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Looping the Steering Rack

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Old Nov 21, 2009 | 09:14 AM
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MA Looping the Steering Rack

All,

I have reviewed the archrives for removing the P/S pump and looping the steering rack. I realize there are a number of opinions concerning this procedure. What I would like to know is if anyone who has done this conversion...have they/you ever had any failures because of it

Thanx,

Jim
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Old Nov 21, 2009 | 11:33 AM
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i did it cuz my power steering pump failed, twice, and was done messing around with it

i don't mind not having the power steering on the car, i can drive it just fine without it and i'm 140lbs

however, i did the loop procedure and i'm not happy with the handling afterwards, it's a little jittery and sometimes scary at high speeds

go with a manual rack, either the maval conversion or the atomicrex.

the atomicrex would be my choice considering the reviews i've heard
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Old Nov 21, 2009 | 02:28 PM
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I have been running mine looped for the past 2 years and no sign of problems or wear what so ever, you can also ask Rich "GoodfellasFD3S" as he has been running his for at least 5 years now with no problems...
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Old Nov 21, 2009 | 03:33 PM
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Did the loop and i have agree with tt7hvn, i really do not like the jerky feel that comes with looping the line. Feels like it could jerk the wheel out of your hand if your not careful.
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Old Nov 22, 2009 | 10:20 AM
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Yea, the looped line deal isnt the greatest, but it will work. If you drive the car a lot, especially in a city and are in and out of tight parking sports frequently I wouldnt delete it. Not much weight savings but does clean the engine bay up a decent bit.
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Old Nov 22, 2009 | 02:03 PM
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Converting yours to full manual is also an option. I plan on doing this in the near future. Rx-7's are very light so power steering is not necessary.
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Old Nov 22, 2009 | 02:47 PM
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I did the looped for three years, no issues. Then I converted mine fully myself. These is a thread addressing how to do it. But if your car is squirrelly at high speeds then you have other issues.


later
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Old Nov 22, 2009 | 05:33 PM
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MA Looped.......

Guys,

The car is strickly a track car for The Glen, Limerock, etc. Looking to get rid of some weight and get a better feel for the road. Strength is not an issue, neither is convenience.

Jim
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Old Nov 22, 2009 | 06:11 PM
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I got rid of my PS & AC 2 years ago and have never looked back. I looped mine with a Gotham kit (not the best but it works). I agree with badddrx7-if it's jumpy at speed you may have other problems.
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Old Nov 22, 2009 | 07:11 PM
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I looped mine about 6 months ago and love it - it really cleans up the engine bay and increases road feel. It's a pain at low speed (<5mph), but it's not a daily driver so I don’t care. At any normal driving speeds, it really improves the drivability (especially for the price ). It's certainly not jittery or jerky at all... that's a different, unrealated, issue.
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 01:10 AM
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looped mine a couple of years back.. no problems.
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 07:01 AM
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Had mine fully rebuild and converted to manual.
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 07:20 AM
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looks nicE!!

who did it?
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 09:18 AM
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I would really like to get an unbiased review if it truely is worth converting to a true manual rack. Ive had mine looped for years now and love the feel over the p/s. I just cant get over the cost of a true conversion when it works so good now. I feel like its one of those mods that people spend a ton of money on, then glorify it due to the expense/hassle they went through to get it.
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 09:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Cgotto6
I would really like to get an unbiased review if it truely is worth converting to a true manual rack. Ive had mine looped for years now and love the feel over the p/s. I just cant get over the cost of a true conversion when it works so good now. I feel like its one of those mods that people spend a ton of money on, then glorify it due to the expense/hassle they went through to get it.
I just purchased a full manual rack, I will respond once installed which will likely be after the first of the year. I have driven several with the loop line so I know how it should and shouldnt feel. I have no bias so I will gladly post results. If this doesnt make the car a decent bit more pleasurable to drive I will be reinstalling the power steering. I thought my car would be a track car but I enjoy driving it too much.
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 12:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Cgotto6
I would really like to get an unbiased review if it truely is worth converting to a true manual rack. Ive had mine looped for years now and love the feel over the p/s. I just cant get over the cost of a true conversion when it works so good now. I feel like its one of those mods that people spend a ton of money on, then glorify it due to the expense/hassle they went through to get it.
Are you talking about having the stock one converted or going with the aftermarket racks that were designed to be manual racks? I really can't see what major difference there would be between an aftermarket manual rack and the stock one fully converted. (which is actually pretty simple) I know some of the aftermaket ones change the gears to allow less steering wheel travel, but that would just add some extra resistance for low speed maneuvers.

I can see how having the quill welded up and all seals removed would greatly enhance the steering feel and response. This is what I plan to do, should cost me about $0.00.
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 01:39 PM
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For a while my PS pully was broken and I was just running no PS with all the PS stuff still there. At speed it was just fine... so I can only imagine it will be really good with a fully converted rack.
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 01:50 PM
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There was a thread a while back where some guy did a write up on fully converting the stock rack. ill see if i can round it up.
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 01:52 PM
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https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...+%2Bconversion

Pics arent working though...
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 04:14 PM
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Theres a good writup on flyin miata. I'll post it when i get home
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 06:15 PM
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here it is, don't be fooled by the first pic of looped lines, go through the others to see the full teardown and conversion.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depower.php?x=14
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 06:32 PM
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You can also swap for a FC3S manuel steering rack. It' a bolt on mod for and FD3S

Eric
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by to_slow
Had mine fully rebuild and converted to manual.
That looks pretty good, I'd like to know who did it as well
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Old Nov 23, 2009 | 06:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Erix7rew
You can also swap for a FC3S manuel steering rack. It' a bolt on mod for and FD3S

Eric
Reeeeaalllly? Can anyone else confirm this?...... or done it?
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Old Dec 3, 2009 | 11:23 AM
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Question

Originally Posted by Erix7rew
You can also swap for a FC3S manuel steering rack. It' a bolt on mod for and FD3S

Eric
Can anyone confirm this?
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