if the purpose of the bac valve is to compensate the idle for power steering or ac and i dont have either of those can i just take it off?

 

Yea, if you have absolutely no accesories which put load on the engine, its ok to remove it.

 

Does the load on the alt. count?? Stuff like the lights stero and stuff is a load too right?

 

Yes, the BAC valve responds to high electrical loads from the alternator.

I'm can't understand why everyone is so keen to remove it. It's not like there are any downsides to having it there.

If you really want to know if you need it, simply unplug it. Turn on everything electrical and see what happens.

 

Agreed NZ, if it's working, or can at least be cleaned, there's no reason to remove it. If it's completely dead and you've got no use for it anyway (ie, no loads at all other than the alt) it's ok. But leave it is my suggestion

 

What all do you need to do to remove it? For good?

 

Gasket, block-off plate, some sealent, and a few various sized caps for the hoses that used to run to it.

 

All you need is a block off plate, RTV sealant and a couple of vac caps. A gasket isn't a bad idea, but its not absolutely necesarry either.

You can get block off plates here: www.k2rd.com