PSC-SK280 Instructions

zimm said:
Psc came with caps. They’re in the glovebox and can be used as you described. Only issue is if the open ram is exposed to rain or mud it’ll suck in water unless you remove it.
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Good to know. It's a simple process, two bolts and a couple of caps and some fluid and you're good to go.
The original post I quoted made it sound like you had to run with the ram or have no steering.
Wanted to make sure it was clear for others that isn't the case.
 
JKDream said:
Good to know. It's a simple process, two bolts and a couple of caps and some fluid and you're good to go.
The original post I quoted made it sound like you had to run with the ram or have no steering.
Wanted to make sure it was clear for others that isn't the case.
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Not to beat you up, but what bolts are you referring to? Now that I think about it, I think the caps are for the steering box, not the ends of the hoses. So maybe the box needs to be dropped down to get at the fittings? If that's the case, then no water will get in the ram if the hoses are tied up out of the way.
 
zimm said:
Not to beat you up, but what bolts are you referring to? Now that I think about it, I think the caps are for the steering box, not the ends of the hoses. So maybe the box needs to be dropped down to get at the fittings? If that's the case, then no water will get in the ram if the hoses are tied up out of the way.
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The bolts holding the ram to the axle and tie rod.
The caps are for the steering box, but I have no issues getting to them without removing the box.
If you want to go back to stock steering for whatever reason (blown line for example), it's as simple as removing the two bolts holding the ram on, and the two lines at the steering box, then putting the caps back on and doing a bleed if necessary. The one time I blew a hydro line (got pinched on the housing), it took all of 15 minutes to have the system turned back to stock steering, and on my way to pickup a new line.
 
Okay, that makes sense. Why even remove the ram then? Air will flow through the hoses so it won't hydro-lock. Unless you take the hoses off to get new ones and don't want the ram sucking in crap.
 
Make sure you save the caps in case you break a hose. We used them to save a trip in Colorado last year.
 
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Oh, another point on the PSC system that I just thought of. I overheated last week on my way home. Turns out the steering line wore a pin-hole in the lower radiator hose! Luckily I have a pair of spare hoses and 2 gallons of the wacky coolant that's required. I cut a section out of the hold hose and zip tied it over the new hose so I have a wear guard now.

It's worth the $20 for a spare hose off amazon to keep under the back seat.
 
zimm said:
Okay, that makes sense. Why even remove the ram then? Air will flow through the hoses so it won't hydro-lock. Unless you take the hoses off to get new ones and don't want the ram sucking in crap.
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Well for me personally, our wheeling out here consists of a ton of mud - so I don't want that ram exposed to mud inside the cylinder.
If I put the caps on the ram it won't compress/extend because air will be locked inside, so it has to be removed to drive safely.
If you left both caps off on the ram so the air has somewhere to go, then it's probably not an issue.
Personally, since you already have to remove the lines from the box, you might as well take the two bolts off to remove the ram as well.
I suppose you could leave the hoses hooked up to the ram, but unhooked and tied away up by the steering box. I'm not sure if I'd do this though, I think it would actually take less time to remove the ram than trying to find a creative way to tie them up without getting caught up in the rad fan, serp belt, etc.
 
JKDream said:
Well for me personally, our wheeling out here consists of a ton of mud - so I don't want that ram exposed to mud inside the cylinder.
If I put the caps on the ram it won't compress/extend because air will be locked inside, so it has to be removed to drive safely.
If you left both caps off on the ram so the air has somewhere to go, then it's probably not an issue.
Personally, since you already have to remove the lines from the box, you might as well take the two bolts off to remove the ram as well.
I suppose you could leave the hoses hooked up to the ram, but unhooked and tied away up by the steering box. I'm not sure if I'd do this though, I think it would actually take less time to remove the ram than trying to find a creative way to tie them up without getting caught up in the rad fan, serp belt, etc.
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I blew a ram hose one time. I removed the lines and capped off both the steering box and the ram, which I left on the Jeep. I don’t know whether there was oil or air or both left in the ram, but the Jeep steered fine on the next day’s wheeling, the 70 mile drive home, and the time it took me to make the repair.


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fiend said:
I blew a ram hose one time. I removed the lines and capped off both the steering box and the ram, which I left on the Jeep. I don’t know whether there was oil or air or both left in the ram, but the Jeep steered fine on the next day’s wheeling, the 70 mile drive home, and the time it took me to make the repair.


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That's good to hear. When I tried it, the steering wheel would bind in a hard turn and I couldn't steer back to center.
I actually almost wiped out the vehicle but thankfully wasn't going very fast so just went up onto the curb.
Might have been something else going on, but I wouldn't risk it again. Scared the shit out of me.
 
JKDream said:
That's good to hear. When I tried it, the steering wheel would bind in a hard turn and I couldn't steer back to center.
I actually almost wiped out the vehicle but thankfully wasn't going very fast so just went up onto the curb.
Might have been something else going on, but I wouldn't risk it again. Scared the shit out of me.
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Maybe you were low on fluid. After the line rupture and removal, I had to top up the reservoir with a fair amount of fluid before driving again.


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fiend said:
Maybe you were low on fluid. After the line rupture and removal, I had to top up the reservoir with a fair amount of fluid before driving again.


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Maybe I'm missing something, but if you've got a cylinder with good seals and it's full of fluid but capped off, wouldn't it be near impossible to compress it causing you to be unable to steer?

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Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
 
BaddestCross said:
Maybe I'm missing something, but if you've got a cylinder with good seals and it's full of fluid but capped off, wouldn't it be near impossible to compress it causing you to be unable to steer?

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Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
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I would think the same thing. Maybe there is a relief valve in the ram. Or maybe all the oil leaked out of mine and it was just air getting compressed. All I can tell you is that I could drive it fine. In fact, that was the day you and I did Holcomb and Dishpan.


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JKDream said:
I don't know about PSC but on my Hydro Setup the ram is simple to remove.
There's caps you can buy that block the ports going out to the ram, put those on and you are back to a stock steering setup.
I can't imagine PSC doesn't have this option, in the event you blow a line what do you do then?
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Yeah, I'm glad you caught that - I apologize to the OP & anyone else reading this thread for the shitty advice. You're absolutely correct. I guess I never really thought that through since my install. I carry extra lines with me as well as a line repair kit in the event I holed a line...
 
fiend said:
I would think the same thing. Maybe there is a relief valve in the ram. Or maybe all the oil leaked out of mine and it was just air getting compressed. All I can tell you is that I could drive it fine. In fact, that was the day you and I did Holcomb and Dishpan.


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Yeah, you were turning fine that day. 🤣

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Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
 
I stand corrected. Back in post 13 I said that PSC had told me that “the ram may have a noticeable negative effect on-highway”. You guys convinced me otherwise. So l looked back at an email from them and what they actually said was “With the big bore box, as long and the caster angle in the alignment is set properly, you wont notice the assist very much on the highway.” Sorry about raising a false concern. From everything I am hearing it is a great mod. Can’t wait to get it on my Jeep and try it out. Thanks all.


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zimm said:
Something else to think about. If you're doing a new install, get some abrasion covers from the local hose store before installing. After just a few months I nearly wore through the steel braiding of the PSC hoses. I went to a local shop and $100 later had heavier dutier, crimped and sleeved hoses made up. The old ones are now spares. Also keep the metal caps that came with the PSC kit in case you blow a line and need to close off the system so the steering box will still work without the ram.

Here's also a shot on how to mount the cooler so it clears the grill. I later painted in black to blend in.

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Don’t paint the aluminum cooler. There is a reason it’s bare aluminum and that’s for heat exchange. You will seriously diminish its cooling capabilities by painting it. I learned this a long time ago by trying to custome paint some amplifiers. Burned 2 out of the 3 up because they couldn’t release the heat as well


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Turbo21 said:
Don’t paint the aluminum cooler. There is a reason it’s bare aluminum and that’s for heat exchange. You will seriously diminish its cooling capabilities by painting it. I learned this a long time ago by trying to custome paint some amplifiers. Burned 2 out of the 3 up because they couldn’t release the heat as well


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There is a special paint you can use for painting radiators that won't impact the efficiency. Maybe that's what he used?
 
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