Removing power steering, manual rack needed?

[vtecing]

Im not going to run power steering on my track car. Just wondering if I can continue to use the power steering rack, or is it recomended that I use a manual rack. If I swap racks, do I need to swap collums as well?

What do all the guys that run H22 swaps do?

[bennjamin]

Just use your existing rack - remove all of existing piping and lines from the rack joint itself - then fashion up two fittments with a length of rubber hose from one side straight up to a T piece - then run another rubber hose from the other outlet to this T piece - now to bleed air from the system.
Jack the front of the car up
So both wheels can be rotated. Slowly pour ps fluid down this makeshit breather , while a friend turns the steering wheel to full lock back and forth to burp air from the rack and to displace that with fluid.
Finally run a short piece of the same hose on the last free connector of the T piece to a small filter. Make sure it's held up.

[vtecing]

So the third end which connects to the filter should vent to atmosphere?

[bennjamin]

yes - use a small inline fuel filter - the filter will capture any excess powersteering fluid that tries to escape under the pressures of the rack , and ofcourse let air freely displace back and forth without pulling gunk in.

Ill draw a quick image on paint in abit.

[crobaa]

So two lines come from the rack with a t piece in between, off this tee just a small piece of hose with a fuel filter on it? No tank or anything? Does this small hose need to be totally upright? I was looking at my ps rack today and can only see one fluid line from the rack to the pump. Where is the other point in the rack that is meant to go to the t piece?

[bennjamin]

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...5201100000.jpg

guys its my own design used on a dozen cars in and around nsw and my previous two cars - done right it never leaks. Sure - you get over no PS but it does suit a purpose.

[vtecing]

Why does it need to be vented to atmosphere, can it not just be sealed?

[bennjamin]

it doesnt have to - but venting it creates the least amount of internal resistance , which increases the racks life and better feel.

[crobaa]

Sorry for being a noob but can you describe which 2 points on the rack the lines will connect to? I know one is the point that the line from the pump went to but don't know about the other one

[bennjamin]

there is two outlets on the rack joint base - one is a 14mm headed fasterner , the other is a 17mm fastener. When running ruuber hose from these Id just do the higher one as the straight up piece. Run the lower outlet to the T piece - it should bend around slightly as shown in that picture i roughly drew above.

[string]

The only part inside the rack that could be considered to be lubricated by the power steering fluid is the piston o-ring inside the power cylinder. If you are converting to manual this no longer serves any purpose and can be removed along with the valves inside the valve body. Remove this o-ring and the breather becomes redundant: there is nothing to cause internal pressure and have it affect your steering feel. The breather+fluid setup's only gain is that it might preserve that o-ring in the event that you both (a) don't remove it to begin with because (b) you want to return to power steering in the future.

[crobaa]

So just remove all valves, o ring and fluid then blank off the outlets on the rack?