Power steering delete?

[mahanddeem]

Hello,
We have a Honda Odyssey 2004 with 157k miles. Body is in bad shape, suspension is so so, but engine and transmission are healthy. It's kind of our beater. It has a bad power steering leak. Got several estimates from several shops around and all if them seem riping to me, one shop estimates the cost is around $500 to $600 with I'm sure some crap chinese parts.
Anyway, I don't feel like spending that much on it.
And due to lacking of a garage living to condo I have no place or even time to tear it up myself. Seems it needs high pressure hose and and a possibility of a leak from the pump itself.
Back in my youth days, I had a power steering leak in a Toyota and I had a power steering delete. I don't know what that involved but apart from the heavy steering wheel it was drivable and fine to use.

Is there a way to disable the system? Remove the belt? Or what's the easiest way to do it?

Thanks

 

[wdn]

You don’t want to drive a minivan size car without power steering. It’s not an optional add on the car was designed to drive with power steering. I don’t even think you would even have a safe handling vehicle without it so spend the money on a new rack.

 

[Lubener]

You cannot safely delete the power steering due to the way the steering or rack & pinion is geared. You would never be able to steer the vehicle effectively in an emergency situation. It has nothing to do with vehicle size, it's a gearing issue.

 

[mattd]

Not possible. You’d need a manual rack, which they don’t make for that car.

 

[totegoat]

Remove the belt and do a test drive in a safe place. Good luck.

 

[oggb]

Remove the belt and do a test drive in a safe place. Good luck.

I mean, this is 100% what I'd do, especially if it's a beater and you don't *really* care how it handles. It might get real weird at highway speeds. Without the pump it may have a tendency to try and jerk the wheel out of your hands. All you can do is try. Depending on where the leak is it might keep leaking for a while.

It'll probably be pretty difficult to turn at low speeds. You've got practically the entire weight of the engine and transmission over the front wheels on that big girl.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I doubt your rack&pinion will survive. Not designed for that kind of a load.

 

[mahanddeem]

I see. Thanks for all the replies.
Due to how great if a vehicle it is (heavy duty machine) I think I'll collect the parts and fix it.

 

[meep]

Those are super solid vehicles. i watched ours get totaled with everyone in it but me, and they all walked away from it. I drove the crumpled mess for a week before insurance got sorted out, and while the side was caved in, it drove like it was new.

without the hydraulics, the on-center handling will also be as loose as a goose, since the direct connection goes through a torsion spring in the fluid valve.

you’re making the right call in my opinion.

 

[atikovi]

Remove the belt and do a test drive in a safe place. Good luck.

And also pump up the front tires to 50 psi.

 

[Cujet]

Sometimes, the hose can be replaced and the fittings re-used. Takes some ingenuity, but it can often be done successfully. The crimp on the outside can be cut off with a hacksaw. A hydraulic shop can install new crimps.

 

[Lubener]

And also pump up the front tires to 50 psi.

This and removing the belt are both laughable and unsafe. Apparently both do not know the mechanical differences between power and manual steering.

 

[supton]

Lost an alternator once so I limped home the 2 miles with no belt. Once moving it wasn't so bad, but nearly lost it while turning into the driveway--I had forgotten in that span just how heavy the steering was...

I've heard of doing power to manual swaps but this is a heavy vehicle and I don't think anything like it was available w/o power steering. And I think it may be a liability the first time someone tries to drive it w/o knowing about this mod--or does but manages to forget about it. IMO if it's not worth fixing then maybe it's time for it to go bye-bye.