Kurgan

Does anyone have a write up, or can provide me with some instructions on how to turn my Power Steering rack on an S5 T2 into manual operation? I just removed thepower steering pump and want to know what to do with the openings left on the rack. I know at one point I found these instructions, but I can't come across a write up any more.

Thanks for any input!

Prowla RX7

i absolutely hate power steering!!! my friends have a difficulty when they drive my car (dont worry i only let two of them drive it)... and it was amusing watching them struggle to turn the wheel. And they laugh watching me try to drive their car with ps... its like a lil bit to one way and you're already in the next lane... ugh, i hate it. If i had the instructions or write up, i'd give it to you... but when i brought my vert, the person before me had managed to take out the power steering already

tesla042

I just removed the belt.. I know I could save some 10 pounds or so by removing the rest, but I figure it may help resale..or...something...

But yeah.. PS sucks! *WAY* too boosted.

Kurgan

when you just remove the belt, you're pushing around PS fluid that makes it even tougher to turn....

not to mention, I don't even have the pump any more for the 20b, I tossed it long ago, so that isn't an option.

Barwick

so anyway.. we didn't answer his original question. You do not want to just remove the pump and plug the lines, that'll cause issues. At WORST you want to remove the pump and just bridge the two lines back together, so the fluid can move, but even that's not a great option.

Go for the manual conversion if you can, I want to find a manual steering rack myself, but don't know where to look.

Kurgan

I had a manual steering rack, I paid $120 for it 2 years ago... but it was stolen by a "fellow" rx7 enthusiast. After repeated attempts to get the rack back, I've basically given up.

If I ever find a manual rack, I may swap it in. The PS rack has a better ratio, but is slightly harder to turn at a standstill....

I removed all of this stuff fom my car about 6 months ago. I should have taken pictures, but I didn't. RIght now, I have 3 holes in the PS rack, which ones do I bridge, and what do I do with the 3rd one?

TurboMike

bridge the 2 big ones and the third one i just capped off. Originally i just took the belt off the PS and it was kinda difficult to turn (builds arm strength though). After taking the pump and rerouting all the lines the wheel is much easier to turn. What is the little box by the steering column??

Barwick

http://2ndgenrx7.freeservers.com/techmaster.html

lots of info, go to the power steering conversion section

flubyux2

i put my 88 SE on a crash diet.

removed:

Ps pump
AC compressor
AC lines
AC dryer
AC condensor
PS/AC bracket
subzero assist

as far as power steering dealy, just remove the pump, then the bracket that moutns it to the engine, cuz thats kinda heavy too.

then cut the 2 metal lines coming out of the steering rack, turn it back and forth so that it expells the excess fluid. then bridge them together w/ some silicone hose, clamps and an adaptor, since the 2 lines are of different sizes. THEN, there is a 3rd line, this is the return line that comes from the PS cooler. i couldnt get mine out ulness i cut it, so i left it in. anywho, just install a breather filter on it so that the fluid remaning in the rack can move about freely w/o having pressure resistance caused by just Capping the lines. and the filter will keep dirt and dust from contaminating the fluid and destroying the internals of the rack. just drive it around for several days, turning the wheels lock to lock to expell all the excess fluid out of the return line (it will drip out of the filter as it over flows) after this is done, you should take some brake cleaner and spray down all the dirt and oil and make your engine bay look like as clean as a dinner plate... like mine.

people look inside my engine bay now, and stare. at the track, i see groups of 3 and 4 w/ the heads under my hood. ill bet they are askin themselves "where the hell is the rest of his engine?!"

and if you guys think that a PS rack w/o the assist is "too tough"...then you have driven powersteering way too long. you guys just need a work out...build up those forearms, your bi's and your tri's, and them pecks!!! quite being wussies and get tough!

chris

flubyux2

i sure did, Champ.

and i still say LOOP the lines. if you cap it, the remaining fluid in the rack still moves back and forth, meaning it moves the fluid, which wants to MOVE the air pockets in the lines, but if its CAPPED, then it is forced to Compress the air, which is still resistance. so, LOOP the freakin lines so there is no compressive resistance. its not that much harder.

de-power-ifying power steering is still not as easy as a Real manual rack, so we need to make it as EASY as possible, do you undertstand that...tiger?

chris

autocrash

ooh... i dunno if anyone ever considered this... but, steering racks do need to be lubricated.... .... or they will seize ...SO LEAVE THE PS FLUID IN THE RACK!!

Just loop the lines as described by flubyux2...
sure you're pumping PS fluid when you turn the wheel, but atleast your rack won't seize up

flubyux2

true, but you cant expell ALL the fluid in the rack by just turning the wheels lock to lock.

there was a guy who did use compressed air to blow the excess fluid out, and capped the lines. and his rack seized up. and then he swapped in a manual unit.

but, i can hear the fluid gurgling in my rack when someone turns the wheel...so its not bone dry in mine...its alll good in the hood.

autocrash

cool cool... thats good to know, I guess it would be easier to turn as well then?

But yeah, I heard the horror stories about seized steering racks.... so I had to mention it... wouldn't want anyone getting hurt (or their 7... )

adamlewis

.....Uh...Ill be sure to NEVER do that to a car I own...


Why dont you just leave the fluid in there and bridge the lines like 99.99999% ( cant be 100% because you obviously disagree ) of the automotive world does?

Cipher

ROTFLMAO !!!!

What's funny is when people actually ask that very question !!!!

TurboMike

Somebody explain this.

Cwaters

It's the adaptive opower steering computer.

Cory

trbospd

Why bother taking it off, it doesn't remove much weight to make a difference in performance. The drag on the engine does not affect anything as far as Quarter mile times. If you have a good electrical diagram all you do is dissconnect the power wires to the power steering pump and put in an $8.00 variable potentiometer from Radio Shack and bump up the steering effort. It is variable assist power steering.

flubyux2

Trbospd, you MUST be new.

lol, you are quite funny. you must not have raced long or something.

there is a general rule of thumb:

"for every 10 lbs you remove from your car, you 'gain' 1 horsepower"

or it takes off something like 1/100th or 1/1000th of a second in the ET.

and every pound you remove from your engine's rotational mass, is equiivalent to 1 HP at the wheels.

dude, it MAKES a difference. not to mention itll alter your front-to-rear weight balance. and itll allow your center of gravity to transfer easier during launch. meaning: your car will squat harder when it launches. and itll plant the rear tires harder. think about it, why would people relocate the battery to the trunk, or place their NOS bottle as far back as possible?

and not using that pulley, and not having to turn that belt MAKES A freakin difference. it allows the engine to rev freely and accelerate easier. it is less of a load for the crank to drive. what the hell do you think the point is behind a lightened flywheel? it frees up more useable horsepower. less HP required to drive engine accessories and loads, the MORE hp there is available to drive the rear wheels.

when someone like me is trying to squeeze the most out of a stock port NA, every little bit counts.

someone was telling me that switching from the clutch fan to the E-fan wasnt worth it cuz it didnt make that much of a difference. that pissed me off. he said i should get "one of those fans that flatten out as it goes faster" whatever....

think about it. if you have the opportunity to go from 10lb fan on the pully to onlya 5 lb fan on the pully, thats a 50% weight reduction right? but theres STILL 5 freakin lbs needing to be turned, AND the damn belt. now take the fan OFF and the belt, you have a 100% reduction, i think the benefit is obvious. on top of which, you can remove the fan shroud, which is another lb or 2. and it makes the engine compartment less cramped and nicer to look at.

im done ranting. if you dont see my point yet, well then...i dont know what to say except "if you dont like it, Go to russia!"

chris

trbospd

First of all, Flux you. Obviously you know nothing about power to weight. I have raced super comp for 10 years. Every 500 pounds of weight equals a tenth of a second or so, that is if all you have done is remove weight, you do the math smarty. if your 300 pound friend gets in the car, go run the quarter mile, at a real track, not a little G-tech pro as I am sure you have. Then if you know anything about how to be consistent, run the quarter again. Not much difference. as for parasitic drag on accessories, not a whole lot their either. Been their, done that. The only way you will see any major difference is in a non-streetable race version. Stick with me and I'll school ya Fluxy.

Kurgan

Guys, there's no need to argue about it, its been decided. I'm not running power steering. Hell, I don't even know if you can run it with a 20B in there... besides, it gets in the way of my intercooler piping