tallwelder81 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 i dont want it. three questions. 1. how do i remove it? 2. a-what does it WEIGH? b-how much parasitic loss does it cause? 3. what do i do for the new belt? is there a part number i should know? and i final, but seperate question???? does anyone WANT it when i remove it? the belt will come with it. i think ten bucks is a fair price. at least then i can buy my smaller belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 have you test driven your car with out the ''power'' steering? if not you may change your mind. if you remove the belt you can test drive it around the block. you will also lose the ALT. but for a short test drive you should be ok if your battery is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I think having p/s is a lot more enjoyable driving experience then not having p/s. There is very little weight savings, and very little drag down on the engine with the power steering. You won't notice a power gain or gas millage gain without p/s. If it were me, I would continue using the power steering. Sub power steering units seldom fail, so there is little demand for them. You will have trouble selling the unit, and if so, for very little money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWDfreak Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I am one of the very few that actually enjoys driving without power steering. I know there is no real benefit, but I just like putting more effort into driving. But hydraulic power steering feels way better than the numbed-down feel of many power electric steering. Not to hijack the thread, but what is necessary to remove hydraulic power steering??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 this is just a thought: cars with power steering when it was the onlt option, are not designed to be driven without it. without the ''power'' they are really hard to drive. the ''gearing is designed for ''power''. cars that were designed with ''power as an option can be driven without the power. what ever the gearing is , it is drivable. case in point, my 90 nissan pick up w/ 2.4L, 4 cyl. engine and 5 speed 2wd trans. it came without power steering. i don't know if ''power'' was / is an option. but i'm pretty sure the 6 cyl 4wd truck did have it, at least as an option, but probably standard. my nissan is very drivable, but the last time i was driving a car when the ''power'' belt failed it was a nightmare. i felt lucky to get to the side of the road safely. i did make it home but it was not pretty. just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallwelder81 Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 my brat didnt have it originally, and i loved the feel of the wheel. lots of response, great "connection" with the pavement. and i have 185-75-14s on alloy pugs. meaning my rollers dont weigh much. i totally understand the attraction of power steer in say.... a half ton work truck. or like a classic muscle car, cutlass, chevelle, whatever..... but i have experienced p/s in a small sports car, like a miata. its SCARY. its TOO easy to steer, and it makes the car squirrely. no thanks. also, it takes ROOM. and my radiator is pinched in as it is. i like a hood compartment with LOTS of elbow room. not crowded. and yes, i agree, the p/s is fairly light. but its way up front, and up high, and 6-7 lbs at the far extreme of the car has a definite affect on a car is light, and also extremely FRONT heavy, such as a brat with an ej18 swap. i dont know the facts, but if i had to guess, id say the brat with the ej, bullbar, skid plate, and tranny support frame thingy, is around 80/20 front/rear. 70/30 at best. off topic- what would be really awesome, relating to overall weight, and weight ratio f/r, would be a high strength, aircraft aluminum bullbar, skid plate, tranny mount. rollbar also would be cool, but id prefer the rollbar as a fully welded extension of the frame. cant get a strong weld between ferrous, and non ferrous. bullbar/skid plate, etc on the other hand, is a BOLT in unit, and rightly so. IDEAL for a high tensile aluminum. anyhow, my personal feeling is that a super-stront bullbar is kinda scary. in an impact, whatever energy the bumpers refuse to absorb, the humans gotta swallow. not fun. ive been in a major car wreck, heli-lift to hospital and all that, 580,000 dollar hospital bill, 3 years on narcotics. id rather just have a bumper that crumples when it needs to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 just so i under stand, you have a brat with an ej18 swapped in and you want info on removing the power steering pump. i repeat my earlier post, have you test driven the car without the power steering working??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallwelder81 Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 no, why? does the added power make a big difference? im all ears. im well aware that im no expert and that lots of guys here know much that i do not. so speak up, please. my biggest thing is that the passenger corner of the engine bay is real crowded. my radiator doesnt look like it will even fit. and the p/s assembly <pump, belt, reserv> is exactly WHERE i could use the extra few inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 my point is simply this: if the steering rack was designed with ''power'' as an integral part of the system, it may not be geared well for non-''power'' driving. but i think the likelihood of that is much less on a mid 80s car. but removing the belt and test driving will answer a lot of questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallwelder81 Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 input is definately appreciated, thank you. the steering is the same as before, i assume? its still factory steering. the only diff is the actual powerplant. but i could see where a fairly large power increase would affect the effort it takes to control the vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 As you surmise - you don't need the PS. An EJ swapped Brat is not going to feel radiacally different than it did before since it still has the same manual rack that it always had (unless it's a turbo Brat). Power steering on the EA81's wasn't the big deal it is on the newer stuff and really only made any difference at all at very low speed and stopped operation. Go ahead and leave it off - no worries. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Does the brat have a power steering rack to start with? If it doesn't, and you'd just be looping the output of the pump back to the resevoir, then yes, it makes much more sense to pull the pump and run a smaller belt for the alternator. That's really common on VW swaps. If it has a power steering rack, then you should keep it. They drive nice with powersteering, and it's easy to hook up. The pump doesn't take up any space the alternator and crank pulley aren't already intruding into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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