Power Steering just took a crap on me...

[empera]

yea so i knew it was leaking but didnt think it was much until today when i find a big puddle under my car and my steering was harder than an old man after viagra. So my question to You is should i keep the PS and try to fix it or just get rid of it...only because if i take it out its one less thing in my engine bay and one less thing that could go wrong

 

[Bishop92t]

That's really a question you should ask yourself. Even a good manual steering rack will be harder to turn, but definitely more precise steering and less to break. More then likely your high pressure line was leaking and finally let go. As I recall it's a pretty expensive piece $100-200 from the dealer, but if you have any good hydraulic shops in your area they should be able to replicate it for less then $100 (my local shop quoted $60). Course it could also be your rack $500+ for PPS or pump. Buy a cheap bottle of PS fluid if you're interested in repair, pour it in and quickly try to locate the leak.

 

[empera]

yea im def. not spendin 100 bucks on repairing it, i rather spend that on gas...looks like ima hafta say good bye PS. But i will find the source. Thanks again bishop!

 

[empera]

Well i just got back from my mechanics and we looked under the car...seems the rack and pinion is leaking, where the rubber joint is...says it will cost a nice amount of money to fix, so yea i might just hafta get rid of the PS.

 

[staticpat]

I spent a weekend pulling the rack and replacing all seals once on my old car. It still leaked and I just dealt with it. On my second car I added some "stop leak ATF" to the power steering resevoir to soften up the seals. It actually worked, hasn't leaked since.

 

[thesandymancan]

what kind of gear reducer would you use? did any supras come with out powersteering? i'm getting the hang of mine, but it's still a bitch! i'd like to get rid of my ps.

 

[Dirgle]

If you do get rid of your power steering make sure you do it right. If not done right in high speed corners the steering can suddenly and randomly jerk toward the outside of the corner. As you can imagine this is very dangerous.

It's has been covered a couple times on the proper way to seal up the rack so I doesn’t do this, though I'm not really sure it truly gets rid of the problem. What should really be done if you want to go manual is find a true manual rack that will bolt up.

And no, the MKIII never came without power steering. She is just to heavy to turn the wheel at a stand still for the average consumer, and a real scary ride at high speeds without the aid of power steering.

 

[Joel W.]

Dirgle: Doesn't PPS(progressive power steering) actually remove (dial down)power steering at high speeds?

 

[Dirgle]

You are correct, it dumbs it down, makes it less responsive easier to control. A manual rack however is VERY responsive at high speeds. You have to pay attention to what you’re doing; the smallest inputs can send you from one side of the road to the other.

Now imagine a 3900lb car traveling 75mph down the road, a manual rack can make even the smallest mistakes turn ugly very quickly, where as power steering offers a buffer zone, where your gentlest inputs are not over emphasized, making the car easier to control. For the average driver power steering is a win-win situation.

 

[Bishop92t]

Yes PPS adds no assist at highway speeds. Power steering is only needed at low speeds, at high speeds you won't even notice its absence.

 

[empera]

so bishop u think i'll be fine without PS pump and reservoir?

 

[johnathan1]

Im not sure on the technical aspect of removing your power steering, but I went without power steering for about two weeks, and damn is the Supra hard to turn at low speeds! I literally gained quite a bit of muscle in my arms! lol...at high speeds it was no problem though...