Well, I decided, that since both the power steering and the A/C don't work in my 1991 fc, that I would spend an afternoon taking it all out. Bad idea, should have given myself more time.

I started at about 8:00pm. Removed the power steering pump. After I got done with that, my friend came over and started helping me. We proceded to get the A/C pump out, man that was a tight squeez! So, barely got it out, and it was pretty heavy, like 8-10lbs. Then I take the bracket off, the one that holds them to the motor, man! That thing weighes more than the pumps combined, heh. All is well.

I had allready removed the A/C lines all the way around the car, to the A/C radiator? Don't know what the specific name for it was, oh well. So we work on getting the power steering lines romoved. Big problem. I now know what you people meant by it being so hard to work on older cars. For the life of me, I could not budge the nipples that connected the tubes to the steering rack. That alone took a good hour, at least. Then removed the hood latch to slide the A/C "radiator" out, and re-installed it.

Ok, I've gone through heck to get this all done, and it's now 2:00am. I go to put in the bolts to plug the power steering, and what?! They do not fit! I was read here that there were three bolts. One an m16, for the coolent line, and two m12's, for the power steering fluid. I don't remember the exact thread pitches off hand, but I know I had the right ones, the sizes were posted by a mod. Now I have to get a ride to school tomorrow, and go and bring the nipples i removed, and get them sized, grr. I'm kind of grumpy this early in the morning, so I guess all I'm trying to say is: "Have fun working on you car/cars!"

...later

 

You could probably sell the good AC parts.

 

condenser...i'm pretty sure that's it

 

condenser...i'm pretty sure that's it

 

yes, it's the condensor

 

Put all the stuff you took out on a scale and tell us what they weigh.

Rob

 

Ok, no problem. I'll take some pics too...later

 

bahah, i ran into the same problem. Certain S5's have a third port on the rack. Project84 came over and we were both like... wtf... lesson learned: lable everything on dismantle.

That third bolt is m16x (some crazy coarse pitch). There was a thread where somone said it was m16x1.50. That bolt is impossible to find however. I did find a m16x1.75 of appropriate length (few cm) that might be the right thread. Yet to try.

Oh.. and that a/c radiator...
http://sheepdog.ar2engineering.net/p...oler/index.htm
btw.. I found it much much easier to put the car on jackstands and cut the damn thing out.


EDIT: put some masking tape over that third port and try driving it around. The p/s pump gone is hardly noticeable imo. consider it... finding a cap for that third plug is a bitch though. I highly doubt they used m16x1.50 which is seriously almost impossible to find. The local bolt store (fastenall) said they could order one that was 10cm long, but it would take two weeks to get here. I was like whatever... But.. it is mazda, so they just might have

 

Thread pitch = 1.25

 

Ok, three hardware stores later......

I have only two holes to plug. I have two bolts to fill them with, one m12 1.25, and teh other m16 1.5. Great. I put plumbers white sealing tape on them, and rubber O-rings, to ensure leak free operation. I get in the car and crank the wheel right to see if they sealed correctly. It stopped turning a little more than 1/4 turn, wierd? Maybe it needs to be turned harder, I think this was wrong on my part. It did turn, but felt like something snapped, so I look under the hood. My bolts are not leaking, so what could it be?

Uhh, ohh, there is fluid leaking out onto the floor. I found it burst right before the piece of metal I pluged with screws, wtf?

Any help here? I'll weigh the parts sort of as an incentive for helping me? thanks...later

 

Ohh, and about the m16 1.5, fastenall is where I went too, heh. It only took them 3 days to get mine, and my local hardware shop sells the m12 1.25's locally...later

 

Anyone? I really need to fix this as soon as possible, I have been bumming rides to and from school...later

 

So, get in it and drive. What are you waiting for? You dont have to plug those holes if you dont want to. I run cars with open racks all the time. The bit of residual fluid not spit out stays in there to lube the rack, and so long as you don't drive down dirt roads i can't ever see anything getting in there, especially if it is just for a few days.

 

Heh, I live on a dirt road...

and it's not that a hole is not plugged, they are all plugged. It's just that It fealt like something broke when I turned the wheel, and afterwards, fluid all over the ground. I think a seal broke, because a metal ring is now loose on the shaft right before where the old power steering hoses hooked up, anyone?...later

 

Maybe you didnt let enough fluid out? The fluid has to go somewhere. If there is no where for it to go, its going to break something.

 

Yeah dude, you screwed up. You are supposed to turn the wheel lock to lock a few times BEFORE plugging the holes, to let the excess fluid out. Since the ports on a power rack are for fluid to be forced in and out of, what did you think was going to happen when you plugged them while still full of fluid then forced the wheel to turn?

 

Crap, I knew I would forget something!

Maybe if I do it right now, and tap that plate back on it'll be fixed, maybe not, I'll give it a try...later

 

Bah, It's fine. I didn't tap the plate back on, it seems fine though. Only slightly harder to turn. Slightly...later

 

you're
hard

 

werd, you have to turn the wheels back and forth to drain the fluid