Disable Power steering

[brucepick]

I'm considering removing the belt that runs the power steering.
It also runs the a/c which hasn't worked for many years.

A/C compressor is clutch-driven; I'd suppose there are slight losses in spinning the clutch even when not engaged. However bigger losses in running the p/s pump constantly.

Any thoughts or comments?
Steering is lighter now with 46 psi in front and 44 rear. So it might be reasonable to drive with p/s disabled.

[civic94]

i took the ps and ac off in my civic, its not that hard. my ac also didnt work so i just took off the belt and the compressor (save pounds) and the power steering, take off the belt and put a manual steering rack on it, and plug the 2 holes that the power steering fluid goes to.

my mpg wasnt really that noticable, but the car certainly has more power as its freed up power

[kickflipjr]

I think someone did a test on removing ac/ps belts. It showed a slight increase in mpg 1-2. I will find it, just wait a sec...


Here:

http://www.gassavers.org/showthread....power+steering

According to these tests AC drag is worse then PS drag.

[SVOboy]

I think dyno tests usually show it as a couple of spare horsepower. I really like that my car never came with power steering, boo yah.

Is there a chance you can swap in a manual steering rack?

[brucepick]

My concerns are really about risk of damage to the rack from lube not circulating or to the crank pulley which is a harmonic damper, with a middle rubber ring. Any comments on those?

Yeah, could swap in a manual rack. Last used in the '79 model year so probably getting a bit scarce. Plus time and money are at a premium.

However it's SO easy to remove the belt that I'm tempted. A box cutter will do the job if I don't care about keeping the belt. Or I hear one can remove the belt using a screwdriver between belt + pulley, and breaker bar on the crank bolt to rotate the crank.

This afternoon I tested steering the car with engine off, while rolling forward from a stop on a gentle incline. Easily done. And of course at higher speeds should be even easier. However I suspect much more difficult if I bleed out 10-15 psi tire air to get back to pre-hypermiling status.

I'm currently swapping synthetic ATF into the p/s system. Old Volvo's p/s runs on ATF, any type is fine. One or two more empty/fills of reservoir should do it.

[brucepick]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

I think dyno tests usually show it as a couple of spare horsepower. I really like that my car never came with power steering, boo yah...

I like that a lot. I think dyno wouldn't show any mpg info because it reads hp.
BUT what you do with that power is your choice. Use it to go faster and mpg stays the same. Let up on the gas a bit and drive with same speed and acceleration as before, that way mpg should go up. With hp freed from driving the accessories, it's available to move the car, so at any given moment you actually demand slightly less total hp of the engine.

Not too different from aero mods that way. Anything that's a load on the engine - if you can reduce it or remove it, can be a gain in FE.