P/S bypass?

[Talcan]

Anyone know of any powersteering by pass pulleys or maybe shorter belts that i could use on my 99 GA 3.4 v6? my P/s is compleatly shot and i really do not want to pas up the cash to replace the pump. if anyone has any ideas let me know.

[Moppie]

Thats a lot of car to try driving with out power steering.

Have looked at getting another pump from wrecker and fitting it yourself?

[thephantom1492]

I wouln't recommand to bypass it. The power steering is required for proper driving. Yes, some car do not have P/S but the steering is made in consequence. Turning the wheel of a P/S without P/S is really harder, and could, in some case, be dangerously hard. Also, since it may be considered as part of the safety system, it could also be illegal to drive with the P/S bypassed.

I would go to a junkyard and buy a pump there, it shouln't be that expensive.

[xeroinfinity]

I have driven one of these for about a yr w/o power steering.
It'll give you muscles in places didnt know you could get!
Dangerous too if you cant manhandle the wheel - lookout!
The worst part is when you have to stop and turn, or parking.

Plus it wore out a brand new set of tie rod end$, both end$!

Depending on whats wrong with the pump its not that expense.
Just a PITA to remove/replace.

Anyway if you need some info on how to remove this here is a link.
Power Steering Pump Removal

[Tech II]

Is it the pump or the rack?

If pump, they are easy to replace.....disconnect lines to it, and 3 bolts....get one from the boneyard or buy one with pulley on it...

Important to fill the system and then bleed air out, by turning wheel fully side to side, with engine off, 10-20 times.....if you see air in the fluid......wait, and do several more turns.....then start...

[xeroinfinity]

Not that easy Tech II! You have to remove the engine mount on the to get to all the bolts.

[gmtech1]

Originally Posted by xeroinfinity

Not that easy Tech II! You have to remove the engine mount on the to get to all the bolts.

With the proper tools, it can be done without removing mount. Remove cruise module and set aside, remove the one eng. mount bolt that sits in front of the rearmost p/s pump bolt, use a 1/4" drive 13mm wobbly socket, short extension and ratchet. This is how I do all of these. If these tools are not available, it is easiest to remove the mount. Make sure you have a floor jack with a piece of wood and support the engine under the oil pan. It will take a little wrestling to line the engine mount holes up when reinstalling. Good luck!

[Tech II]

You beat me to it, gmtech1

[xeroinfinity]

i've done 1000's of these and you can get the bolts out without removing the mount but getting it back in, isnt always as easy.


And Ive seen to many to count w/o that 1 bolt, sometimes it'll wreck the pulley, thats always nice.

[skeeter123]

Xero, I'm just curious, why would manhandling it without PS be harder on the tie rod ends than one-fingering it with the PS doing all the work?

[xeroinfinity]

Originally Posted by skeeter123

Xero, I'm just curious, why would manhandling it without PS be harder on the tie rod ends than one-fingering it with the PS doing all the work?

The suspension realy isnt made to operate that way.
And unless you are built like Arnold Schwarzenegger you end up yanking the wheel more than you normaly would to get it to turn.
That extra force/leverage just wore mine out, they were fairly new too. I guess the bad roads around here could have caused my tie rods to wear fast.
You can also prob damage the rack & pinion if driving it to long w/o PS, just gets gummy in there too!