48prerunner
07-16-2015, 05:44 AM
I have a new KRC power steering pump to run my ford crown vic power rac and hydro boost off a super duty. Ford recommends Mercon V, KRC says KRC power steering fluid. Anyone have any experience using Mercon in a KRC pump?
RobNoLimit
07-20-2015, 05:04 AM
I have no experience with the Mercon, but I have used the KRC and a hydroboost with the same rack. Hare's what I learned. Max pump speed should not exceed 7500 rpm. This can be tough with a small pulley on the pump. KRC makes 6" and 6 1/2" pulleys, and you may need to drop the crank pulley size. The high rpm cavitates the fluid and then scores the pump, this means a new pump in the future. Next, I tried the fancy synthetic P/S fluid, and was never happy. It was noisy, frothed up, and had a bad feel. At an event, after making a big mess, I swapped to the run-of-the-mill GM spec fluid for a Type II pump (read to be the cheap generic stuff) and it performed flawlessly. One more thing about the Hydro set up. The plumbing path makes a difference. I see many drawings that show the two returns connected with a T fitting and then to the tank. This can be a source of great dissatisfaction. You really need a tank with two return fittings. One for the rack return, and one for the hydro bypass. The T fitting will result in pulsing and brake feedback in the steering.