Removing the power-steering and ac pumps.
 

Well I've decided to make like a lil easier and remove both power steering and ac pumps so that way plumbing the ac will be easier, I notice there is only one belt running both the ac and ps If I were to remove the ps I would haft to remove the ac as well correct?

No, you'd just have to source the right sized belt.

But if you're going to ditch both just wait until you're ready to take both out and save yourself the expense of the extra belt.

if your going to remove the PS pump you may want to source a manual steering rack pretty quick. Because without the pump the PS rack will be under mucho stress and eventually wear out.

Lots of people "de-power" power racks or just loop the lines, it's more effort for the driver, but I've never heard of a power rack wearing out from lack of PS pump.

I want to remove the power steering and ac completely, so Im going to need a manual steering rack?

You can just depower the rack..I think FM has something on their website about it..

if you remove the PS pump but leave the rack it will cause a shit-load more stress on the rack than it is designed for. a manual steering rack is designed to have no assistance therefore no extra stress so no extra risk.

oh and when you remove the ac can you take some pics. because i want to do the same but i dont want to fuck anything up.

This will make life easier.
http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depower.php
I currently have my accesory belt off, A/C and PS belt. The powersteering is really unacceptable but drivable like that. I'll be putting my belt back on tomorrow, I just wanted to try it. I might depower someday though.

I'm pretty sure the only extra stress is on the driver's arms as he tries to crank the wheel while stopped :) Seriously though, I've never heard of anyone whose power rack failed from being de-powered. Have you?

Miatamania - FM's procedure is the one I meant, it's a great write-up too.

crank the wheel while stopped?

While stopped or moving under 5 mph the steering is very heavy because the PS is turning the wheels for you, it's armstrong power doing it all. Like coming out or while parallel parking is one good example where it will be more difficult.

wOw looks like alot of work to de-power the ps ....Im just going to leave it be, Im pretty sure I can work 2.5 Ic piping with the ic and ps

hell yes you can, it'll take a little more piping but not that much. It is a ton of work though.
People seem to have alot of success just connecting the PS lines together to make a loop though. Getting rid of the pump relieves alot of pressure in the system and makes it livable. I personally want to keep the PS, it's kind of nice.

I'm gonna get rid of it for the weight, parasitic losses, and because I've heard only rave reviews of Miatas with de-powered power racks, it's said that the feedback is greatly improved.

anything gained (other than weight loss) by just removing the ac? ie: space?

I don't know where any of the components are for the AC

a little bit of power due to not spinning the compressor, but not much, mainly the weight and added space under the hood. Also, the radiator can breathe a little easier without the condenser in the way.

I pulled my A/C and looped the PS lines about three weeks ago. I hated my steering when it was just a removed belt, but ditching the fluid and the pump made a huge difference. I love my steering now, and so does everyone else who has driven my car.

The A/C is the big weight loser. 5lbs for the box under the dash, 5lb for the condensor, 15+ for the pump, and 5lbs for that damn bracket.

As far as wear on the rack, I have never heard of that, and dozens of people have depowered racks. I left a little tiny bit of fluid in the rack to keep it lubricated (basically got as much out as I could, because the small amount left will lube it).

sweet, im glad you guys brought this up... i hadnt researched it at all, i was just going to swap in a manual rack.. Thanx for the FM link, and info, i will be doing this mod soon!

I depowered mine a while ago and its just fine. I actually like the steering way better. Basically what I did was this:

1. take off the drain plug and put a catch underneath.
2. remove the pump and tubing and put it somewhere where you dont mind a mess because it will leak fluid for awhile.
3. I looped the line after most of the fluid leaked out.

The little bit of fluid left helps lubricate and keeps the seals intact for if you ever want to repower the rack. Low speed is not as big of a deal as people make it out to be, but driving aggressively takes a bit more work now.

edit ... i dont see where all this concern for the rack breaking is coming from ??? I researched it a bit before i did the job and found no instance of anybodys rack breaking due to this.

+1 I did the same and I love it, but then again the car is not my DD. I would not recommend this for people who have to do a lot of tight space parking and city driving, but I love the extra steering feedback. Haven't been able to compare it to a rack depowered the FM way, but I can't imagine that makes the steering significantly easier compared to looped lines.

Just one note, after you remove the drain and wait for the fluid to drain out, I would turn the steering wheel lock-to-lock several times to squeeze out even more fluid.

Also, for comparison, I have driven a manual rack, and it felt like it took about the same effort as a depowered rack, probably b/c the higher steering ratio of the PS rack.

yeah I pulled my powersteering last weekend, havent driven it yet but it took about 15min with the exhaust off. drain, pull the res, pull the pump, unhook the lines, drain the rack until there is only a little fluid left, loop lines, done.

the AC was about 2 hours because I was working around so much stuff, and I still havent removed the under dash stuff. but, take it to a shop and have the ac stuff drained, drop the condensor, unhook the lines, pull the pump, and thats about it. took a while because I put the new belt on the ps (I kept the ps for another year) and I was swapping a bunch of other stuff while I was in there, new rad, oil change, gutting the front bumper, a few other things I cant remember.

my friend is having problems with his "Depowered" rack in his ae86 now after about 7 years, but he also didnt do it right, he crimped the lines shut instead of looping, and he drained it completely rather than leaving a little for lube. Im confident that looped with a little fluid in there is the way to go short of FM's total seal removal, which is obviously the proper way.

I'll probably loop it for now and do the FM depower later.

gonna be a lot of PS pumps for sale hehehehe

Here is an idea... keep the pump hooked up, and use it to power a huge wing in the rear that is hydro adjusted :gay:

It's a bit odd how that works.

Cars with power steering but no A/C (such as mine) use a smaller belt which drives only the P/S pump.

Cars with A/C but without power steering use the same belt as the P/S and A/C cars- there is an idler pulley which goes where the power steering pump would normally be, and that pulley takes up about the same amount of space as the P/S pump would.

The reason for this is that the tension adjustment for that belt is done at the power steering pump. The A/C compressor is rigidly mounted to the block and there is no provision for adjusting the belt tension otherwise.

To run the A/C compressor alone (without a P/S pump or idler) you'd have to rig up some kind of external tensioner similar to the one on the timing belt or most superchargers.

Having done a DIY intercooler, I doubt you'd benefit from removing only the power steering. In my case, I did just the opposite. Removing the A/C bought me enough space to run a 2" pipe down behind the radiator without removing the P/S pump. Pictures:
https://www.miataturbo.net/forums/sh...ht=intercooler

Hehe, as funny as that is... I'm thinking about doing that... just using a mechanical servo :p

How did you guys loop the lines? Any pics? I am not able to look at my car right now. And I can not picture it.

did it a long time ago using an electric setup.. but that was an a mini sprint :)

What is the benefit of going from power steering to manual?? I have manual and dont like it thus far

Driver has more "feel" of the car/suspension/road.

reson for me is to get more room for turbo parts

More info
 

Any more detailed info on looping the lines. Were the fittings changed out? Did you use rubber hose? Was the old tubes used?

Can anyone take a pic? A cell phone pic would work.

Thanks for any info.

well here ya go
http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depow...ering_rack.jpg
basicly like that, things that were going places are looped from source to destination.

I made "lines" from the water line left over for my turbo install and I think my rack looked a little different than that, I'll try to take a pic when I head back in.

if you leave a little fluid in, you can always hook PS back up right?

roger that

Thanks that is just what I needed.:bowdown:

What about no PS or AC? Do I still need a belt to run the nonexistent accessories?

Just make sure you leave one on for your alternator and water pump:gay:

who needs electricity and coolant?

If you don't like your car without PS that just means your a pussy and you need to go lift weights.

You know the old saying "You are what you eat"? I'm going to go lift weights.:bigtu:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Olderguy is a badass. Very true sir, very true.

i have had a depowered car for a while and i love it.. it is a bit harder but driving is easier since hitting bumps no longer rapidly steers the car in various directions:)
Also with the AC remaining, you can get a part from mazda to allow a belt to hook to it and bam.. instant ac again:)


i also just looped my power steering lines after bleeding some fluid... worked like a charm:)

Maybe I should "rephase"

If your not OLD and don't like your car without PS that just means your a pussy and you need to go lift weights.

No, no, you're still correct.

I'm wondering why there are zero DIY guides on removing power steering. I can figure it out without pictorials but still it would be nice. I just need a 22mm open wrench basically to undo the bolt on top of the pump, and the rest is pretty obvious.

FM has a guide on there site about it.

I am not doing the FM depower. I have miataroadster plugs and just want to remove the pump/reservoir

Then delete pump, lines, cooler. Drain rack while unpluggled, loop 2 lines in the middle and install 2 plugs. Done.

with the miataroadster plugs you still need to loop lines instead of cutting/getting rid of all of the lines?

No, not if you do the FM method of de-powering your rack.

ok good cause i just ordered that kit, so i will follow FM's DEPOWERING way or PS Delete, same difference?

Do the FM method. It is much better then looping the lines.

there's no looping lines if you have miataroadster plugs. Stop getting this twisted. You remove the pump, the reservoir, and every single hose/line connected to them and the rack. Then plug the remaining holes with the 6 or 8 plugs they sent you. Screw removing the rack to cut the seals. Unnecessary and time-consuming. I've mastered my PS with the belt removed, it's really not that difficult at all. I drove beltless for over 2 months now. So I don't need to go as far with depowering as some of you might.

The advantage to pulling the seal out is even lighter steering effort. If you're manly enough to drive around with the seal still in there, go for it, but it isn't that hard to remove. It only took me an hour or so to depower mine, and 15 mins of that was spent fighting the circlip with needle nose pliers because I don't have snap ring pliers. I haven't had a chance to drive mine yet though. I would love to have a set of those plugs, but I have a welder and I'm cheap, so I just welded the existing fittings shut and used those.