How To: power steering delete w/ ribbed tensioner pulley

[2ndgengt]

I have wanted to remove the ps from my car for a long time now but I have always been kinda uncomfortable with the idea of it slipping off and leaving me stranded someday. So I started doing so research and found a ribbed pulley that uses the same bearing as the stock pulley does. The pulley is off a 97 chev p/u with a 350. The belt is a 285k4(28.5'' 4 groove).
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...e/IMG_0857.jpg
Now the downsides, the pulley is a 6groove and slight modification has to be done to oil pump casting in order for belt clearance.

These are the two pulleys side by side

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...e/IMG_0840.jpg
They are pretty close in size but the new pulley has a little smaller diameter and is a little shorter, but the bearing is exactly the same.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...e/IMG_0841.jpg
bearing with locknut in place.

Since the new pulley is 6groove it is deeper than stock so you have to push it away from the tensioner assembly a small amount. I used 1 3/8 flat washer to get the space.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...e/IMG_0844.jpg

This is the space the stock pulley has


compared to new ribbed pulley with 3/8 washer and factory spacer


new pulley installed on tension assembly
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...e/IMG_0847.jpg

The belt will hit on the casting of the oil pan so a small amount of material has to be removed in order for it to not drag.


I used a dremel with a gringing stone and a file to finish it off.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...e/IMG_0854.jpg
Once you have removed enough mount everything to the motor. Here is an alignment shot of the pulleys. Since the pulley has a 6 grooves it leaves 2 grooves unused. It makes for a small amount of aditonal adjustment. I placed my belt in the center so I had 1 unused groove on either side of the belt.


pull out the slack in the belts and lock the locknuts and thats it. Only hard part was cutting out the section of the oil pump casting but that still was only about 10-15 min. Overall time do do swap was maybe an hour. Hope this helps some people out.

[JKpgt96]

Very cool! Much easier and cheaper than doing it my way! lol

[polarexpress17]

excellent info! would you mind if i added it into my thread in the racing/suspension archive?

[Dan [Sac]]

Nice work! I wanted to do this but didn't want to put in the time at the JY to find the right fit, so I thank yee for the info

Beats my method of gutting the PS pump and just leaving it in there (saves weight, and a small amount of power needed to turn the PS pump pulley). I will do this to the 323 when the ZE goes in.

[2ndgengt]

excellent info! would you mind if i added it into my thread in the racing/suspension archive?

Not at all

Nice work! I wanted to do this but didn't want to put in the time at the JY to find the right fit, so I thank yee for the info

Beats my method of gutting the PS pump and just leaving it in there (saves weight, and a small amount of power needed to turn the PS pump pulley). I will do this to the 323 when the ZE goes in.

I work at a parts store so I just hunt for things like this in down time. Its much better than having to hunt in the yards

[lilpavel]

Great write-up, Im wondering how the car will feel without power steering. I've driven plenty of cars without it, but none were fwd cars.

[2ndgengt]

Great write-up, Im wondering how the car will feel without power steering. I've driven plenty of cars without it, but none were fwd cars.

Man, its a bitch!! I will probably swap back to normal at least until someone has come up with a manual rack option. Fighting the power rack is not worth the small amount of power gain(if any). The whole reason I took it out is because I wanted more room in the bay but i honestly dont dont think it is worth it.

[BLUEnoEQ]

Related thread. It's still a work in progress, but it's a good read. Hey maybe you can finish it. http://forums.probetalk.com/showthread.php?t=1701270543

[J-Spec GT]

Remind me and ill let you drive mine Rob.
I dont think the belt would slip off the other one. Having well balanced ribbed pulleys above and very closely below the one you replaced plus the tension of it, I dont see that happening.
Easiest method is to remove the back of the pump and its internals. Done. I do remember using a washer as a spacer on mine as well though. Added it behind the main bracket.

[Dan [Sac]]

Either that, or depower the stock rack. My 323 has a depowered rack, and it's a bit stiff while parallel parking, but anything over 5mph it's fantastic. I think Polar has posted a Probe-specific procedure based on the Miata work - it should be somewhere in the 2.5 perf. forum.

[2ndgengt]

Yea thats what I was thinking of doing but I dont feel like destroying my rack to find out it still sucks as a DD.

[Dan [Sac]]

They're $45 at the Pnp.

[hppwdn]

Good research, I like it.

[2ndgengt]

They're $45 at the Pnp.

Hmmmm maybe I should go out and check the yards around here most of the time there are no probes out there but it has been awhile. Hey dan I read in some post you made a walkthrough or some easy way to drop the subframe? do you know what im talking about? I saw someplace somone said you did. I searched and couldnt come up with anything

[MSDKLZE]

I just got one of those 6-rib Chevy pulleys today. This is going to help me delete my busted azz power steering pump. I will leave it on the car probably cuz i am too lazy to get in there and tear out all the lines and stuff, but at least it wont keep dragging down the engine and making that horrible "schwinnnnggggggg!" noise all the time.
Luckily, I already shaved down the oil pump casting from the old UDP install, so the belt will fit just fine.

Which size belt will I be needing?