manual to p.s.

[alan6272]

Has anyone changed from manual steer to power steer?? I am buying a junk yard 944 1984 mine is a 1983. So I will have all the stuff on hand plus all the other parts I need to bring my car back to a good DD. I know some are saying why didn't you buy a car all done with P.S. ?? Well this 1983 I have was almost given to me and I am on a budget so spending 2 to 3 k or more wasn't going to happen. Thanx
Alan

[ernie9944]

Leave your 83 as it is ,it's one of the best handling 944s out there, you'll miss that manual steering believe me.Think of what can go wrong with power steering ,(pump going on the blink-leaking hoses and one extra belts ect ect) ,manual steering are simple less parts less chance off getting in trouble less money spend.Plus you'll never have the road feel with a P/S that you now have with the manual. Stay

[alan6272]

I have thought of this but manual does make for a kinda rough ride doesn't it ?? I like the siplicity and the room I have with manual, any one else want to chime in?? Thanx and this is why I type on here. Alan

[mattdavis11]

Being a junkyard car, I expect the other rack is going to leak. I concur, manual steering is better anyway.

However, I expect it to be a fairly simple swap. AFAIK, tie rods, rack, lines/hoses, pump, bolts, belt, tension rod and the crank pulley need to be put on the 83. It looks like mine could be done with out major surgery, but it's not a consideration.

[vdubr928]

Easy swap, I would not swap a used rack into a Porsche. They leak really bad when the seals go. So do the pumps. the pumps can be resealed cheap but the racks are expensive to have rebuilt. Has anybody ever resealed one? They can't be too hard to rebuild but if you've never even been into a rack I wouldn't even attempt it. Easy to screw up the surface a ruin a rack I'm sure.

I would not prefer a manual rack however. I've had cars and trucks with manual boxes and I am glad I live in the right century. I'm sure there is a big debate about to start on this thread so that's where I stand. If you could do the swap properly and replace motor mounts and steering bushings at the same time it's worth it IMO

[vdubr928]

But I wouldn't say it's a rough ride. Very little difference above 10 MPH

[Dan Himan]

Leave it. I'm not 100% sure but a read some where that a PS pump robs 5-15 hp at the higher rpms.

[RedBaron]

I swapped from power to manual on my S2. I do miss the shorter steering ratio in the Power steering, but I still love the manual rack.

Don't switch.

[vdubr928]

Originally Posted by Dan Himan

Leave it. I'm not 100% sure but a read some where that a PS pump robs 5-15 hp at the higher rpms.

Probably 5 at idle. These numbers sound about right.

[wild man]

5hp @ idle? I do NOT concur with that.

[ERAU944]

I switched my '84 to manual after my power rack puked. I won't go back.

To be honest, the difference in feel is negligible.

The power racks give plenty of feedback at any speed, and the manual racks don't make for an uncomfortable drive unless you are in a parking lot and your front tires are low on air

So, just make sure your tire pressures are set correctly, and make sure your manual rack boots are in good shape and it will never break!

To answer another question, yes, you can rebuild the power steering rack - Rennbay sells a kit, I plan on doing the rack and pump in my 951S in the next couple weeks.

If I could find the manual tie rod ends, I'd switch the 951S to manual steering as well.

You are also dead on about having more room and less complexity. Manual steering will NEVER destroy your motor mounts, suspension bushings, or cover the bottom of your car in ATF. What really sealed the deal for me was the fact that oil/filter changes became much, much easier.

[vdubr928]

Originally Posted by wild man

5hp @ idle? I do NOT concur with that.

I actually did a little research after reading this post. There really is no difinitive answer. Some say 5hp at idle. Some say 3 hp at full pressure. Rather than debate this id would ask someone who cares to figure it out. It shouldn't be too hard. You would need fluid pressure at idle than full pressure. And the drive ratio. And be alot better at math than me.

[ddbach]

I agree with the people above who recommend leaving it manual. The only time it is noticable is at very low speed or if you are parallel parking. Even that really isn't bad certainly nowhere near as bad as my first car, '71 Mustang w/o ps, was to park. I didn't even know my brother's 83 was a manual rack the first time I drove it. Told him it seemed a little stiff when parking and he said "oh, I forgot to tell you no ps." I don't understand why some who have a manual rack report that gf's and so's complain about it.

[alan6272]

the reason I started this was because my first 944 over 5 years ago had power steer, my 944 now came without and it seems I feel the road more than I remember, maybe this is normal? the car handles fine escept this little steering wheel shimmy I am working on "which has gooten better with a rebalance of the tires" but still there. I was wondering if the P.S. would take that away but after reading all this I think not, after all the couldn't have been built that way. Alan

[vdubr928]

Being able to feel the road a little better is the only real difference. Racers like it. That's why they like manual racks. It wont fix your shimmy. Unless your rack is shot

[alan6272]

My rack seems tight with no play, could there be another reason that it might be bad ?? I really want to resolve this shimmy. Befroe the tires were rebalanced I didn't like going over 60 today I was ok to go 80 "closed race track" LOL but still felt some shake.

[vdubr928]

You can check the ujoint on the steering shaft. Maybe you should start a thread for your shimmy?

[alan6272]

I have a thread about my shimmy but it went dead LOL there is a lot of good advice on here either way and I really appriciate it from all of you thank you. My goal is to gather as much input as I can about this shimmy and I thought that maybe it was the manual steering that made the shimmy feel more than it is.

[mattdavis11]

Check the wheel bearings, tie rods (both ends), ball joints as well as both u-joints on the steering shaft. If it isn't those, it might be a bent rim, I have one. I try to keep it on the back. It's not very noticeable, but I've seen it spun twice on the balancer, and it's bent.