Manual Steering Conversion
 

I finally got the manual steering rack installed, but now I'm having a heck of the time with removing and bypassing the power steering pump, which is seizing and making the belts squeal when I turn the car on.

Unfortunately, the serpentine belt powers the PS pump, and a v-belt powers the alternator, so I need to figure out a way to power the alternator without the PS pump. Any tips?

1 Option is to remove the Alternator. (Temp or Permenantly)
I did this one time when the alternator went out (work was crazy at the time so it was two weeks until I got a afternoon off to make it to the alternator rebuild shop) I jammed a charger under the hood and the plug hung out the front grill. At home I plugged into the garage outlet. A few times I had to pull into a 7-11 and plug in for 15 minutes to make it home on without loosing lights. At the time my commute was 15 miles and it was winter so I would drive home with headlights. This was when I needed to stop and recharge when I ran the headlights.
If your commute is short enough and/or you have access to an outlet at work then this is a good temporary solution.
2) See if you can replace the PS pump with an idler pully. Using option 1 you can take your time to talk to a few shops and get a few different ideas.
3) If option 1 is close to a solution then get 1 or 2 deep discharge batteries. You should be able to get 1-2 hours of run time on a full battery charge with 1 or 2 deep discharge batteries. (All depends on if you have to run rear window defrost and/or headlights).
Another thread here shows a 10% mpg improvement without alternator. So the extra weight of a second battery and the hassle of pluging in the recharger every night might get you close to a 10% mpg improvement.
P.S. Don't use option 1 or 3 if your wife uses the car. THis has to be a commuter car with a fixxed time/distance driven each day. This is not an option for a weekend family.

If you installed a rack that has manual steering, there should be a belt that matches.

Either way, you can get a belt that's shorter than the one you're using now. Serpentine belts are available in all the different widths in 1" length intervals.

Like Christ said, if some version of the car came w/o power steering, there would be a belt available for it. It may be necessary to add an idler pulley. I have found that converting such things to an OE spec eliminates the need to remember part #'s.

Don.

quick fix might be to plumb the pump output to the input (shouldn't be much pressure so hose clams is fine) and having the oil just circulate, if finding a suitable belt is taking a while.

A quick search finds that some people over at tempotopaz.com have done this. It looks like when the power steering is installed, the alt sits higher and is driven from the ps pump by a v-belt. Like this:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93...y/DSCF0834.jpg

The ps pump is driven by the serpentine belt. When you have manual rack, the ps pump is removed and the alt sits lower and is drivern by the serpentine belt. Like this:
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...5/HPIM2646.jpg

You will need to go to where you got the manual rack and get the mount and pulley for the new location.

Actually, the car in the first picture is a 2nd generation Tempo (88-91), which also happens to be mine! I've been on the T/T owners site since I got it.

The second picture is a 3rd generation Tempo(92-94), so it has a different belt confuguration and alternator mounts. (Also notice the difference in the air boxes!) The 3rd gens still do have power steering, but it sits slightly lower. I believe the air conditioning compressor is in a different place on the 2nd and 3rd gens. I'm wondering if the alternator mount from a 3rd gen will fit onto a 2nd...


Just a note, manual steering was NOT an option for 2nd and 3rd gen Tempos (88 and up), only the first generation (84-87). However, the manual rack from an 85-90 Escort works perfectly.

I went to look for an idler pulley at the local parts stores, but it looks like something will need to be custom made if I'm going to go that route. My other option is install a new plugged-up PS pump to replace my siezing one.

So does the transmission, pedal assembly, and shift linkage (with a little massaging) for the 4/5 speed swap.

Ask me how I know... :D

You can usually open up the PS pump and remove the internals pretty easy. The pulley should free-wheel after that.

bhazard -

I always wondered if that would work. Just get a junkyard PS-pump, gut it, and there's your manual steering, no belt necessary.

CarloSW2

Well, the power steering pump went up in smoke on me today. Locked up the pulley and everything. I had to cut off a brand-new serpentine belt just to make it home.

I got another PS pump, but then I found out that because of the pressure it produces, you can't just fill it with fluid and plug off the lines. I don't have the tools to replace it myself, and shops I talked to all say you can't just gut it out and run it.

I'll have to rent a car until I can figure out what to do, and get someone to do the work I want.

UPDATE: I'll be installing an alternator and mount from the 3rd generation Tempos, which has an alt that uses the serpentine belt. I'm considerig deleting the AC compressor, but it spins quite easilly, so I might leave it for this summer when I have to go to California in July. I found a shop that'll do the work I want done (delete the PS pump without telling me I need to go back to power steering).

My rental car until I get the Tempo fixed is a 2008 Chevy Aveo. Not bad, but the drive-by-wire is crap. Response is very laggy, and pedal feel is nonexistant. Give me a throttle cable any day. Not a car I'd buy. Hopefully I'll be back in the Tempo in a few days. I have the rental for a week, if needed.

Just to update this a bit, the conversion+AC delete is completed and it's running quite well. The new belt is squeaking a bit from rubbing on the sides of the pulley, but it's not a real problem, just an annoyance.

I've noticed there's a LOT more power on the low end now, especially at idle. I can put it in D and it'll get up to 15 without me touching the gas. This also really helps for some in-town P&G since I can coast with it nearly holding the speed without touching the throttle. If I bring it up to 30, it'll take a quarter mile for it to slow to 25.

My first tank after the conversion only showed 22 MPG, but that was with a LOT of short trips and hauling stuff around. There was also some heavy winds and rain for one 20 mile trip, and hauling a dresser in the trunk for another 20 miles (that made the trunk edge stick up a touch higher than the roof of the cabin, so there was definitely a lot of extra drag). We'll see how this tank goes. I also put the Fram paper filter back in, since that seemed to do really good last time, especially in the warm air on the freeway, getting me a 26 MPG tank.

I'll have some pictures of the conversion up later, probably tomorrow.

Added to the Project Library.

(PS: the driving technique you describe isn't really "pulse & glide", which always involves gliding in neutral - either engine off or on. Pulse and bleed, maybe.)

Yeah, it's probably more along the lines of Pulse and Coast, but either way, my foot can be off the pedal more than it's on!

I found out that the bigger pulley I just installed brings the belt slightly closer to the alternator (and straightens out the offset), but now it's rubbing up against the alternator mount, which is why I keep hearing the belt squeal. I'll be grinding it down some this weekend and it'll FINALLY be finished!


Alternator, power steering pump, AC compressor, and mount removed:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93...ey/Test005.jpg

Alternator mounted, no belt:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/SirFratley/032.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/SirFratley/033.jpg


The reduction in belt length (to just a hair below 40")

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/SirFratley/034.jpg


With the belt on, not trimmed:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/SirFratley/035.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/SirFratley/036.jpg


With the trimmed belt, before new pulley:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/SirFratley/026.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/SirFratley/024.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/SirFratley/021.jpg



With the new pulley:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93...y/IMG_0212.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93...y/IMG_0214.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93...y/IMG_0215.jpg


Clearance issues:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93...y/IMG_0217.jpg

(Where I need to grind off some of the alternator mount)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93...y/IMG_0218.jpg