Electric Power Steering pump

[okrent3209]

Just finished converting my 1997 S10 to 144v DC. The steering is really hard without the power steering pump. There is no room for a pully off the 9" DC motor. Right now I have the steering rack fittings back on itself and took the pump out of the loop.

Anyone know what size DC motor would be able to turn the Power steering pump? Does anyone make a DC powered power steering pump?

[Daox]

Have you tried looping the power steering lines together so you are not fighting the pump?

If you are set on power steering, do a search for the Toyota MR2. One of the generations had an electric power steering setup. I've seen it used on a few EVs.

[tjts1]

DriveEV.com: JeepEV - Jeep Cherokee EV conversion

[Kinloud]

Yeah, some MR2s have power steering.
The 2nd generation (SW20, MR2) and the 3rd generation (ZZW30, MRS)
have electric power steering.
Make sure you get the control box as well as the pump. The control box varies the amount of power assistance (depending on car speed I think). Without it the pump will run at full speed all the time using more power and shortening it's life.

Ken

[kingsway]

Perhaps you could manually switch the pump on when required? ie when parking or manoeuvering at low speed

[Nevyn]

The other thing that can be done depending on engine bay space is to get a small DC motor from a treadmill and just use that to spin the existing PS pump. It's extra battery draw, but you could always make it switched - turn on when you're in the parking lot, and off when you're on the road.

Heck, with a little luck and electronics knowledge, you could use an arduino hooked into the VSS to measure vehicle speed, and have it fire a relay to turn the pump on and off automatically at some speed (off if speed is higher than 20 MPH or whatever, and on if speed is lower).

[Peter7307]

An earlier post on this forum on the same topic.

"Changing from a purely (engine driven pump) hydraulic to an electric driven pump will reduce the power demand by around 80% according to Reimpell , Stoll and Betzler in The Automotive Chassis , p286 in Edition 2.

Power requirements are around 80 amps at full demand , like parking lots for instance , but reduce to the 15 / 20 amps range for suburban driving.
Operating pressures are around 120 bar (1800 psi approx)

Many automotive suppliers (ZF , SKF etc) supply these as complete sub assemblies to car builders so perhaps this may be a good place to begin your search.

Good luck , Pete."

HTH , Peter.

[bigash]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but I am in the process of fitting electric steering to my VW Transporter van. I bought the whole steering column from a Vauxhall/Opal Corsa and with a bit of cutting and welding it has fitted really well. Ive bought an adjustable controller so I can turn it up when parking etc. In total it has cost me around £100. Cheap and fairly simple to do.

[Peter7307]

Bigash ,
Welcome and that is a great item for a first post.

Let us know how you progress with the VW conversion.
This is a topic which has been talked about a lot but not too many have actually done the deed.

Peter.

[kingsway]

Am I missing something? I can understand that if you have the ability to switch-off an electric PS pump then savings will be made. But if it is running all the time, surely it will be less efficient than a belt-driven pump?

After all - you are first having to use the alternator to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy then convert electrical energy back into mechanical!

On my car, steering is immensely heavy when the hydraulic pump is not running - so if I had, and used, an electrical pump only at very low speeds, I would be in a situation which could be unsafe if I need to suddenly make big steering movements when the pump is not running...

An electrically powered steering column would seem to offer a much better solution - although the conversion could be a bit daunting for most...?