[ntilehman]

ok so i blew a power steering line from the pump the rack. i was planning on a manual rack in the future anyway but i dont want to have to spend that money right now. plus i just replaced the inner tie rods. how hokey will it be if i just disconnect the pump and lines from the rack and plug the holes up? is it going to physically damage the gears inside if the fluid isnt being pumped? unless someone has a decent price on a manual rack for a 94 gt i think im going to redneck engineer this. i thought i would ask around on here though so thanks for any input.

[FastStang91Lx]

Also, the lines really aren't that expensive. I know you don't want to waste money on something that you are going to toss later, but it won't steer as well as a REAL manual rack car.

[PsyAbe]

After going through 5 different racks that all leak, I just gave up and started driving her as she is but without fluid. It was extremely hard to operate ( even stiffer than manual steering) because I was pushing a dry seal cylinder in the rack. After 2 or so months I got used to it, but one day I heard a clunking noise, smoke came out the engine bay, and my car died. After pulling up to the side of the road I noticed my power steering pump had busted, was stuck in place and held up the whole drive belt, halting the engine with it. I got me a shorter belt and bypassed the p/s pump pulley and away I went. I later recieved my flaming river rack and installed. So if you're planning on driving dry make sure you get a shorter belt and bypass the p/s pump 1st. As for the gears in the rack, I didn't notice any damage but it does get hell'a hot somehow.
Also worth noting is that the steering characteristics of a dry p/s rack greatly vary from a manual's. The steering is very very sluggish and isolates road feel. You will have to use both hands and all your might to turn the car around neighborhood corners.
A cheap alternative to getting a manual rack is either a) connect the hose to the hole on the other side of the seal or the proper way b) disassemble the rack, take it to a machine shop to cut out the seal and reassemble. That way it would act like a manual steering rack and pinion but the gears would be a little different.
All I did was replace it later with a manual rack so I don't have any experience with remedy a) or b. these miata guys do though

De-power rack and pinion manual steering - ClubRoadster.net
Flyin' Miata : Tech: 1.8 conversion
good luck

[ntilehman]

ok cool thanks for the input. i was planning on taking the pump out anyway. the time just isnt right to buy the manual rack yet. so i was going to deal with it. i dont drive it often as it is.