Looking for manual steering rack for my VR4

[onesickcrx]

I have been thinking about getting rid of my power steering for a while now. I cant seem to find any info on if there is a manual steering rack that would bolt right up. Does any one know if they make a rack like a 91 eclipse or something along those lines that would bolt right up and allow me to get rid of my power steering?

 

[raptorWagon]

A 1g manual rack will bolt right up or you could de-power your rack by following a thread on spooners..i mean tuners.

 

[a2vr4]

For those of us who don't follow or register on spooners, ya got a link?
~Brian A. Moreno

 

[raptorWagon]

lol, I don't follow tuners at all, just post occasionally in the Northwest regional section. Normally get all my tech and questions answered on here /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, I just came across this one day on Google.
click
original miata mod thread that the above method was derived from
click

 

Autozone had the manual rack from a 1g T/E/L. It was around $270 from what I can remember. I think there was a core refund as well, which I didnt feel brave enough to try and retrieve, seeing as how they just may have noticed I was returning a 4ws power rack. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Spam]

I know a lot of people know about this site but forget about it when it comes to certain things. I've bought two manual racks for under $50 + ship...some of the places that say "call" might get them for you cheaper.

www.car-part.com

 

[onesickcrx]

So a 91-94 Eclipse none power steering rack will work fine>?

 

^ Yes, they'll work, but you need the mount bushings and brackets. They're different from the Galant. They're also different from 1g power rack bushings and brackets. The bellows for the manual rack are different as well.

 

[onesickcrx]

So I need to order the bushings and brackets from Mitsubishi?

 

I've tried, they're NLA. Well, at least the bushings are. I don't know about the brackets. I bought some bushings from Rock Auto that were supposedly for a manual rack, but they ended up being for a power rack. Same thing with the bellows. That's how I know they're different /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Best bet is to grab the rack, bushings, and brackets from a junkyard (or maybe just the bushings and brackets if you're getting a remanned unit.) If you need bellows, the passenger side on the manual rack is a different diameter than the power rack. Take your rack to the parts store and make sure they have the right kit.

Just so you know, the manual rack bushings DO NOT have any place for the hydraulic lines to pass through. On DSMs w/power steering there is a hole that one of the lines runs through on the passenger side bushing. For Galant VR4s with AWS there are two holes for two lines to pass through on the passenger side. This is how you can know you ended up with the right bushings.

 

[H05TYL]

note any non-p/s racks will have a higher number of turns lock to lock, you don't want that.

I've been driving around with no p/s belt since last year due to having a leak from the rack and cbf pulling it out to fix it, the lack of assistance is only really noticeable at walking pace (in carparks, etc).

 

[onesickcrx]

^ are you sure I would think it would be less turns lock to lock with a none power steering rack

I drove my 2nd Galant with out power steering once I agree not a big deal parking lots included

 

It does have more turns. To make a 90 degree turn, say turning left at an intersection, I have to turn the wheel maybe an 1/8 turn more than a power rack. When I first installed it I did have to adjust my hand positioning when turning to make sure I could get that extra amount. But, I did notice an increase in fuel economy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[onesickcrx]

Fuel economy not so important with this car for me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hsugh.gif

When I use to really push my honda it felt so much more stable and easyer to drive at high speeds with out power steering. So just for the feel of the road im doing this...

 

[Whoodoo]

I'd just like to ask a question about how the car feels with a manual rack. I had the privilege of driving Tyler's (ducttapeguy) car around for a month and the power steering pump wasn't hooked up so the steering was very heavy. Can anyone compare driving a power steering rack sans pump versus a manual rack? I'm a big fan of the MPG's as my car is a daily driver. I guess I'm also wondering how much a difference in fuel economy a manual rack made.

Hope that made sense... beer plus family guy equals poor posting skills /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/uhh.gif

 

I like how the manual rack feels. It did take some adjustment. So long as you're moving it isn't much different than power, but it is noticeable. Turns almost always require two hands. You need to really hold onto the wheel if you're doing it with one. You will notice a difference, but you'll get used to it.

There wasn't much of a difference in fuel economy. If you keep good track of your mpg you'll see a slight increase. I don't even remember how much it increased. I remember being surprised that my average fuel economy had consistently increased by just a bit after I pulled it out.