1992 3.0 serpentine routing to remove a/c and p/s

[Mark_88]

I am looking at buying this truck and was concerned because I don't need the a/c or p/s...need to give the gal a reply tomorrow morning or asap...

I'm sure Ford made these engines without a/c but not sure about p/s...

???? Can they both be removed and the serpentine belt be routed to run the alternator and water pump or does the alternator need to be moved to the other side...it is currently on the passenger side of the engine with the a/c and p/s on the driver side...

Any input would be much appreciated...up to and including midnight or sooner...if mods want to move this to the 3.0 forum I'm OK with that...but I really need to know if anyone has done this...searched the forum and google without anything other than "how to remove"...which I'm pretty sure I can do without instructions...

TIA

 

[kunar]

that's the deciding factor? i just looked up a belt routing diagram, it looks like its gonna be tough to do. if it comes down to it though, take apart a P/S pump and pull the guts out of it. keep the pully, shaft, bearings and the housing its self but get rid of the rest, then reassemble and install as an idler.

you have a manual gear box you plan on using or you got something else in mind? whats the reason for not wanting P/S?

 

[Mark_88]

It is one of the main factors...I am considering swapping the engine into my Ranger to replace a dying 2.3.

As it is, I will need to replace the dash, engine, fuel lines and tank and maybe the front clip to use the 92 fenders and hood that are in mint condition.

My Ranger has the manual steering box and I'm kinda used to it...and don't like having accessories that may need repair or replacement down the road...

But I might also have to swap in the steering column anyway...

My preference is to find and swap in another 2.3 but I'm not finding any for sale (88-93) in my area.

 

[kunar]

ahh, i see

 

[Mark_88]

Well it looks like I can delete the A/C but not the P/S...just need a shorter belt...I guess I can live with that...

 

[Mark_88]

So, I bought the truck...finally got the motor running...some guy had changed the plug wires and managed to break off the distributor screws then zip tied the distributor cap on...

Not only that...the firing order is 1-4-2-5-3-6 and the plugs are ordered 123 on the left side and 456 on the right (facing the engine)...the plug wires were numbered but they were all over the place...lol

Once I straightened that out and put fresh gas in the tank it fired right up...drove it around with the zip tied distributor cap and all and it seemed a bit sluggish but otherwise smooth...

The frame was even worse than I'd thought...so any hope of actually putting this truck on the road and having my 2.3 rebuilt went out with the scales...

Anyway, I did actually find the A/C delete diagram right on the front clip...so that's doable...but I'd really like to delete the P/S and trying to figure out how to route the belt...I'm sure it can be done with a bit of imagination and plenty of those spinny little wheels that go round and round but don't actually do anything other than direct the belt...

 

[adsm08]

The other thing you could do to "delete" the power steering is to just run it in a loop. Leave the pump, but run the line around so that it just flows back into the reservoir. That pump can produce about 3000 PSI of pressure, but you need a restriction to create pressure. Without a restriction all you get is flow. Since the restriction for the P/S system is a valve in the steering box you won't be hooking up that should not be a problem.

I can think of a few issues with Kunar's idea. The snout of the pump, the piece the pulley is pressed on to, is part of the pump armature, so if you gut the pump you remove the pulley mounting. The other thing, I am pretty sure the P/S fluid lubes the bearings in the pump, so if you run it dry it will seize up.

Running it in a bypass like I suggested should be the best of both worlds. It will be cheap to free, provide little drag, but won't run the risk of it seizing up and smoking the belt.

 

[Mark_88]

Thanks! I will check that option out as soon as I can.

I might still keep the P/S because it does seem to be working OK in my little spin today. I was worried that because it hasn't been driven for about a year or two (plated to 2014 but parked since 2012 when she bought her new Ranger) that it might be a problem. I actually pulled the P/S out and replaced the gearbox with the manual one in the truck currently when I swapped in the 2.3.

I've gotten used to steering with no power and the longer wheel base and thought it would free up some of those extra HP I would be getting just with the swap and less things to worry about.

It's all new to me right now...sorta like the first day with my new brain...lol