I have an 89' maro, iroc-z, 5.7 motor. I was thinking of removing the power steering for a cleaner look under the hood. Would anyone advise against this? And how hard is it to do this?

 

I got an 89' iroc-z, 5.7 motor, automatic. When I shift from Park to Neutral it's ok, but when I shift from Drive all down to second, I dont have to press the button. Why is this? Is my tranny broken or something?

 

I wouldn't recommend it. The Camaro's a pretty heavy car, and it would probably not be a real good idea to remove the power steering. The thing would steer like a 1955 Chevy.

 

I bought an 85 Camaro and the guy before me had taken the power steering out, it honestly drives like a boat. I had a 1965 Chev half ton and the camaro is even harder to drive then that thing. I definately don't suggest doing it. I'm trying to get all the pieces together to put the power steering back into my car.

 

There are a couple of reasons why making the power steering box work like a manual isn't the best idea. You ever have the engine kill on you, which stops the power steering pump, and the steering feels like it's locked up? That's because you're trying to push the fluid through the small passages inside the steering box, instead of it getting pumped through under high pressure. Fine you say, I'll just drain the fluid out of the steering box then. That's ok, but the fluid is how the power steering box gets lubricated. Manual boxes are different inside, and are oil filled. You might get lucky and it could last you a while if you drain it. Another thing is power steering boxes generally have a wider gear ratio, which means fighting the steering wheel with more turns than if it was a true manual box.

 

I wouldn't do it just for the look of it. Probably only if it was a drag car and there were skinnies up front. Don't know how much HP the pump takes away but that is one accessory you would definitely leave. I lost a PS belt on my 78 T/A once and my arms were hurting the following day after driving it home. You could probably try the older PS pumps that had smaller brackets and came with with a single damper. They sit low and nicely cleaned up might make it look different.

 

A common swap is a manual box from an 80's S10. It's a direct bolt in.

I don't see the point in getting rid of power steering though. There's a reason people retrofit it into their older cars: It's GREAT! I have power steering, and I'd say my engine bay is pretty clean:

 

I don't have p.s. in my 69, but I'm a big strong boy!
I spose if I lived in a city and had to parallel park every day it might get to me, but I still wouldn't convert it to power.

 

and not only is the box not set up for manual use, neither is the steering shaft. i tore a rag joint on a car just steering it manually, and i can hear some pretty bad sounds on other vehicles that dont have a running engine and need to be steered