Power Steering Removal

Well during last weeks mishap with the pulleys and flexfan, my power steering pulley was toasted, and while I was driving without power steering, I discovered that I much prefer driving without the power steering. So while I'm working on installing new pulleys, a new water pump, and a new radiator, I decided to completely remove the power steering unit. So I have two lines running to where my power steering pump used to be... a pressure feed tube, and a return tube. My question is, can I just connect the two and forget about it? I dont intend to ever hookup the power steering again, so I'm trying to make this as clean as possible (removed power steering unit, removed cooling tubes that are mounted behind the grille, trying to remove as much tubing as possible). Any words of wisdom / advice are always greatly appreciated! Thanx!

Colin- I got the full deal on this from FastTaco I think it was. I'll PM it to you.

many thanx! http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

come on, he's not the only one who wants to know... http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

greg, how'd your EGR removal turn out? did you throw a "lean code"?

Heres the PM from revhard from fasttaco:

From: RevHard6

From FastTaco (Alvin)
Well, yes and no...you can pull the P/S without permanently changing things(to see if you like it), but it's not a super easy process as some people think. Some people think that you can just disconnect the P/S belt(so that the P/S pump is no longer spinning) to see what the truck will drive like without power steering but this isn't an accurate way to tell. The reason being, is that the P/S uses a fluid for the assist. If you simply remove the belt, you still have to push the p/s fluid around in the steering rack so you actually get steering that is MUCH stiffer that it should be. In order to accurately see what it will feel like without P/S you must dump the fluid from the p/s rack/system. In order to do this, you have to remove the "out" hose from the P/S pump and set it into a container that has enough volume to hold all the p/s fluid. Then start the engine and turn the steering wheel back and forth in place. This will pump the fluid up and out of the hose into the container. Once the fluid stops coming out of the system while you are turning the wheel back and forth you are good to go. Then all you have to do is remove the p/s belt, reattach the hose, and take it for a test drive. Just make sure that you don't let any dirt into the system at all cuz this risks damaging the p/s system. Also, make sure that after dumping the fluid and before you take it for a test drive, that you remove the belt. DO NOT take it for a drive with no fluid and the P/S belt still attached!! Doing so would cause the p/s pump to spin excessively without any fluid in it which would end up burning up and destroying the p/s pump.
If you end up liking the feel without the P/S then all you have to do to finish up the mod would be to unbolt the hoses and the p/s pump, then plug the holes in the steering rack. Plugging the holes is a necessity too because you don't want any dirt to get into the steering rack! I went and found bolts that had the same thread as the hose fittings and screwed them in place fo the hoses. I've had my truck like this for about 2 years now and have not had any problems with the steering. Hoe this helps.

Oh, btw...forgot to mention, if you dump the fluid and take it for a test drive and don't like it without the P/S....all you have to do to but the p/s back in would be to reattach the p/s belt, and fill the p/s system with new p/s fluid(don't use the old p/s fluid that you dumped out!). Hope this helps.

Alvin

Kickass! I thought if you ditched the power steering it was permanent. I'll probably do this in the coming weeks.

EDIT: Hey Colin, you gonna dyno before and after results? http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

Proteus, i got the EGR done and it is running a little lean. but i found out if you turn up the fuel pressure the motor will run good again. you'll still get the lean code but thats because the VSV is plugged. but as long as the plugs are burning brown its all good to me. i got all this from pimpintacoma so i just got to get my parts togather and get it going...

oh, and thanks for the power steering info...

alvin, to plug up the rack what kind thread bols or plugs will i need? i'm the kind of person that wants everything i need before i start messing around. thanks...

before and after dyno? SURE! if you pay for the dyno pulls! http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

Heh...thanks for posting that Proteus....saves me from trying all that up again. http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif

And no, removing the power steering isn't necessarily a permanent thing if you do it right. just make sure that you dump all the power steering fluid and don't run the p/s pump with no fluid in the system. Plugging the ports in the rack without letting any dirt in is very important too.

Greg..to answer your question, unfortunately, I don't know what size/ thread pattern the plugs are. I actually took the stock fittings that screwed into the rack and cut the tubing out of them and filled the hole in the center of the fitting with some creative fiberglass plug work. I'm sure you should be able to find a screw that matches the thread pitch and would screw right in. Unfortunately, i don't know what screw that is.

In any case, I definitely recommend this mod to anyone who likes to drive. Gives good feedback to the driver and just "feels" better in my opinion. Anyway, if anyone has specific questions feel free to PM me.

Agreed! I like the handling WAY better without power steering. Gotta crank the wheel a bit in tight places, but there's alot more road-feel. Also, it has been pouring here lately, and there are puddles everywhere... the wheel is much less jerky while going through puddles / hydroplaning. It feels as though I have much more precise control without the power steering. I removed the power steering unit along with the fan, and it freed up a NOTICEABLE amount of power too! I'm lovin' it! Thanx for the help guys!

Fast Taco: I havent capped off the lines for my power steering yet... I just cut them short down near the knuckle, bent the hosing a bit, and pointed it down. My power steering pulley was toasted in last week's mishap with the belt breakage and the flex fan flyage... http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif and I didn't want to waste $10 for a belt that I would only use once... So I'm thinking of using compressed air into the supply line, then cranking the wheel back and forth a few times to get the fluid out. in the mean time, it has been raining, and my lines are wide open... mind you there's pleanty of bent up hosing pointing towards the ground to prevent 99.9% of the water that splashes onto the lines from getting in, but if I DID get any water in there, would it be super-bad for anything else? AND NO... I do not intend to ever reinstall the power steering. Thanx again!

Proteus...sounds like you should be ok. A little water in there probably wouldn't be too bad since the little bit of p/s fluid in there will keep it lubricated. Just as long as you don't get andy dirt in there you should be ok. Maybe you should take the end of the tubing and tape it up as best you can with some electrical tape or something to help keep water out. Anyway, glad to hear that you like the lack of power steering. Later.

hey guys i was looking at a diagram of the PS system and it looks like there's a U-joint or some sort of gear drive in that area that you're plugging off. i was thinking of maybe pulling the PS hose off and leaving some fluid in the rack and then plugging it off. just to keep that gear drive thing lubed well. what do you think? i know the fluid dosen't just run through there for pressure purposes and i'd like to keep that thing lubed for good long term effects...

I was thinkin the same... maybe blow out all of the power steering fluid, then throw a little 80w90 gear lube in there before you bolt it off. I'm thinkin of doing it this way, anyone have concerns about this?

Hmm...don't know. I had concerns about that too (the lubrication thing) but went ahead and dumped it all anyway. I've had mine like this for 2+ years now and haven't had a problem with it at all nor has anything seemed to get tighter, etc. I dunno. Does sound like it could be a good idea though.

I'm thinking of using just a tiny bit of 80w90 just to keep stuff lubed up... maybe 1/10th of a quart just for peace of mind.

naw man don't do that, just use PS fluid. think about it that rack was designed to work with PS fluid. gear oil freekin thick. thats just my opinion, i mean you can't go wrong using PS fluid by you're chancing it with the gear oil. later...

yeah use some trans fluid not gear fluid.....cheaper and will work like it was made...just like you dont put gear lube in your auto trans instesad of trans fluid.....would not be safe....

roger that, good logic. http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/blush.gif Thanx!