My rack leaks, so am debating whether to depower it and make it manual and remove the power steering pump etc.., but I want to keep my AC. Is there a pulley/belt configuration that works for AC with the power steering pump removed. I did quite a few searches and didn't come up with anything, even used ChatGPT, with no luck. I'm assuming someone has done this before. Anyone have any solutions.
Thanks,
Greg

 

You will miss your power steering on a street car.
I have a good rack

 

you can run the belt over top of the idler. the pulley just needs to be flipped around so the lip is facing out. deleting power steering was the best mod i ever did to my fd and my integra. it feels like the car is talking to me without a filter. so long as you have the strength of an average adult man, there is no issue with handling or navigating the car under any circumstance. its all preference of course but i love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Thanks for the input from both, seems like many other topics where there are two different views. I have 3 other cars that have manual steering, two were originally delivered that way from the factory and there are no issues with wider tires on them or even maneuvering at slow speeds. The other is a customized model-T Street Rod and it is very difficult to turn the wheel if you are not moving over a few mph.. How does the RX7 feel without it and properly depowered? I've driven plenty of power steering cars that when you stall them it get really hard to turn, but sounds like with the rack depowered it probably isn't that difficult. In reality I'll probably drive the car less than 5k miles per year, so not super worried about no power steering, but also wonder how similar it feels to a car that came without power steering. Some pics for reference.
Greg

 

Oh my.... you're building a show car. Definitely delete power steering and go electric ac. Forget a belt driven compressor. Do your engine bay a favor.

My rack is a power steering rack that I took the stuff off of. I filled it with a cocktail of greases and lubricants and leave the feed and return lines open to vent. It has been this way aince 2015. Also I think my steering wheel is sub 300mm. The car is low and has super wide wheels and tires in front and I have never had an issue with control or a feeling of wishing I had an assist.

The feedback is incredible. Its as if i can visualize each tread on the tire actively working. Steering effort is progressive when turning at speeds. Control on the high way is much better than with power steering. Even simply changing lanes feels like a tailored experience.

I think where people mess up when deleting power steering is not addressing the "back end". The ps system does A LOT for dampening and steering wheel stability. If you raw dog remove it and do nothing else, you will likely hate it. You must tend to the supporting parts in the steering system to achieve perfection.

Rack bushings, inner tie rods, a bump steer kit, a PROPER alignment and leaving the rack OPEN to breath. I've never understood why people loop the lines. It simply makes no sense.

For your minimal driving time and what you're building, no ps is definitely the way to go. If nothing else, just to maintain presentation in the engine bay. Less is more absolutely applies here.

 

Do you have any recommendations on electric ac components? I couldn't find much on it, just a few kits on amazon that seem to be meant for RV's, but they seemed questionable at best. Thanks!

 

Just curious - With the lines open to vent like that, won't the lube leak out during use? Also, if the lines are open to vent, you run the risk of dirt & contaminants getting into the rack which could bugger things up. Have you done anything with the plumbing to prevent that, like perhaps adding a bronze airline filter or something similar to keep crap from getting in, but still allow it to vent?

 

There is a guy on Instagram building a prelude that bought a kit and a guy on YouTube doing a restomod to some old mustang too. What it looks like is everyone I see doing it using the same compressor. I would say go on YouTube and see what others are using and use that. The mustang guy is pretty happy with his.

Yes, the rack purging itself is the point. It only does it once though. The residual that stays in the rack is what you want. I just kept cycling it until I felt like it was adequately smooth in its operation.

I'm not using a filter since I have the lines bent in a way that dirt and stuff would have to have some intelligence to make it into the rack. Leaving the ports on the rack open would be unwise for that very reason. You have to have some sort of plumbing coming off of them. That is acting like a filter on its own.

After 10 years of use and 33 years of age, if it were a problem i think it would have manifested in some way by now. I may have re lubed it once or twice in that time but when I cycle the wheel while in the air, it still makes the squirty sound so I know there's SOMETHING in there.

 

Not really the answer to your question another option is the Grannas Racing has a Manual Steering Rack. for the FD3S RX7.


Manual Steering Rack - FD3S RX7 - Power Steering Delete | Grannas Racing



Steve