power steering delete on a B15 sentra - difficulty: shares belt with water pump

[bheadrick]

I'd really like to do a power steering delete on my car, but the belt that the power steering pump is on is shared by the water pump. I considered replacing my water pump with an electric water pump, but that presents some potential problems - excessive water pressure could cause problems and insufficient water flow could result in hot spots. Although I have an idea on how I could use a PWM controller to reduce the water flow to an acceptable level, but I'm not sure I want to dive into a project like that just yet.

Is there any way I could disable my power steering without removing the belt? would it do any good to loop the pump the same way you would loop the rack?

[Christ]

See if any version of your engine came without PS as an option in another car. Look how the belt is routed.

Generally, you can just use a smaller belt and still make contact with the idler and tensioner pulleys. If you can't, you may also be able to install a second tensioner, or use a dummy pulley in place of the PS pump by making a small bracket and bolting an idler pulley to it.

[Gasoline Fumes]

For a 2000, but probably the same:
2000 Nissan Sentra Drive Belt Routing


You might be able to take the pump apart and disable it, so it's just an idler.

[fusion210]

I took the vanes out of my power steering pump and sealed the inlet/outlet to retain the a/c, which shares the same belt. It was very easy and successful, albeit with a small weight penalty.

[bheadrick]

I had never considered removing the vanes from the pump. Probably easier, not to mention cheaper, than installing an extra idler pulley

[bheadrick]

After viewing a few power steering pump rebuild videos, I'm leaning more toward the idler pulley option. A power steering pump rebuild looks like a lot of work, or at least a lot of opportunity to screw it up.

[vrmilionzx]

It's easier just to get a smaller belt. I didn't have any issues with removing ps from my s13, no hot spots or anything like that. Only potential difference is that you might need to find a way to move the tensioner, if it's on the pump you're removing. I had the option of using brackets from the sohc ka, so that worked out pretty well. You might consider checking other sentra models - you have the 1.8, right? or is the b15 when they moved to the 2.0 for non se/se-r models?

[bheadrick]

Yes, it's a 1.8 (there's also a 2.0 model, though). I'm well aware that the tensioner is on the pump I'm removing, which makes it puzzling just how to get the belt on and get it tight since the remaining pulleys are fixed on the block.
I have a maintenance manual for 2000-2005 Sentra. I'm not sure if that's a wide enough range to be useful, though.

[vrmilionzx]

Hmmm, sounds like a small pulley not running anything, in the location of the ps pump might be the way to go. That way you could keep the same idler and location. Not sure how good you are with building your solutions, but this one would be beyond my skills at the moment - could you make a bracket with a lightweight (aluminum or other) pulley that just spins in place?