Date:         Thu, 15 Sep 2005 07:39:28 -0700
Reply-To:     Shawn Wright <swright@ZUIKO.SLS.BC.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Shawn Wright <swright@ZUIKO.SLS.BC.CA>
Subject:      Re: Driving a PS Van w/o PS
In-Reply-To:  <2008fb6d05091506334b14bc04@mail.gmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

On 15 Sep 2005 at 9:33, David Bohannan <fjazzbass@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> 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...

I drove mine a few years ago for perhaps 100-150 miles with the belt off due to a
crack in the reservoir. No damage to the rack, but shortly afterward, one of the
steering U-joints failed, probably from the extra force applied to it. It didn't break, just
got loose fairly suddenly. This is an expensive piece, over $100 new I think, but I got
a good used one.
I am once again faced with a similar situation, as my PS isn't setup on my TD
conversion yet (same van), and I have a 1000 mile trip in 3 weeks time. I've heard of
many people driving for extended periods with the PS disconnected, but I'm not sure
how the leaky rack factors in - you're right to be worried about that I think.

Shawn Wright
http://zuiko.sls.bc.ca/~swright
'85 Jetta D
'88 Westy 1.6TD 5 speed
 (see progress at http://members.shaw.ca/vwdiesels)
'82 Diesel Westy