Hydraulic Power Steering

[smallengineshop]

Here are three video's I found on YouTube about automotive steering and the hydraulic power steering system. I think the trend in automotive technology is moving to electric power steering, but there are still plenty of cars and trucks on the road that use a hydraulic system. Some reasons why automotive technology is moving away from the older hydraulic power steering technology are:

Hydraulic power steering requires an engine driven hydraulic pump to work. To drive the pump requires 3 horsepower from the engine at low speeds and about 1 horsepower at high speeds. Hydraulic power steering takes up space under hood because the pump is attached to the engine block and driven by an engine driven belt. Electric power steering does not require an engine driven pump and does not take up space under the hood. I believe the electric motor used in electric power steering is located on the steering column or on the steering rack. Plus, electric power steering is cheaper to produce. These advantage's make electric power steering more attractive than the older hydraulic system.

Case example: The little 78 horsepower, 3 cylinder engine used to power the Mitsubishi Mirage is not required to rotate a hydraulic pump for power steering. The Mirage is equipped with electric power steering on all trim levels, which means the engine isn't required to provide up to 3 horsepower to operate a hydraulic pump. This increases mpg and makes better use of the limited horsepower produced by a small 3 cylinder engine. Also, the Mirage is designed to be a low cost car and using electric power steering is a cheaper solution than hydraulic.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/em1O8mz7sF0" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/em1O8mz7sF0</a>
Understanding your Car's Steering & Power Steering !

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/VDiOKqMKTO8" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/VDiOKqMKTO8</a>
Hydraulic Steering - Principles Of Operation (1956)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/lbgFLk8SETI" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/lbgFLk8SETI</a>
Toyota hydraulic power steering technician training video