chitown928s4

Being my power steering is on the crapper. Im seriously considering leaving the power steering pump disconnected. Im pretty sure theres no fluid left even in the racks. So I must have a pretty good idea of what it will be like without having the pump or rack fixed as far as leaks. So my question is. Who has done this and are they happy without the pump. From I've read its a good idea to pack the rack with grease. Disconnect the belt and pulg the hoses. Is this all that needs to be done. What else would be necessary for this mod. Thanks in advance.

seb928s

Just get a real manual rack and put it in there. The pos job sucks and you wouldn't like it. The grease will make it harder to turn if you pack it in there. It's a power steering rack which is ment to be used as one.

Macfreak007

yes, a powersteering rack converted to a manual is EXTREMLY hard to turn. I tried that on my first car while i was fixing the powersteering leak in the pump. Parallel parking is nearly impossible. It makes the car a pain to drive sometimes.

ckathens

Just out of curiosity, how hard is it to put a power steering rack into a early car (aka my '83 944) that only has manual steering? I don't mind the manual that much - gets some exercise for my arms while i'm driving! But I still would rather have power steering.

ernestedward

ckathes - i was interested in this too until someone pointed out that it's not just the RACK you need to think about. pump, reservoir, hoses, etc. i'm sure i am missing plenty, but you get the idea. sorta like adding a turbo to an n/a - just not worth it. besides, manual really is better IMHO.

ckathens

Ernest: Yah that makes sense, i guess its just not worth it. My plan is to eventually get a 951 (a year from now maybe?) and give this one to my dad or something, so i won't have to deal with manual that much longer. Just out of curiosity, why do you prefer the manual rack so much?

Rich Sandor

Just fix the leak. The cost is worth it. I've been running erratic powersteering for the last year and it's a pain in the ***. just get it fixed.

superloaf

Yeah, stay away from the power rack filled with grease ordeal. I drove my 951 for 6 months with the pwer rack disabled and hated it. I didn't even enjoy driving during that time--the steering was so stiff at any speed that I couldn't accurately place the car. Every turn was done by jerking the wheel which is not the way to do it. So I finally converted to a manual rack and love it. It's a little stiff on parallel parking but any other time it's great . Very precise. And the last rack I'll ever put in-thank god.

So if you plan on converting here's some info you MUST know to get it right:
1) You need a different linkage shaft (from steering column to rack--small shaft with universal joints on each end). The manual rack shaft is longer. $45 from parts heaven.
2) This shaft is a pain to replace. It's crammed in between the turbo downpipe and the brake heat shield. Get to the upper nut by loosening the brake heat shield and pulling it up to allow access to the bolt & nut from underneath.
3) Tie rods are different in length and tie rod ends are different. My car was an '86 but if you have an 87+ you may need different ones. (Not sure about that though.) My manual tie rod ends have male threads while the old power ends had female so there's no way they'll work. I've been told that there are differences here with updates but nobody seemed to know what they were. So know what you're getting and what's on your car already.
4) One of the steering rack bushings is different. The round one (passenger side) has a different inner diameter. Other one is the same. Similarly one of the rubber boots is different while the other one is the same as power rack.

Get as many old parts as you can with the manual rack so you can compare and know what you need. Not very many people know very much about the manual rack and dealer microfiche isn't fully accurate in its drawings. Furthermore, many manual parts must be special ordered and aren't even in the country.
Good luck!
P.S. Anyone want to buy a slightly used power rack and pump guaranteed not to work and to leak out fluid as quickly as you can pour it in!

tifosiman

Wrong. Good luck finding a used, good one for that much. You need to buy a new manual intermediate shaft for your car if you want to do it right when you convert to manual steering. Plan on paying almost $300 including shipping for the new intermediate shaft.

superloaf

I just bought this shaft last month from Partsheaven for $45. I thought it would be harder to get but they had it so maybe I got lucky. The part is fine--I would guess these parts are pretty solid and last the life of the car so if you find a used one it should be good. However, it is true that the new one is $250-$300.