Help with power steering hose

[insaneranger]

Just got the power steering box & pump installed, but the pressure hose won't work with the pump. Is there a fitting/adapter I need or a certain hose? The steering pump is from a '93 Mustang and steering box is for a '88 Ranger.

 

[insaneranger]

Here's the hose I have. Is this the wrong one?

 

[19Walt93]

Before you buy or adapt the hose I'd check availability on a Ranger pump. If I remember correctly, a Mustang pump for a rack and pinion gear will not produce the right pressure for the Ranger recirculating ball gear.

 

[insaneranger]

I brought that up in another thread & was told that there's no difference in the pumps.

I found a junkyard yesterday with the same model ranger as mine so I took the outlet fitting off of it & installed it in the mustang pump. The hose definitely fits better, but I won't know if it's sealed until I order the right length serpentine belt & try it out.

 

[Dirtman]

I may be talking out of my butt here, but sometimes the pumps themselves are the same but the pressure valve is not. Ford could use the same pump on 20 different vehicles but they each require different pressure. Since the pressure valve is also the pressure side fitting, you may need to just swap the valve for the proper one. The valve makes the pressure not really the pump. The pumps just make volume.

Id see if your original valve fits the new pump.

I remember needing to do this many times on weird swaps over the years.

 

[svtcards]

I know of someone using a early 90s thunder bird pump on an 87 ranger gearbox without issue.he just had to morph 2 hoses into 1.i think he had napa do it if I recall right.

 

[svtcards]

Not sure if thunder birds in early 90s were rack and pinion or not though.

 

[svtcards]

They are rack in pinion.just checked

 

[insaneranger]

I may be talking out of my butt here, but sometimes the pumps themselves are the same but the pressure valve is not. Ford could use the same pump on 20 different vehicles but they each require different pressure. Since the pressure valve is also the pressure side fitting, you may need to just swap the valve for the proper one. The valve makes the pressure not really the pump. The pumps just make volume.

Id see if your original valve fits the new pump.

I remember needing to do this many times on weird swaps over the years.

Thanks. I may be making a trip back to the junkyard. (I'm dreading it. I have some cracked ribs & can barely use my right arm right now.) I got the brass pump fitting that the hose threads into, but the spring & "flow control valve" is still sitting in the pump...or in the giant mud puddle under the truck.

If I knew that the flow valves were different, I would have been more careful & made sure to pull the internals out along with the brass fitting. It was a stupid mistake I won't make again. Thanks for the help.

 

[insaneranger]

I finally got the truck back today & am pleased to have power steering again. It's been almost 20 years since it had PS. I went back & got the flow valve & spring out of the junkyard Ranger just in case, but the stock Mustang pump/valve works perfectly. It's great to be able to park without fighting the steering wheel. Thanks for all the help & advice, guys.

 

[19Walt93]

I put a later C2 pump on my Mustang II and it made the steering squirrely because Mustang II's flow requirements are lower. Speedway Motors sells Mustang II suspensions to the street rod guys and Saginaw pumps modified for pressure and flow to use with the Mustang racks.

 

[Shran]

Steering boxes by themselves can cause issues... the box in my rock crawler leaked really bad out of everywhere so I replaced it with a reman box from Carquest. Steering off road was fantastic before, now it sucks (on road is fine.) Kinda weird, I had no issues in places where my buddy's Early Bronco would really struggle... same axles/gears/tires/etc. Now I'm fighting it. Next rig will have full hydro steering.

Since you guys have V8 swaps, maybe have run into this issue with your pump depending on your front accessory locations but I had clearance issues with the return hose. It was OK but would rub things when the engine moved or the frame flexed. Rerouted the return with a baffle inside the reservoir, capped off old return nipple, worked really well.

 

[insaneranger]

I'm not sure which style brackets & pulleys you're using, but I used a Ford Racing a/c eliminator kit to relocate my steering pump. There's plenty of room & it lines up perfectly with Fox body pulleys & stock Ranger hoses. Three bolts hold the bracket on the front of the drivers side head & then the two power steering pump bolts.