Is there a trick?

[DieselBalz]

I had planned on doing a complete cooling system refresh with a new expansion tank, thermostat, flush, G11. I get the rad hose and wp hose off (the second being a mother F'er) and after its done draining I am looking at the thermostat housing, and it looks like I have to remove the power steering bracket/pump?

I tried a multitude of wobble head/skinny ratchet combinations, but I couldn't get to the bolts effectively. Do I gotta pull the PS bracket? Or is there a "trick" to it?

I said eff it and just did everything else, which worked out great. Odd seeing blue coolant.

[CRSMP5]

pull the PS

[lovinthedeez]

just don't unhook the lines and you''ll be fine

[DieselBalz]

Now I am starting to understand why deleting it all together is so popular.

[R.O.R-2.0]

Now I am starting to understand why deleting it all together is so popular.

i DO NOT run p/s or a/c for a reason.. changing my thermostat takes 10 mins including the coolant drain/refill..

[mystery3]

Now I am starting to understand why deleting it all together is so popular.

i DO NOT run p/s or a/c for a reason.. changing my thermostat takes 10 mins including the coolant drain/refill..

This. But I believe the OP lives in florida so the a/c might be required equipment.

[DieselBalz]

Yeah, deleting the AC is out of the questions, but can I delete the power steering without effecting the AC? I know I could go outside and figure this out on my own but I am being lazy. What belt spins the power steering? Is it connected to the AC?

[R.O.R-2.0]

Yeah, deleting the AC is out of the questions, but can I delete the power steering without effecting the AC? I know I could go outside and figure this out on my own but I am being lazy. What belt spins the power steering? Is it connected to the AC?

on my 92, the power steering had its own pulleys and belt.. its run off a tiny belt, and tiny little 3" pulleys.

dont delete your power steering unless you have a manual rack to swap in..

[burn_your_money]

On some cars the power steering pump belt drives the water pump. Make sure you know what style you have. You can cut and loop the lines together,but steering is pretty tough if you aren't moving. I drove like that for about a year or two before finally swapping in a manual rack. I made the mistake of not looping my lines and by the end of the year the rack was failing and would get stuck at full lock, which provided a few scary moments.

[R.O.R-2.0]

On some cars the power steering pump belt drives the water pump. Make sure you know what style you have. You can cut and loop the lines together,but steering is pretty tough if you aren't moving. I drove like that for about a year or two before finally swapping in a manual rack. I made the mistake of not looping my lines and by the end of the year the rack was failing and would get stuck at full lock, which provided a few scary moments.

if i dont swap to a manual rack, im going to loop my lines and leave the fluid reservoir in the loop..

my rack doesnt leak, so i figure, why not? just leave the res in position, with fluid in it..

[vanbcguy]

I drove Jezzie with no power steering for about a year.  The one thing with the power rack is it has extra slop when it's unpowered.  She was noticeably more sloppy when cornering without the power assist, even at highway speeds where the actual "assist" part doesn't matter so much.

That, and parking really really sucked.  You also loose the ability to one-hand it at lower speeds.

[R.O.R-2.0]

if i had the right pulleys to make everything work, i prolly would..

but this was a gasser car, and the pulleys i got dont even come close to lining up.

[Baron VonZeppelin]

I am looking at the thermostat housing, and it looks like I have to remove the power steering bracket/pump?

Its not bad after you've done it 2 or 3 times and know the bolts.
One bolt is subjectively hidden on the pump adjustment - backside.
Helps to have clean components to work with ahead of time too.

All 3 of my Mk2 Jettas have PwrStr.
I switch Tstats and Fan Switches every Summer/Winter on them too.

I'll take the extra 20-30 minutes it adds to the exercise in return for the effortless parking lot manueverability.