and also you might want to upgrade to an better p/s cooler and a new reservoir.

and this is why you dont take track cars to repair shops haha

[AZhitman]

its called boilover as was already mentioned. not a bad seal. its VERY common on tracked cars.

You're welcome, Mr. Late-To-The-Party.

[Joe]

You're welcome, Mr. Late-To-The-Party.

shut up old man i was in the garage getting my car ready because unlike your ghey a** ill actually be driving on saturday.

[AZhitman]

Umm, not only am I driving on Saturday, I'm driving in TWO events.

So shut your manpleaser and help me swap on my track tires.

[Joe]

im drifting the vert slammed on its nuts.

[AZhitman]

Effin' A, Cotton.

[Vkoslak]

Update on whats going on:

I replaced the temp sender with the KA one for the stock cluster, ordered a defi "racer" temp gauge (wooo blue lights!) and an adapter pipe so I don't need to tap anything.

I went ahead and put the KA temp sensor in and started the car to get some air bubbles out. There was much squeaking coming out from the engine bay. I'm pretty sure its the water pump. I put it in about this time last year. Got it off ebay though so who knows on the quality. So today I went and got the N1 pump from raw brokerage. N1 is probably overkill, but at least it's not off ebay.

[Cjmartz2k]

Actually, it's debatable if the N1 is actaully even as good as the factory RB pump for a street driven car. They are designed to cavitate less at higher RPM, not flow more. I've heard they actaully flow less.

[HxC_Nismo]

WTF?

No offense, man, but if you've never seen someone boil over their PS reservoir, you've never been to a track event.

I do it every time I do a track day.

The PS fluid reservoir cap is NOT a "sealed" unit. It's not brake fluid, it can breathe.

Also, "clean out your intercooler"? Dude. He got some PS fluid on his air filter. He didn't submerge it.

To the OP: Your engine did not "ingest" PS fluid. Relax. Seriously.

Clean your engine bay with degreaser. Flush your PS fluid, maybe add a PS fluid cooler, and put a sock over the reservoir next time you do a track event.

Your overheating issue is SEPERATE. You have a cooling system problem. Check compression, look for oil in the coolant / coolant in the oil. Change all fluids, maintain your cooling system properly, and do a compression test.

dude i never heard of anyones engine getting power steering fluid into the engine thru the intake, IVE HEARD OF P/S FLUID BOILING OVER before. if you read my full post you would see that i recommended him to upgrade to a better p/s cooler. and if his engine did somehow suck alot of power steering fluid i was just recommended what to clean as if your turbo oil seals go bad, or if you have alot of blow by and and oil gets into the intake. thats where the oil usually puddles up at.

[Vkoslak]

Just recorded a vid of my squeaky motor. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the water pump, although I should check the tensioner pulley while I'm in there.

You can hear the miss it has at idle as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0S_jBQjnaA

[Darius]

I might have an idea here. If it is "boiling over" under normal operating conditions then it is probably not because of a cooler or lack thereof. I relocated my PS reservoir and now have the same frothing issue and I think I know the cause. The bottom of the reservoir is under suction so if that line is not air tight, it will allow air to be pulled into the fluid without showing signs of leaking. This air will cause the fluid to froth and expand and overflow the reservoir because of the increase in volume. So in short, tighten the clamp on the pump suction line on the reservoir and at the pump if possible.
Modified by Darius at 7:29 AM 4/13/2009

[Vkoslak]

It only boils over at the track. I've had no problems on the street.

I pulled the belt off for the water pump/alternator today and started the car. No squeaking. So at least I know my tensioner is good.

I'll be doing the quest alternator while I'm in there doing the water pump.