Can you properly (NoD-style) loop power steering without removing the rack?

[Xist]

Plenty of people here say to just remove the belt and remove the power steering. Several people have looped the rack as below, with many more doing the same in other forums:



[I edited RedPoint5's version]

NoD explains very well that this is the best way to do it as it equalizes the pressure on both sides of the piston:



However, please look at my car:


Please note the solid metal.

Do I need to remove the rack to access those ports?

[Superfuelgero]

If you don't care about going back to stock, just disconnect and leave disconnect whatever lines you can reach. Turn the wheel back and forth a few times to force out most the fluid. Don't bother looping etc.

[NoD~]

lol, thanx for calling it my "style"

I've never seen one... enclosed... quite like that. Have you looked under the car and inspected for easy access there? You can actually loop the lines TO the rack FROM the rotary valve, if that makes it any easier. I edited your pic for a basic idea of what I'm talking about.

The looping serves 2 major functions: to keep out the crud and to (very mildly) reduce the effort to turn. If you leave both lines open and you turn, you are pumping air out one into the open air and sucking air into the other. With the line looped, it should lessen this effort. Now, if one can actually feel a difference between looped and open, who knows. If you leave them open, just cut up an old shirt or something and zip-tie it to the end. Anything to help keep it clean inside, especially if you ever want the option to go back to a powered setup.

[j12piprius]

Originally Posted by NoD~

If you leave both lines open and you turn, you are pumping air out one into the open air and sucking air into the other. With the line looped, it should lessen this effort.

Isn't it the other way around, easier to pump air through open lines, than pumping fluid back and forth through closed lines, and the only reason for looping is keeping any crude out.

[Xist]

NoD! Maybe I should have just messaged you!

I cannot even see those two lines from under the car, but maybe I could if I removed one of the brackets that I am trying to show in this terrible picture:



You can also see a little of the alternator that I am trying to figure out how to free. Nobody mentioned removing those brackets, but I might do that to complete both projects!

[NoD~]

Originally Posted by johnlvs2run

Isn't it the other way around, easier to pump air through open lines, than pumping fluid back and forth through closed lines, and the only reason for looping is keeping any crude out.

Assuming fluid is already pumped out, the looped lines, in theory, should be easier. If all you are doing is moving air, you are either pushing air on one side and sucking air on the other side, or you are transferring air from one side or the other. I don't know if one will be able to feel the difference, but given the primary objective of keeping the internals clean... why not?

[Xist]

I removed that plate and could see the other lines, but there is not any way to access them, and since they are metal, I wonder if I would be able to connect them without dropping the rack.

It took a while to wrestle my bad alternator out of there and get the new one in. It looks like they assembled the bolt hole wrong. There is a sleeve that has the end sticking out between the two metal pieces, but it is on the outside on the new one, so it does not fit! In the morning, I am going to remove it, hit it with a hammer, and see if I can get a sleeve to slide out of the way. Seriously?!

I guess that I could take apart my brand-new alternator and reverse that sleeve...

[hamsterpower]

on the alternator sleeve issue: that sleeve moves as you tighten the bolt to just where it needs to be. Don't hit it! Tighted the bolt to torque spec.

It is difficult to loop the racks lines like you want without pulling the engine or droping the rack. When I did mine in 2007 (still works great) I simply removed the lines leading to the rotary valve from the pump, drained the fluid and plugged the holes with threaded plugs. If the car is moving at all, there is no significant effort to turn the wheel.

[Xist]

So, I hit the sleeve on the alternator, put it back in, enjoyed hitting it, installed the bracket, took the bracket back out, hit that sleeve, enjoyed hitting it, took out the alternator and the bracket, sawed off a corner of the alternator, installed it, the bracket, the belt, and the bolts, and my lights are not flickering anymore!

The bad voltage regulator undoubtedly slowly damaged other electrical components.

Having removed the access plate, I am one step closer to being able to drop the rack, but I am just not going to do it. Tomorrow, I will disconnect those last two lines, hopefully they will not bend too much, and loop them, as NoD suggested. I cranked the wheel back and forth ten times, so I should have as much fluid out of there as is possible, although I could probably attach the hose that I used to siphon to a can of compressed air to try to force out the rest. I believe that NoD says that the fluid does not lubricate the rack, but without dropping the rack, I cannot really grease it as he says.
If you grease the rack, don't you need to push that around, instead of air or fluid?

I still need to write a how-to for changing my oil pan and I am working on one for depowering the steering, but changing the alternator was such and ordeal that I need to write one for that, too!

[NoD~]

The fluid is primarily there for hydraulic pressure, not lubrication. As long as you get out what you can, you'll be fine. Don't waste your time and energy trying to pump it out. The only reason to remove the fluid is because pushing air through the lines is much easier than pushing fluid through them. It's a sealed chamber inside there (minus the two lines) and as long as you get out what you can with all the left/right turning possible, then just leave whatever is there. Removing more won't gain you anything because you only care about what is coming through the lines and if you can turn quickly to each maximum left/right, you won't be pushing anything further after looping anyways. At that point, the only upgrade left to do is pull it apart and remove the piston itself (which is what I did). When I did that, I cleaned it out real well and put a coat of grease on just about everything and sealed it all back up, nice and tight. But I think once you pump out the fluid and loop at the rack, unless you have a good reason to pull the rack from the car, just keep the looped line and you'll be pretty happy.