i have manual steering right now and my steering box is making popping noises when i turn the wheel and i can feel it in the floor board when it does it. it also has a bit of play in the box even after i took out some of the slop with the adjuster screw. i have most of a power steering setup in my garage now but i dont have everything for it yet. i know its possible to do it but has anyone ran there power steering box with the lines looped and if so how hard was the steering? p.s. 31x10.50 tires and manual steering SUCKS!!!
Never tried it just looped, but had go without a belt powering the pump once and it was much harder than just a manual rack. I have lots of bits and pieces, what are you still missing??
i would think it would be fine just hold the line up and fill it before you connect it... i had a celica back in the day, that starting leaking from the pump bad so i just connect the rack to itself... worked fine for the remaining time i had it...
The ratio is the power steering boxs are different then the non power steering ones, it might be pretty difficult. You might want to check the rag joint that goes from the steering column to the steering box, mine just went out and was making the same sounds you are describing. Its the rubber ring that looks like this the black flat ring inbetween the red parts the pic is from a 4x4 site but the basic joint is the same on ours..
wasnt the rag joint, it was the box. when i pulled the manual box off and it had lots of play. but i got all the power steering pieces i needed and have been running it for about 3 weeks now with minor issues that still need to be worked out. to anyone that has manual steering, DO THE SWAP TO POWER STEERING! totally worth it. so much easier and more fun to drive now.
Running a power box without pressure isn't recommended. Not only are you moving the servo in the box without fluid, but you're also stressing the torsion rod in the fluid control valve assy, and can damage it. also, because it's a manual box, the gear ratio is different, making it much harder to manually steer. just a suggestion, don't run the box without pressure. If you want manual steering, use a manual box.. Otherwise, get the parts and finish the conversion.
When you did the power steering swap did you have to change the lower shaft after the rag joint to the gear box? I have read it is longer on non power steering trucks.
I did. I went to the junk yard and got a steering shaft off of a truck that was adjustable. I believe it was an 84-88 4x4 or 4runner but I'm not 100% sure anymore. The other option I have seen people do is to compress the collapsible section of the shaft by hitting the end of it with a big hammer. I didnt like that option. Or you can cut a small section out and weld it back together.