If it is indeed the pump that went bad I'm probably not gonna bother to fix it. Driving around its not a huge deal unless I'm parallel parking, in which case its a big PITA.

The question for you guys is, if it is indeed the pump, is there anything I can do to make the steering effort a little easier at low speeds? Like taking off the belt, draining the fluid, etc.

5/8/2008 12:22:11 PM

steering wheel spinner knob?




[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 12:36 PM. Reason : oh snap a "carbon fiber" one]

5/8/2008 12:34:18 PM

schedule some time for the gym each day




on a more serious note, I went from a 205/40-17 to a 205/60-13 on the civic (dx, no power steering), and the required steering effort dropped significantly.

5/8/2008 1:18:20 PM

I have 205/55VR15 tires on a 15X7 rim. These wheels are about 4lbs lighter than the stock 14s per wheel.

5/8/2008 1:38:22 PM

the steering wheel spinner knob thing is great for low speed but 'i think' illegal (AFAIK). not that inspection people care.

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 1:39 PM. Reason : did you ever flush your power steering fluid?]

5/8/2008 1:38:39 PM

get rid of the power steering fluid and the effort will be less but you are still going to be hampered by the fact that the ratio isnt designed for manual steering

5/8/2008 1:43:25 PM

you've got a (presumably) stick 205. Your typical skinny ass POS 13s are going to be easier to turn.

In my experience, you've got 3 choices in varying degrees of work & difficulty to turn.

1: remove the belt - easiest to do but still a bitch to parallel park
2: drain the rack & loop the lines - a bit harder to do but makes it easier at low speeds. Downside is that the lack of fluid can introduce issues from seals drying up.
3: drain the rack partway, run the lines to a T fitting with another line running to a resevoir (i.e. clutch mc) with a breather. Keeps everything lubricated, easier to turn at low speeds but more work to get done.

5/8/2008 5:51:42 PM

4. replace the damn pump

5/8/2008 7:46:18 PM

yeah, your cheapest bet is probably getting a used pump and replacing it.

or you can get skinnier tires. get some spares for the front

5/8/2008 8:43:51 PM

replace the pump and drive like it is suppose to drive.

5/8/2008 10:42:43 PM

run max inflation

5/8/2008 11:04:30 PM

Thanks felllas. Any idea how much a pump replacement is?

While if I was living in NC this is something I'd try to tackle myself, doing any car work on the side of the road in Queens is a bitch and I don't even change my oil. Speaking of, I plan on taking the car to my shop for an oil change in a few weeks, I'll have them check out the steering and figure it out from there.

5/9/2008 12:05:52 AM

Mine was ~90 I think.

I had so much shit replaced this year, I'm not really sure.

5/9/2008 4:22:35 AM

just put a manual rack in. all the cool auto-x kids are doing it.

5/9/2008 4:42:53 AM

why do think its the pump. The line may have a hole in it.

If its the pump, let all the fluid out, should get a little easier, and take that belt off too

5/9/2008 7:01:23 AM

^^

Hahhaha.

5/9/2008 8:18:20 AM

I had a '69 Bel Air that had no power steering.
It was only a bitch when parralel parking.

5/9/2008 8:23:11 AM

you have to realize there is a diff between a car thats power steering fails, and one that has a manual steering standard.

my civic doesnt have power steering but its a lot easier to drive then when the ps is out on a car that depends on it.



[Edited on May 9, 2008 at 8:26 AM. Reason : .]

5/9/2008 8:26:21 AM

^I dunno if this was directed at me but yes I'm aware that manual steering cars are geared differently to make it easier.

I think its the pump b/c the fluid level is normal/topped off.

5/9/2008 8:36:48 AM

i took the power steering out of my car. man up

5/9/2008 9:33:33 AM

if you take the belt off, just make sure you still keep some fluid in there.

5/9/2008 9:36:41 AM

manual rack swap YEHA.free up some powa in that teg

5/9/2008 11:35:39 AM

Shit, I'm running a power-steering rack without the pump. Its not bad at all (I know, different car, but still), until you want to squeeze out that last 225* in the steering wheel during a u-turn . (The 944 has ~810* steering )

[Edited on May 9, 2008 at 12:04 PM. Reason : .]

5/9/2008 12:00:33 PM

let the rearend steer for you. turn wheel and dump clutch.

front drivers. turn wheel and e-brake slide.

5/9/2008 12:05:20 PM

you sir are an idot

5/9/2008 12:30:47 PM

Quote :

"front drivers. turn wheel and e-brake slide."

I'll be sure to try that next time I'm parallel parking

5/9/2008 1:39:16 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV35mVrwhUQ

5/9/2008 2:38:56 PM

^thats some funny shit, but I didn't see any attempts on streets as narrow as mine

5/9/2008 2:57:07 PM

i know. i hope you know imkidding about the whole deal right

5/9/2008 3:22:17 PM

While I'm an accomplished J turn driver I haven't reached the level of sliding into parallel parking spots. Its on the list of things to master this summer.

5/9/2008 3:26:44 PM

lol

5/11/2008 5:14:30 PM

Well its my lucky day! Not only do GS-R power steering pumps cost twice a normal Integra pump, after installing it they discovered that in fact my rack and pinion is shit.

Another 4 digit repair bill (2nd this year)

5/19/2008 1:43:13 PM

i was just about to recommend the rack and pinion after reading the first post today

5/19/2008 1:55:51 PM

I kinda felt bad for my mechanic. He said he ruined 2 new pumps b/c he was hooking them up and metal shards from the rack & pinion kept going into the pumps. So he's out the cost of those pumps, and isn't transferring that cost to me.

I need a new car and realize its the smart thing to do, but I'm trying to relocate back to NC and get a new job and picking up another hefty financial obligation right now would not be smart.

5/19/2008 2:07:41 PM

how could you spend 1000$ on an integra

everything in the engine bay is barely worth 1500$

5/19/2008 6:26:10 PM

^what are you talking about? given the fact that my engine is quite rare I don't think even close to a good estimate.

Sigh, another $1200 to the mechanic. fuck

5/19/2008 6:34:23 PM