hey, trying to get my 1986 trans am back on the road. I was doing some checking under the hood, and i noticed that my steering box seems to have a sensor and wires coming out of it. never seen that before. Is this some sort of variable steering or a sensor for fluid or pressure?
I'll take some pics if no one knows off the top of their head.
thanks!

 

IIRC its a temp sensor that turns the fan on if the fluid gets too hot.

 

ah, ok. i just searched on the cooling forum as well. i didnt realize there was a cooling loop for the PS fluid. Is this common? ive never worked on a car w/ a cooling system in the steering. None of my jeeps have that, and i would think there be more problems with the big tires there. learn somethin new here everyday.

 

all powersteering setups have a cooling loop ASAIK. If you look under the front of the car there is a run of tubing, probably 3/8od that makes a long loop across the fron of the radiator area. Thats the factory cooler.

I moved/removed a lot of wires from my car and when i was tracing everything i seem to remember that set of wires being in parallel with the fan switch.

 

none of my other cars have a PS cooler. I have 3 jeeps and a toyota, none have any cooling lines for PS. neither does my 86 chevy plow truck, which even has almost the same engine as the firebird. Is it something they put on these cars because of the problem of high underhood temps (ive heard)