Power steering pump bypass mod

[srivett]

My power steering pump blew up two weeks and 3000 km ago.  I priced
 out the rebuilt part for 175CDN below list at the local VW dealership and
decided I didn't need it.  I know it isn't good to use the steering without
any oil in it so today I had a welder braze the input and output
connections on the pump together and joined the lines.  Has anybody
done this?  Will it help keep enough oil in the steering rack?  The hose
barb is just pressed into the pump so you can yank it out.  The other part
is threaded in.  It was going to be uneconomical to buy an adapter to join
the lines.

Here's a pic of the 5$ brazing job.  Keep in mind that the pump WAS
worth 45$CDN as a core.  Sorry about the quality, this computer is too
slow to edit files.

UPDATE:  There's a little orifice under the o-ring of the fitting.  My welder didn't notice it after he cut the o-ring off so I've got a leak that'll need fixing.



Cheers, Steve

[Dr. Diesel]

huh... probably would work, but hard to turn the wheel... had i know, i'm sure i could have dug up a replacement pump for next to nothing!

[srivett]

Yeah, I was thinking of buying a parts car to get the pump but I can't stand v-belts.  Especially the stupid VW v-belt setup that covers the thermostat (which I'll also add is upside down).  :evil:  The steering is fine aslong as you think about what you're doing.  If you get yourself in a position where you can't roll the car a bit while you're turning it takes some effort.  Otherwise it's just fine.  

I'll be a happy man if I can ever find an '89 non-AC alternator bracket and pulley.  You can smell my alternator belt burning while the engine idles.

Steve

[fspGTD]

So you removed your pump and left your rack in the car, and are trying to modify your rack to work without the pump?

To do this correctly is called "looping" your rack.  To do this you don't want to just connect high pressure inlet to low pressure outlet.  You want to connect directly the cavity of one side of you rack with the other, so the fluid can flow from one chamber to the other unimpeded.

Without looping the rack, running a power steering rack without pressure will result is really, really high steering effort.  IE: like driving a power steering equipped vehicle without the engine running.

[srivett]

Do you happen to know how much hose of what size I'll need to do that?  I've come to realize I'll never fix the power steering as I don't miss it at all.  I also think you may be right about the hard steering as it's tough to turn past a certain point to the right (I never fixed the leak but I still see red snow under my car so I must have a bit of oil in there)  Oh yeah, do non-power steering cars still have dual belts on the water pump?  

Cheers, Steve

[fspGTD]

Non power steering cars (without A/C) just have a single water pump belt.  I don't know the specs on the fittings for the hardline to the power steering rack...  but probably if you were willing to just cut the hardlines, you could slip some fuel hose over them and hose clamp them to connect the 2 working chambers in the rack together.

[2mn2]

I bought a power steering diesel rabbit without a pump a few years back. The PO had pinched the tubes off. I drove it like that for a couple of years. It did not require much more effort to steer.

The rack ended up loosing some teeth and was replaced with a manual rack. Lubrication issues probably killed the rack.  You will need to get all of the connections to the manual rack.

m alexander

[srivett]

Hah, I finally got the hole plugged up a few days ago.  The lines had some road debris in them that I flushed out but there doesn't appear to be any extra resistance.  I did drill out the orifice in the pictured part.  

When I'm backing up with the wheels at full lock I take my hands off the wheel and hit the brakes to get the steering wheel centred again.  Works every time.  The best thing is that you can crank the wheels all the way and you won't hurt anything.  The bad thing is that if you are zipping around in reverse and run over something big with a front wheel the steering wheel will get ripped out of your hands.

Steve