March PS pump & Hydroboost, Must Read

[John S]

I thought I would share this with everyone in case you are thinking of running this setup;
I found out too late that the March power steering pump is not compatible with a Hydroboost. It seems that the March pump has 40% less fluid capacity and is unvented which causes pressure to build up and steadily apply the brakes on its own.
Not wanting to remove the pump and install a standard Saginaw P style pump, Paul from Hydrathech gave me a few ideas on how to solve the issue.
What I ended up doing was to drill and tap a 1/2" npt hole in the filler neck of the pump and installed a 1/2" x -10 an fitting. I then installed an ARTS aluminum reservoir on the inside panel of my fender and ran a -10 braided hose to the filler neck.
Simple fix and now everything works great.

here is an image of the fitting into the pump neck;


And here is the reservoir, of course I polished it

[GBodyGMachine]

Thats good to know.

Jeff

[7TSS]

Thanks for the info. I've got the same setup going in my project too. Paul @ Hydratech told me it's not compatible with the small reservoir of the March p/s box. Now I know what I've got to get to make it work.

[John S]

Glad to help. I am going to machine a new cap for my reservoir and do away with the fill neck entirely. I'll post pics when it's done if you are interested.

[7TSS]

Yes....Please do

[andrewmp6]

that kinda sucks what about other companys serpentine belt conversion. i rather run a abspowerbrake electric power brake system. basicly has a small air pump that has more psi then anything else also keeps enough in the system for 114 stomps with the car turned off.

[John S]

The serpentine system has nothing to do with the problem built into the March pump.
I chose the march pump because it compliments the rest of the accessories on the engine and looks nicer then the standard pump. The fix I mention was relatively inexpensive and does not look too bad either.

[tyoneal]

Originally Posted by John S

I thought I would share this with everyone in case you are thinking of running this setup;
I found out too late that the March power steering pump is not compatible with a Hydra-boost. It seems that the March pump has 40% less fluid capacity and is unvented which causes pressure to build up and steadily apply the brakes on its own.
Not wanting to remove the pump and install a standard Saginaw P style pump, Paul from Hydrathech gave me a few ideas on how to solve the issue.
What I ended up doing was to drill and tap a 1/2" npt hole in the filler neck of the pump and installed a 1/2" x -10 an fitting. I then installed an ARTS aluminum reservoir on the inside panel of my fender and ran a -10 braided hose to the filler neck.
Simple fix and now everything works great.

here is an image of the fitting into the pump neck;


And here is the reservoir, of course I polished it

===============================
How much fluid capacity is needed for the hydra-boost to work effectively?

I just had one put on my car and the brake sensitivity seems to be inconsistent. Sometimes it's will practically through you though the window, and other times it feels like manual braking.

I wonder it this is my problem as well.

Does your hydra-boost, "Hiss", at time a bit like the air brakes on a 18 wheeler?

Ty

[John S]

Ty;
It's very important that your power steering system be up to par when installing a Hydroboost. A standard Saginaw P style pump is more than adequate. If you have a different style pump or a remote resevoir style you may want to check on it.
As far as the hissing, I've never had any issues with my system and I've had the hydroboost in the car for 3 years. I just installed the March pump and that was the cause of the problems I had. I think the biggest problem is that the march system is not vented,

[tyoneal]

Originally Posted by John S

Ty;
It's very important that your power steering system be up to par when installing a Hydroboost. A standard Saginaw P style pump is more than adequate. If you have a different style pump or a remote resevoir style you may want to check on it.
As far as the hissing, I've never had any issues with my system and I've had the hydroboost in the car for 3 years. I just installed the March pump and that was the cause of the problems I had. I think the biggest problem is that the march system is not vented,

============================================
John:

The Hissing sound doesn't seem to hurt performance, it's just different than what I have been used to using.

I am currently using a KRC Power Steering Pump.

http://www.krcpower.com/

Also,

http://www.krcpower.com/catalog_c274592.html

At this point I'm not sure whether I have the Regular or the high volume pump. I will check it tomorrow.

The pump I have seems to work very well and is very light.

Oh well, I'll see what I have then go from there.

Thanks,

Ty