1987 951.

My power steering rack leaks, is going to be replaced in about 2 weeks, but I wanted people's input on this issue since the front end of the car is going to be torn apart anyway. Since it's undergoing major surgery, now might be the time to consider it if it's a worthwhile conversion...

* How hard would the conversion be? What parts would need swapping out besides the steering rack?

* What would the driveability of the car be like with manual steering? I'm concerned because it's a little heavy with PS at very low speeds now.

Anybody done this? Results?

TIA

Thaddeus

 

I'm planning on trying the power rack with no fluid. Mine is all leaked out, and I'll have it back on the raod soon. I assume I'll need to keep an eye on the lubrication of the sliding sections.
Art

 

Art? that is a joke right? Tia, I know one thing about the manual rack.. the ball joints are twice as much. So i must assume they are longer.. or some such thing... I just bought a joint for my right side power wise and it was cheaper...LOL first thing I ever bought that was cheaper...

 

This is more for Art than for Thaddeus, I wouldn't do that if I were you. A power rack is designed to operate under pressure and doesn't function properly w/o it. The lubrication is/will be an issue for a dried up power rack. Steering component failure is a real possibility. Additionally, you will find that your steering is much stiffer than that of a normal non-power steering equipped car.

To change to a non-power rack should not be that difficult. As long as the racks are the same demensions it would be a R&R procedure with the additional time to remove the power steering pump and belt. I can't remember if it's Kokeln or Lindsay that has the low ratio rack and pinion kit but it only works with non-power steering. Good luck. I am sure there are people on the list that have done this already.

Max

 

I would think long and hard about whether it is really worth it converting to a manual rack. I have a manual rack in my 951 track car, and even at speed, it is one hell of a work-out driving the car. I can't imagine driving around town without pwr steering.

Even in my track-only car, I sometimes wish I had the old power system back.

Just food for thought

 

Ok art I see you may not be joking.. that was your first post.. This is a dangerous thing... You can not drive on a power rack with NO fluid... The fluid DOES NOT lubricate... It assists...

 

I was planning on replacing the rack, and have bought a used power one, but when I started moving the car around with the old rack it seemed to feel ok so I thought I would try it 'dry'.

As to the lubrication, I was planning on using some light grease on the parts that normally slide along the seals. I'm not 100% sure how the power assist works, but I assume that there is still a safe mechanical system in place without the power assist. I also assume that the ratio will be diferent than if I bought a manual rack, but I stiill plan on giving it a try unless someone has very definite knowledge that is is unsafe. I have a friend that has an '83 with manual steering and it is a bit heavy, but I plan opn using this car for fun non city driving. Thanbks for the concerend feedback.

Art

 

Art, please don't do it. As stated before, the manual rack and PS racks are quite different (ratios, seals, moving parts). You'll find the amount of muscle to drive the car to be dangerous and unmanageable. Also, the lubrication points of the PS rack are all over the place, and nearly unavailable to lube. The wear and tear on the parts would be enough to effectively ruin it, and you would lose any chance of a future core charge reimbursement.

My personal experience with a non-working power rack was due to sucking a cone under the nose which popped the belt off. This happened during an Autocross and felt as if my steering had been jammed up or a tire collapsed into the wheelwell. This happened on the first of four runs... I managed to pump out 2 more runs until I got the belt back on. Also managed to pop my shoulder out of joint whilst wrestling with the wheel. The effect hours later was pretty excruciating.

For Manual Rack Conversion: You'll need the rack, tie rods, and steering input shaft. However, these cars come with a very well thought out "power assist" close-ratio PS rack. This is not your normal GM/Caddy floater steering. It is well suited to all but the most serious of high-speed applications.

All comments IMHO

Good Luck!

[ 06-13-2001: Message edited by: Skip ]

 

If you have wider than stock front tires on your car. Do not even concider using a manual rack.

Manual is fine for narow tyres. But not for wide ones. Not at all.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Sticking to power steering.

Cheers,

Thaddeus

 

I removed the pump on my car and capped the ends of the hoses (to trap a little fluid in there for lube) and have been using the rack in manual mode for over a year....it is not that hard to steer (except parralell parking) I like it....

 

Thanks again for yet more feedback, I'll add another thought after reading the last post from dan. The reason for the extra high effort during the belt failure at an autocrosos was due to the rack still being full of fluid and that fluid needing to pushed through the valves, etc without pressure from the pump. I'm still going to try it as I had planned, and it sounds like dan has had good success with it. If I were raing, I might actually consider the power assist to be a good thing, or if I were doing lots of city driving it would be helpful. I am trying to have some fun by building a lightweight car with minimal extra stuff on it, and this is one admittedly small step in that direction. if it is a bust I can always go back. Thanks again for all the interest.
Art

 

I'd grease up the rack, instead of leaving it with PS fluid. You need to make sure the pressure equalizes between both sides, utilizing some of the stock lines.

I drove my car without powersteering for a little while too, it wasn't that bad, but pretty damn tiring. A few auto-x runs would wear me out, and I'm not a weak guy. As for some people saying it's overly hard, well if you try the car with/without powersteering back to back (specially at low speeds) then there is a big difference. If you need to make a series of big manuvers, I could see how a powersteering rack, with no line pressure would be dangerous (because of the extra effort), there's also considerably more kickback. Consider switching to a manual rack and/or also getting rid of the AC, and relocating the battery!
Ahmet

 

Great discussion BTW... very interesting!

I'll step back a little on the hard driving a bit, to explain the situational analysis. This did happen only at Autocross, fairly tight course... especially near the end. Tires were very sticky (worn and hot Kumho V700 225 fronts) and I have ~2.8 degrees negative camber. Ahmet refreshed my memory on the steering feedback too... the wheel was nearly overpowering me by trying to recenter itself (tires, camber). Certainly on a road course at speed things would have been different... and a bit more fun too. I guess for a street application with skinny stocks tires, little camber, and street radials... the effects would not be nearly as harsh. I would still feel more comfortable with a manual rack though.

Skip

 

I am not planning on any wide tires or other crazy suspension stuff. Light and simple for bumpy back roads.

Art