Is it safe to run without power steering hooked up?

[benstuh]

Hey guys, I'm doing an h22 swap and I need to know if it is dangerous to run without connecting the power steering line. The reason is because I'm doing it in my garage and don't have a welder to mate the two power steering lines from the accord and the prelude. I was thinking I could drive to without it hooked up and take it to a hydraulics shop to do it for me.

Thanks

[cp[mike]]

you can, but it will squirt out fluid as you steer back and forth. sometimes you can use a band clamp and actually attach the hardline directly to the rubber suction hose that leads from the reservoir to the lower front of the pump. that would be the cleanest way to "loop" the system, which for some people is actually a permanent intentional mod. that will buy you time until you figure out the best way to deal with the PS. but no it wont hurt anything.

[deevergote]

Just be aware that with no power steering, your steering wheel will react to every bump in the road. If you're not paying attention, a pothole could jerk the wheel right out of your hands. It's really not a big deal as long as you're aware of it, but it can be bad if it catches you by surprise.
Also, you'll want to practice parallel parking, and other low-speed maneuvers before you NEED to do them. When I removed my power steering, I went into the city the next night (which was Friday night), and found myself parallel parking between a BMW and a Benz on a busy street... that was fun.

[benstuh]

you can, but it will squirt out fluid as you steer back and forth. sometimes you can use a band clamp and actually attach the hardline directly to the rubber suction hose that leads from the reservoir to the lower front of the pump. that would be the cleanest way to "loop" the system, which for some people is actually a permanent intentional mod. that will buy you time until you figure out the best way to deal with the PS. but no it wont hurt anything.

that sounds like a good idea for me to do temporarily so that i can get this done right. Thanks


as for Deev, thanks for the warning, I've never drove a car without powersteering so I shall take extra precaution.

[GrimmCB7]

When i pulled my PS i bought a cheap oil catch can off ebay, turned it upside down and mounted it to the firewall under the IM. Then i ran the 2 (left and right) soft lines on the rack into the now bottom side of the can, creating a reservior for the fluid to recirculate back and forth from. The kit comes with some clear tubing and a couple tubing ends, including a delete peice and calmps. Take the delete piece (it looks like a barb but with a closed end) cut off some tubing and plug off the high pressure line with it and your done. Just be sure to only fill the can about a third of the way up with PS fluid. Now you can fully remove the pump, all lines and the reservior from your car and your rack wont go dry and seize up on you. I personally love the feedback I get from the road without it. Hope this helps you.