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PSC hydraulic assist upgrade

anotheraznguy

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Just finished up on doing the Hydro assist with the new PS pump / Reservoir / Steering Box.

I have factory axles with CavFab tie rod which are 1.75". At the same time i installed a Rusty's Track Bar Brace. Instead of having brackets welded onto the stock axles i went with Next venture motorsports Hydraulic assist brackets. Also at the same time i installed the Gladiator grille inserts since i had a PS cooler in front of the radiator now.

New Gladiator Grille inserts. I also painted the shiny PS cooler brackets black to make it a little less noticeable.
Ts97Tvq.jpg


Since my winch was tight against the grille i opted to remove everything from bumper/grille/fenders/liners to make accessing everything easier
ruqMB98.jpg
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I spent hours cycling steering and suspension to make sure nothing binded with each other. As you can see, the next venture motorsports bracket attaches to the sway bar and tie rod bolt on the passenger side
96oceIL.jpg


Rusty's track bar brace can be seen here
0koqmty.jpg



Lessons learned / Issues

1. Doing it solo was a real pain. The PSC Steering box was extremely heavy and a helping hand will help you with lifting the box in place
2. Since i installed a track bar brace at the same time the bolts that were supplied with PSC were too short. The factory gearbox has through holes for the steering brace. The PSC one were not through holes and i needed to buy 1 12x1.5x100 bolt and 1 12x1.5x110 bolt while reusing the 100mm bolt provided by psc. This set me back by a few days since i couldnt install the box.
3. Next venture motorsports supplied the bolt for the bracket but they included the wrong bolt for the track bar. I e-mailed them a few times but they never responded. I don't know if i will go through them again with their lack of response. I ended up buying a 14x1.5x90 Grade 10.9 bolt since i didnt have time to wait for the 2 weeks of no response from them. (Update - Next Venture had shipped the bolt but it was already 1/16 when i received it and it was no longer necessary.)
4. PSC shipped the wrong tie rod clamp but that was quickly resolved with the help of Northride 4x4. Since i had 1.75 tie rods, the clamp they sent out was 1.5
5. PSC has markings for the hydro assist hoses with D and P with arrows pointing to each port. I installed it as per the instructions however for my application, the Driver port was used on the passender side and vice versa.
6.Bleeding was not too bad although i am still in the process of bleeding and topping off the reservoir. Removing the driver side line of the PS cooler and filling it up helped the bleeding process.


Driving impressions

Steering feels more direct with no dead zone in the steering. I am no longer sawing the steering wheel while trying to drive straight.

Steering effort has decreased greatly. This is something that i need to get used to and most likely attributed to the hydraulic ram. There steering wheel feels like there is no resistance. This could be a pro or con depending on what you are used to. It feels more like a 90's 1 ton diesel now even more.

Highway crosswinds are no longer a major issue compared to before. Although i still get pushed a bit, no longer am i moving the steering wheel as much to compensate and overall highway stability has greatly improved. I live in a very windy area with tons of windmills and high wind advisory. No longer am i hopping lanes with a death grip on the steering wheel.
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RenoMD

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Thank you for the awesome review looks like a beeeotch to install. I was thinking of doing it too...
 
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anotheraznguy

anotheraznguy

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Thank you for the awesome review looks like a beeeotch to install. I was thinking of doing it too...
It was definitely a pain but would be quite a bit easier with two people. Other than that if you had all the parts available it would take at most a weekend.
 
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Martindfletcher

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It was definitely a pain but would be quite a bit easier with two people. Other than that if you had all the parts available it would take at most a weekend.
I put my ram in the direction from yours. wonder which way is better. Already had to flip the lines up top once. Hope I don’t have to do it anytime soon.
 
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WheezysJL

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Sorry for digging up an old post. I had a shop install the psc and rpm 2” drag link and tie rod. They fabricated their own bracket, similar to the next venture Motorsports one. At full lock to driver the drag link is hitting and rolling over the hydro ram. Do you have this issue? Thinking of ordering the bracket from next venture Motorsports
 
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Martindfletcher

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Sorry for digging up an old post. I had a shop install the psc and rpm 2” drag link and tie rod. They fabricated their own bracket, similar to the next venture Motorsports one. At full lock to driver the drag link is hitting and rolling over the hydro ram. Do you have this issue? Thinking of ordering the bracket from next venture Motorsports
mine has some interference on the passenger side.
 
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wolf

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It was definitely a pain but would be quite a bit easier with two people. Other than that if you had all the parts available it would take at most a weekend.
It’s now been a while have you gotten use to the psc and do you still like and recommend it. Thank you.
 
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anotheraznguy

anotheraznguy

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It’s now been a while have you gotten use to the psc and do you still like and recommend it. Thank you.
I have since upgraded axles and went to 40's. I would still recommend it although their are some downsides. The sensitive steering is not as bad as before but you do get used to it. The other issue is that when offroading it does vent out of the vent tube when it gets hot.
 
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Goin2drt

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Any one else with the PSC having issues leaking at the bottom of the cooler? (non hydro assist version) We are having a hell of a time chasing a leak or should I say my mechanic is. He has had it now 3 times and we keep losing fluid at the cooler, assuming the connections.
 
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DOOKEY

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Any one else with the PSC having issues leaking at the bottom of the cooler? (non hydro assist version) We are having a hell of a time chasing a leak or should I say my mechanic is. He has had it now 3 times and we keep losing fluid at the cooler, assuming the connections.

No leakage on mine. That is a compression fitting that is easy to over tighten.
 
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Martindfletcher

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What bracket and drag link are you running?
I am using a custom reinforced steer smart style Bracket that mounts to track bar mount and perimeter welded on. A steer smart drag link/tie rod and a psc tie rod mount. The setup seems a half inch too long.. meaning if I tighten The tie rod clamp compressed, it has extra travel to go to the other side maybe half inch. I have the barrel part on passenger side at track bar mount. I am thinking I should tighten it up fully extended bus compressed to reduce risk of damage.
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