| Moderated by: Greg Fletcher | ||
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Dr. E. Lopez Member
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Has anybody tried to put Power Steering? My 1974 J-H is awfull hard to steer.. Thanks Agape55 |
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Jensenman Member
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Not that I'm aware of. It shouldn't be neccesary to run power steering. Mine's pretty easy to steer, even with wider tires. Before trying to adapt something, you might want to make sure that: The bushing at the base of the steering column has not disintegrated; There is lubricant in the steering rack (it uses a small amount of 80W90 gear oil). If it has no lubricant, the boots might be bad allowing it to leak out and that would cause hard steering; The upper and lower ball joints have been properly greased; There is not excessive caster in the front suspension's alignment. If all this is within spec and you still feel it's too hard to steer, a competent shop could probably adapt a Mazda Miata steering rack and pump. Caution: this would be an extensive and expensive swap! |
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Dr. E. Lopez Member
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Thank you soo much for your quick answer. My mechanic was wondering if there is a "kit" that he can install. Thanks again Henry |
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Judson Manning Member 
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As J-man points out, look for the obvious out of spec / worn items. When I first got my JH it was about as easy as a first gen Fiero to steer, I just thought that was 'normal'. Upon closer examination the car had been in a front-end wreck and slapped-together poorly with trashed bushings, etc. In addition to everything else I found out my steering column had actualy collapsed a bit and needed to be reworked (reference other threads for that info). Once I got ALL of these items replaced and put on a set of stock 185/70-R13s I could steer the car with one finger (but not as ridiculous as a 1970s Cadillac!). I think we can agree J-man has a great appreciation for Mazda components and a talent for fabrication; but as he points out, doing such a swap wouldn't exactly be plug-and-play. Believe it or not, in stock form the car is actually designed pretty well....but who can resist the temptation to make it just a little bit 'better'...LOL Judson |
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