I couldnt tell a difference at all..
My rack that was depowered the FM way took a **** all over itself.
When I put a new one in I was too lazy to tear it apart to get the seal out.
the difference was minimal to none.
Then again I also have huge popeye forearms

 

I thought looping the lines was more about plugging up two holes with 1 piece of hose, reducing having to find caps and whatnot. Id still much rather fill the rack and plug it with a proper kit like Bill sells.

 

Is a de-powered rack as good as swapping in a stock manual rack or is the ratio different?

 

Power rack has a tighter ratio.

I didn't plug or loop anything except the two circled fittings in that photo. You basically take the pump and reservoir out of the equation and loop those lines. Drain all the fluid, cut one fitting, one hoseclamp, done.

 

If you do the full depower and cut the piece inside the rack make sure you follow all the tourqe specs that FM has listed. Especially the one for 43in-lbs. I orginially did that bolt to tight and it made my steering way to hard. I then loosened it some and it got alot better.

 

drain all the fluid out of the lines or the rack too (somehow)? I would think what little was left in the rack could be lube?

 

yep. You turn the wheel back and forth to pump what you can out of the rack, and whatever is left lubricates the rack forever.

 

mazda/nissan: Are you talking about the wire that fits over the tiny shaft on the p/s pump?

I did this last September. One of the best mods for the track that costs basically nothing!

I bought the depowered rack kit from miataroadster. I couldn't get the smaller bolts off of the line, so I just looped the lines. I now have a "correctly" depowered rack that needs to be installed one day. I need to figure out the thread pitch on the big bolts.

 

yeah, I found out it just slides off

 

haha. yeah, that's it. I think I just followed the wiring back a few feet and cut it off.

 

lets see your wife's ****.



how's the manual steering club? I'll never go back.

 

not married

don't know yet, I am removing the PS to help with the hot side pipes. I am hoping to get it done before March (I started in May)

 

There are poly rack bushings? I want!

 

So do you guys who depower, remove the pump and high pressure line too? I'm looking for a HP line for the steering. I need to mod it for my swap.

Sorry to hijack. Might put up an WTB.

Frank

 

Which line are you exactly looking for? Send me a pm. I just took all my lines out and might have what you need.