What could happen with a removed power steering pump?

[shambug]

I removed my power steering pump because it made a squealing nose when I turned. I just disconnected the houses and drained the fluid into a bucket. I removed the power steering pump belt. The car is light and even parking in the city is not that hard.With better gas millage and more power, I'm pretty happy leaving it the way it is. My question is just leaving the rest of the power steering system hooked up but drained going to cause problems down the road?

[Petros]

not likely it will harm anything. what did you do with the disconnected hydraulic lines? capping them off may stiffen the steering, you might find the fittings to connect them together after filling it with ATF. this will help keep the internal parts of the rack lubricated.

when off road without the power steering there is a tendency for the steering wheel to want to jerk out of your hands if one wheel hits a pot hole, the power steering greatly reduces this effect, so it is easier to keep the car in a straight line when in the ruff.

Those power steering pumps are very durable, and there are other models of toyotas that use the same pump, so you could locate one in a wrecking yard for a reasonable price if you wanted to restore the power steering feature.

[john]

Hi Shambug,
My '85 developed a serious steering rack leak 10 or 12 years ago. I removed the power steering pump and hoses. Steering still handles fine, no problems. These cars are really light weight and easy to maneuver. I figure that some day I might remove the rack and install a manual rack; I need to replace tie rods and stuff anyway at some point. john

[keith]

If you want to make the steering a little easier, you will note that at the top of the struts, there are three nuts holding the strut mount in place, but 4 holes. The hole toward the front of the car is not used. If you drop the strut and turn the upper strut mount 180 degrees so that yo have a stud coming up through the front hole and none in the rear, it will change the castor to make the steering a little easier.

[irowiki]

Interestingly enough that hole is used for FWD wagons.