relocating power steering pump

[jasonlee]

ok i have a few reasons for wanting to do this...... mostly cosmetic... and just for something different i guess...

anyway.. will making a bracket for it to fit where the ac compressor was be a problem at all? anybody ever done this?

i know i will have to make custom lines for the steering rack, and probably incorporate a cooler due to shorter lines.... less fluid...

whatdya think?

 

[BUCK]

I wonder if going to one the new Electric P/S Pumps might not be easier?

 

[drivemusicnow]

ok i have a few reasons for wanting to do this...... mostly cosmetic... and just for something different i guess...

anyway.. will making a bracket for it to fit where the ac compressor was be a problem at all? anybody ever done this?

i know i will have to make custom lines for the steering rack, and probably incorporate a cooler due to shorter lines.... less fluid...

whatdya think?

I'm actually thinking of doing this as well, something to keep in mind:

PS lines are rediculously high pressure lines. I don't know specifically DSM specs, but most PS systems use up to 1500 psi line pressure. (IIRC) Which means "making" a line isn't that easy. There is a possiblity that another Mitsu uses the same fittings and could be adapted to work.

Haven't thought of any other problems specifically. I dunno, I don't think it will end up happening for me just because I don't neccesarily think its worth the effort. But I might.

 

[jasonlee]

im gonna play with it on a stripped block... if it seems like it will work, i will pursue it and put up pics and info

 

[Suparata]

I would rather move the alternator to the left side of the engine than the PS pump.
Buck,
Electric P/S pump?

 

[BUCK]

I would rather move the alternator to the left side of the engine than the PS pump.
Buck,
Electric P/S pump?

More & more of the new cars are going to this - Honda, etc... - Might not be the hot setup for an Audiouphile but there HAS to be one we can adapt to the DSM's - The factory P/S Pumps in these things have done nothing but leak & kill ECU's ever since I hit these Boards...

 

[Suparata]

Pictures, links, anything? Sounds interesting.

 

[1fast97gsx]

I'm curious too. My car does not have power steering at this point because the pump wouldn't clear with my external wastegate. It doesn't bother me, but it's making it rather hard to sell the car since most people want to buy it as a DD and need power steering.

 

[BaddAssGst]

I thought about having someone fab up a custom sheet metal bracket that fits around it. Of course, if your PS isn't leaking, it shouldn't be killing anything.

 

[jasonlee]

well, i got the lines all figured out, now i just need to fab up a mounting bracket and make sure there will be clearence enought next to the frame rail/under the master cylinder

The lines are really simple too... basically, the return line is low pressure, so i will have that running to an oil cooler to keep temps down. For the high pressure line going from the pump to the rack/pinion you can just use the short flexible factory piece you normally hood the pump to, but then attach the other end directly to the hard line comming out of the rack/pinion... its just long enough. If ts a tad short you can slightly bend the hard line if you are carefull

j

 

[jasonlee]

a little update here.... i had to bend the little hard line that comes off the pump so that it would clear the intake mani and allow a line to hook to it....

also, i found that the belt may rub on the bottom side of the iron engine mount that bolts to the block (2g mount dunno about 1g). so i will have to clearance the engine mount a tad... but not much at all.

 

[jasonlee]

more progress....

i clearanced the engine mount today, and swapped out the lines so the plumbing is ready.

now all that is left is fabbing up the bracket to hold it in place.... man, the drivers side under the hood look soo much cleaner now!

 

[1993eclipseGS]

Make up kits and sell them.

 

[jasonlee]

sell them? nah, too much work, and its not really worth alot as a comleted piece.

well today, i got a bracket tack welded together, and test fit it on a block in the engine bay. it fits right where i want it, but since my car was converted to the 4g63/awd setup my frame rail is gonna need clearanced a bit for the pulley to clear. probably just dent it in a little in that area.

anybody know a good tool to use to make sure the pulleys get lined up properly so i dont wear out belts fast?

 

[jasonlee]

Tonight I got the bracket all tack welded together, and was able to find a way to align the pulleys. It really wasnt that hard to do. I just used a square and clamped it to the drive pulley, this gave me a straight edge to align the driven pulley up to. Once I got it really close, I spun it around and check it from the bottom side.

The welder I am using doesnt have enough juice to properly weld the steel I used for the bracket so I will take it to a buddy of mine on monday and have the welds done properly. once I get it welded up, I will put a belt on it, put it under some tension and snap a few pics to post.

now I just gotta find a suitible mounting location for the small cooler I am using for the fluids, and a spot for the fluid container, as out of site as possible of course.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

You should take pictures of the finished product installed.

 

[silvercoupe97]

Do you have any pics of the process J?

 

[Boosted90GST]

I thought about relocating my PS also... but i got one of the buschur alt relocation kits so i'm just going to use that and most likely cut PS out totally, my car's fairly light and i really could careless about the PS so i deff think its going

 

[jasonlee]

i will be picking up the bracket today from the welding shop.... i can post pics of the bracket,

but not really of a final installed product... as i dont have a completed engine for my car yet. although i can post a pic of the re-routed lines, and the cooler.

j

 

[jasonlee]

couple of pics of the welded bracket... when i get a chance i will post some pics of it on a block with a belt on so you can get a better idea of where its located at, and how its setup.

J

 

[silvercoupe97]

You can email me a copy of the pics too J. I can't wait to see how this fits/sits on the motor.

 

[jasonlee]

well, I had a few extra minutes today to slap the bracket on the block and test fit it all together.... well not everything, but i checked with a head and intake mani already and it fits with them. I had to get a different sized belt, the ps was too short, and the a/c belt was just a touch too long.

here is a couple of camera phone pics... i am pretty happy with how its turning out... next time i get some extra time, i will mock up the block and a trans in the engine bay and hook up the pluming just to see how it all fits together, and how much clearance will be on the drivers side frame rail.

j

 

[snox135]

Pictures, links, anything? Sounds interesting.

Any installed pics of the relocation yet?

The following is something I found on another forum about electric P/S.

The late 80s, early 90s Subaru XT6 was a testbed for many new technologies, dubbed the "Wonder Wedge" by it's owners, one of the many unique features it had was an electrically controlled power steering system. This makes perfect sense and makes you wonder why no one else (Well the NSX uses it and the prototype 89 Fiero and some new Saturns too I think) uses them. Why do you need a pump churning away at 13,000 RPMs when your engine is at 6,000 RPM and all your doing is going down a straightaway? Why not use a pump that not only engages when your turning, but can also determine how your driving and how much it needs to assist you. The XT6 pump did just that:

The electronic controlled motor drive power steering systems senses both vehicle speed and frequency of steering operation. This system activates the motor to supply required amount of fluid to vary assist force according to vehicle speed. Components in this system include: steering angle sensor, speed sensor, signal controller and power controller.

This system is a vehicle speed sensing type that reduces assist force as vehicle speed increases. It automatically sleects one of four driving modes depending on average vehicle speed and frequency of steering operation. These modes include: high speed driving, suburban driving, winding road driving and city driving. Motor will not activate when not steering at vehicle speeds below 6 MPH.

The electronic control logic configuration includes both an initial diagnostic function and a normal processing function to monitor input and output signals transmitted by various components. It includes a self-diagnosis and fail safe function.

The pump itself is quite large in terms of power steering pumps, but can be mounted anywhere, but remember the resevoir and pump are all one unit, so you would have to place it somewhere within easy access once the clamshell hood is popped. Entire systeml capacity of .7 qts or .65 liters, while the resevoir itself only contains .25 qts or .25 liters. This is good considering the special fluid is $25 a quart.

 

[jasonlee]

Alright, here is the final mock up test fit pictures. Everything worked out great, I only need a little bit of clearancing on the frame rail (gotta smack it with a hammer a little) and its good to go.

Just for fun I stuck the head on, along with the intake and exhaust mani's to see how it looked. You really cant see the setup at all, so it looks like the power steering is just gone. I really like it, its just gonna be a pain to change belts, or add fluid when needed hahahha.

Here ya go:

 

[RWKustoms]

its just gonna be a pain to change belts, or add fluid when needed hahahha.

You damn right about that.