stuart1976

hey everyone i searched before i posted this..anyway it seems that my p?s has a big leak in it..I wanted to know how hard it would be just to remove the entire system and just have manual steering..has anyone done it..I want to remove it also to make the car a little lighter by removing the pump etc.wouls i have to fill the rack with oil and where would i cap it off. help would be greatly appreciated!!

Devia

Won't be much lighter, really. You would need to purchase a manual steering rack, and replace yours!

My suggestion, if you aren't up to that: simply fix your P/S leak. I did on my other Porsche, and it cost
me under $100, with other things replaced. Shame I lost my good Porsche mechanic to Hollywood!
He didn't want to "dirty" up his hands anymore, for the screen. Told him to use gloves, lol.

- Julie

87944turbo

You can follow this link for all the information you need to know to do a swap to a true manual rack. This thread is down in the FAQ section.

If you just want to covert your power rack to manual, I would suggest simply removing the PS belt and driving around for a few days without it. This will give you a pretty good idea of the steering effort required particularly at low speed. You may find you would rather fix your power unit. You can reseal it yourself with a kit like this one from Rennbay. Or you can have your's rebuilt for about $250. IMHO the effort involved to "properly" convert and PS system to a manual system is almost equal to resealing the rack.

M758

For street only use powersteering is much better than manual. For track only manual is the way to go.

For reference I have power in 88 Turbo, my former 84 daily driver and manual in my 84 race car and 83 parts/autocross/sometimes steet car.

I also ran an unpowered power rack in my 84 race car. Was fine on the track, but a pain in paddock and and speed under about 30. Sucked for autocross to since it took so much effort to turn the car it was easy to be late. Manual racks in autocross are ok, since the are good in the higher speed sweeps, but in very tight corners can be a liablilty if you can turn the wheel fast enough.

flashgordon

I would repair the leak. Filling the rack and capping it will lock it and you will not be able to turn the wheel.

tifosiman

???

chrly924s

I just took the belt off mine last month and have been driving it. It is a little hard to park, but I will replace it later w/ a spare I am going to reseal.

Tenacious_G

I'm having some ps issues, too -- wouldn't wanna convert to manual rack because its a DD, but i'm nervous about the $250 fix... alas.

tifosiman

DO IT. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.

All kidding aside, I plan on (fingers crossed) making it down for the first D&B parking lot gathering this year (April ??). You can take my car for a spin if you want and check it out to see what a manual rack is like.

Kevin Baker

Step 1: Get good knife.
2: Crawl under car (find that previous owner has already removed undertray)
3: Cut small belt between crankshaft and power steering pump.
4: Wash hands
5: Drive car, now with manual steering.

Makis

If you going to do this you should be able to do it from the top.
Also to convert the P/S to manual you need to dismantle the P/S and add some shims to stop the main shaft from twisting when you turn the wheel. If this is not done the P/S will not feel right.

billthe3

On the topic of steering racks, what is the easiest way to get the steering column shaft to disconnect from the spline on the rack? I'm trying to move mine out of the way to get at the exhaust stuff, but the spline is so rusted over I haven't been able to get the column off.

tifosiman

Take a sheet metal screw, and screw it into the split part of the clamp to expand it. Or you can take a small chisel and jam it into the split for the same effect.

tifosiman

It really isn't the same as the manual rack. Feels completely different and feels much "heavier" in regards to steering input. Also the feedback isn't the same.

crooster

I agree with tifosiman (btw - thanks for those great swap instructions). I disabled power rack and a real manual rack don't feel the same - much better road feel and feedback with the real manual rack. Yeah, parking lot speeds are more work but the side benefit is that it forces better technique - ie: get your downshifting done before the turn and keeping both hands on the wheel.