I have two vehicles and suddenly both are broken. My 01 Grand Prix has a power steering leak on the rack where one of the small hard lines is rubbing against a dipstick tube. Pulling the racks out of these cars isn't trivial, so for reasons I want to bypass the ps pump by running a shorter serp belt. I have confirmed that this can be done and a few guys on the Grand Prix forum have done it. But nobody seems to know how long I can get away running like that. Ideally I would like to run a few weeks and put 2000 miles on the car.
Has anyone ever done this?
Yup. Expect really stiff steering. Also, make sure all the pullies turn the proper way.
Pullies will still be the same direction. Forgetting steering effort, will I kill the rack eventually ?
No, but you should loop the lines so the fluid can move from one side of the rack to the other.
Is there an option to convert the problem child line to an AN fitting setup? The pressure line on PS equipped BG chassis cars are problematic, some convert to a manual rack, others use a lot like this...
See if colliflower or someone that makes hydraulic lines, like some parts plus locations could make a setup
Ten seasons of rallycross and about 90,000 miles later, no signs of giving up.
Pulling the rack, I argue, IS trivial, I used to do them in about 45 minutes. Had a lot of practice. IIRC you don't even need to remove the subframe, just drop the rear enough that you can do a kind of slide and rotate cha-cha to get the quill past the transmission and chassis rail. Messy, though. And I usually replaced the lines at the same time because of corrosion, so I had the luxury of just cutting them off at the tube nuts on the rack.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Yes I lower the rear of the subframe. I even have some longer bolts I swap so I can just let it hang. But there's also removing the sway bar, the wheels, getting at the fittings, pulling the steering column bolt. And I'm 62 and it's hot and humid.
Never once had to remove the sway bar.
But hot and humid? Yeah, that is completely justifiable for repair avoidance. The ratio of sucks to repair to sucks to live with swings to the "berkeley it" side.
Pump is bypassed. Mother of god it's hard to steer!
Those suck but once you drop the rear of the subframe....
Doesn't help the pump is buried up against the firewall down low...
