Date:         Thu, 15 Sep 2005 09:33:22 -0400
Reply-To:     David Bohannan <fjazzbass@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Bohannan <fjazzbass@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Driving a PS Van w/o PS
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

All,

I know its been posted that some of you drive without power steering on 
vehicles that the rack is blown up or PS pump dead, etc...

I have already ordered my new rack, but its not here yet and I have a 400 
mile round trip jaunt this weekend...I am going to remove my PS belt and try 
to drive it without for this trip...

A couple questions though...

My rack only developed a leak literally 2 weeks ago and I haven't been 
driving around that much. every time I go on a trip I top it off, but it 
loses a great amount of fluid with every trip. My first question is if there 
is a danger of this rack locking up from heat or friction or whatever from 
not being lubricated...I don't want my family in an unsafe situation where I 
cannot steer!!!

Second question is if its worth moving my larger steering wheel from my 
non-PS vanagon over to this one for this one trip...I will probably be the 
only one driving, but if my wife needed to drive this in a pinch do you 
think she could do it? I have heard of the bicep pumping necessary...

TIA...

Dave
85 GL "Baby Bus" 
85 "No name"