Hey guys I've seen a lot of posts on here on gutting the power steering pump to free up some horsepower, but couldn't I simply put on a shorter belt, and not even worry about the pump? I was thinking of doing the same thing to the A/C pump.

BUT since no one has done this yet, I got the impression that you cannot simply do that.

I guess when it comes right down to, it my question is simply this:
Do I have to gut the pump or can I just run a shorter belt and leave it alone?
Ditto for the A/C compressor.


Thanks!
Rick

do not remove the power steering. I drove my buddys b13 with the power steering removed and it was scary with a turbo. it took way too much force to take any corner.

ive got both a/c and p/s removed on my car. i used a shorter belt on the water pump (250k3) and i used a shorter belt on the alternator too (335k5) im not sure if the alternator one will work for you since i had to find that one on my own. turning the wheel isnt that bad, just have to keep good pressure in the tires.

I let mine Die out after it started leaking. Everything is still there and hooked up but its not pumping anything and the pully spins freely. If you plan on AutoXing the car FORGET ABOUT DOING THIS! If you plan on Road racing the car then youll love it! It makes the car feel so much more in touch with the road. You can tell what the tires are doing through the steering wheel unlike when you have the power steering hooked up and you can only tell what the tires are doing when its to late.

I love and hate not having power steering in my Car. On tight turns going faster then normal it can get a little unsfe. Im gonna go back to using my power steering.

As for the AC...meh...I never use it anyway unless my moms riding in my car which is rare. It is nice for defrosting during a summer rain though.

Everything is a trade off and depends how hardcore you are about racing.

do not remove the power steering. I drove my buddys b13 with the power steering removed and it was scary with a turbo. it took way too much force to take any corner.



you must have really weak arms, im 17 and havent had p/s for a year, and the only time I dont like not having it is if im barely moving. even autocrossing is fine, and my club runs VERY TIGHT courses....

as for removal, you have a few options.

one is gutting the blades out of the pump, and capping off all the lines, these have sealed ball bearings, so there isnt much to worry about.

option 2- removing the pump all together. you can do this and run a very tight belt directly to the w/p, but it can be a PITA getting that belt on, since you dont have a tensioner. not my fav...

option 3-if you flip the w/p pulley inside out, and space the motor mount off the block enough to keep it from rubbing, you can run a 4-rib belt on the outer pulley on both the w/p and the alt, now you have a tensioner. I did this for a while, now I have a spare motor so im working on a rear mount under the intake mani like RWD silvia motors...it would be really easy if I could just find a RWD bracket set and get the alt pt#.

for all of these, you MUST run a hose between the in/out nipples on the rack, and make sure there is plenty of p/s fluid in that hose, or you risk seizure of the gear in the rack.

OR instead of recirc on the rack, you can get a manual rack from a base model "E" B13, which has no fluid lines, and has a higher gear ratio, so its less effort to steer.

for all of these, you MUST run a hose between the in/out nipples on the rack, and make sure there is plenty of p/s fluid in that hose, or you risk seizure of the gear in the rack.

i originally was going to get a hose for my rack, but i just left the hardlines cut off
been driving with it for about 5 months :rofl:

you must have really weak arms, im 17 and havent had p/s for a year, and the only time I dont like not having it is if im barely moving.steer.
the car I drove must of had some other issue because i have drive other none ps cars without a problem including my 325whp 65 mustang gt. trust me arm strength is not a issue.:rofl:

Wow plenty of responses to this thread. Thanks for the quick. informative replies, guys!

I've heard different opinions of B13s without P/S. Some people have no problems, and others can't stand it. I think I'll try it and if it's too hard for me, I'll just put it back in. I'm no small guy, though. I think I can handle it. **flexes muscles** ......... *blushes*

So I can just shorten the belt for the A/C and leave the compressor alone, right? Since it's not a tensioner? Yes? Please say yes... :D

As for the power steering, I probably am going to just gut the pump blades and let the pulley spin freely (instead of simply leaving it alone and shortening the belt) because getting a belt on without a tensioner is a bear, and I have OBX underdrive pulleys so I need to measure the distance myself, and if I get the wrong length, and it's too loose and squeals all the time.......... ugh I'm just going to gut the dang P/S pump.

By the way - how do I get at that dang thing?? There's so much crap in the way! Should I just unbolt the passenger side motor mount and lower the engine down till I can get at it, or do I have to work around all that garbage?


Thanks again guys!
Rick

oh yeah, i forgot about the a/c....yeah you can just get a different belt and pull that sucker off! half of the sr's didnt even come with it, such as my buddy's 94.
the nissan p/n is one of these 3
-11920-53J20
-11950-53J20
-11720-77A00TM
---cant remember which one, though

as for getting the damn thing out, you got me, cause I did it when I had the motor out of the car to get pistons, rods and bearings about a year ago

as for the p/s the gut is probably the most common, since nobody makes an eliminator kit anymore. some people dont waste the time to do it, and they just drain the system, and they end up damaging it, cause the blades DO need lubrication if they are still present, since thye come into contact with other metal surfaces. also, some people dont recirculate the rack lines, and although I havent heard of it happening on a b13, I have heard of 240sx racks locking up.


anything I didnt address in this thread....?

Awesome.

I went out and tried your idea, Ninety-Nine SE-L. I actually just turned the key to the on position when the car was stopped, and it wasn't too hard. I then released the e-brake and got rolling down my driveway and down my street and it wasn't bad at all. Good idea, man. Like getting a free tryout! :D

Thanks for the info, BRE92SER. I guess I'll just try dropping the engine down and getting at it. I hope I don't have to pull the whole thing out. :eek: Glad to hear that I can simply put on a shorter belt for the A/C bypass. That's friggen easy! :D

No, you didn't miss anything. Thank you. :)


Appreciate all the help, guys!
Rick

Take your A/C out, even if you aren't using it the damn thing weights over 60lbs and is just hanging on your block.

The bracket for your A/C weighs 25lbs alone

don't waste your time gutting the ps pump, just get the shorter belt - it's actually really easy to install too (get it halfway on, pull on it with a coat hanger to keep it from slipping off, and have a buddy crank the car for 1 second - it pops right on by itself). I have the belt but haven't had time yet to remove the pump - you can tell that keeping the pump on actually makes the steering much heavier.

as for ac, when it's off, the clutch on the pulley disengages and it spins very freely so it doesn't eat up any hp, but does weigh a lot

Ahh that's a good idea as far as the belt goes, but how do you get it off? Just cut it?

By the way I cannot, for the life of me, get the blasted PS pump out. I can't even lower the engine down far enough to get at it. How the heck am I supposed to get it out??


Thanks again!
Rick

to get the belt out, you just slacken the ps bracket as much as possible - it looks just like the alternator tensioner, except you'll want to have some of those gearatchet wrenches

OR instead of recirc on the rack, you can get a manual rack from a base model "E" B13, which has no fluid lines, and has a higher gear ratio, so its less effort to steer.

Hmm...this is something I might consider. My power steering rack has sprung a leak and I've been trying to decide what to do at this point.

RabidRacoon, did you get it going and what are your thoughts? I am thinking about this on turbo se-r.

My car isn't a daily driver, so day to day driving really isn't an issue. I don;t even really want to get rid of it for the few hp, I just want a cleaner engine bay with the fewest number of things that can leak at anytime.

RabidRacoon, did you get it going and what are your thoughts? I am thinking about this on turbo se-r.

My car isn't a daily driver, so day to day driving really isn't an issue. I don;t even really want to get rid of it for the few hp, I just want a cleaner engine bay with the fewest number of things that can leak at anytime.

If it's race only, I dont see why not.

If it's race only, I dont see why not.


Well I wouldn't say "race only" but I don't drive it to work, commute, or anything like that. I may drive it once or twice during the week after work and then on the weekends if I am out with the boys. I have a wife and two kids and the se-r isn't really a family car anymore. :D

It will see a 1/4 mile track a few times and will be on a road course for sure.

I see my name is catching on to people in the community. 240sx Silvia's are getting played out. Its all about 420sx Maryjane Ampsterdam spec.

Anyways, I am running no ac and no ps becasue I do not have all the components. I will want my ac working when i can though. Sourthern cali gets hot as fuck

^^He had the name se-r 420 before you had 420sxdet, So you caught on, not the other way around.