I've taken my PS pump out because it was leaking. My plan was to remove it, and then rebuild it at a later date, and re-install it.

So I looped the lines that connect from the pump to the steering gear, but I have not removed the control valve. Basically I just removed the pump and two hoses.

My question to those who have done this: should I remove the control valve? I did not want to take too much off because it will eventually go back on, but the car feels horrid to drive without the PS connected up. I don't like it all, but most people seem to like it, so I wonder if I need to take everything off?

Suggestions?

 

Take the loop back off and run the steering back and forth a few times to pump the fluid out of the box. (Long hoses routed into a bucket will eliminate mess.)

The steering WILL feel horrid if you've left fluid in the box. Get the fluid out, and it feels just like a regular manual box.

I ran this way for something like 60,000 miles... in one car. Then I took it out, pulled it apart to verify that everything still looked okay in there, put it in my next car, and ran it for something like 30k more.

IIRC, there's no real way to remove the spool valve anyway, not without a lot of work.

 

It doesn't look that hard to remove, actually, but I will try to get the fluid out first and see what that does for me.
Right now the steering is sucktastic so I need to do something....

Thanks!