I have been looking at putting an electric power steering column in my car for a while now but I have put a hold on that since the dash is just not designed to take any twisting load and would require a lot of bracing.
A mate of mine put an astra electric pump in his car and decided to buy me a pump too, so why not I guess.
It's a pretty straightforward install. I mounted mine to the inner guard on the left hand side, ran the hoses through the guard and through the original hose bracket.
I used -6AN teflon hose for the pressure side and -8AN regular line for the return since there's low pressure on that side.
Lowes fabrication in Sydney make a mounting bracket for about $135.
There are 4 wires to operate it.
The two main power/ground wires are 8 gauge. I used an anderson plug (the type used for caravan connections etc) for those two due to the high current here.
The small black wire connects to an ignition source. The blue wire can also connect to this wire, but if both wires are provided power at the same time, the pump takes it's time to spool up.
In the Astra, the blue wire is sent 12v by the ECU once the engine is running. So if you delay putting power on the blue wire for a couple of seconds, the pump spins up instantly.
Because my car is EFI, I connected the black wire to my fuel pump wire, then used a delay circuit to apply power to the blue wire 4 second later. My fuel pump will only run for 2 seconds if the engine dies, so this means that my steering pump also won't run if the engine is not running.
If you're incorporating this into a new EFI build and you have spare outputs on your ECU, I would connect the blue wire to an output that supplies 12v when the engine is above cranking speed. So essentially as soon as the engine is at idle or above, the pump will engage.
Here is a pic of it mounted under the guard. I didn't take too many pictures as I wasn't really intending to post. I can take more pics if anyone is interested in a particular area.
Edit:
If you want to delay activation of the second wire so it spools up quickly, this is the kind of thing I used:
Easy to find on ebay for under 10 bucks.
Astra power steering pump.
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Astra power steering pump.
Last edited by hybrid on Wed Sep 15, 2021 4:07 am, edited 4 times in total.
Re: Astra power steering pump.
Great work, do you think you'll need to put on a shield to protect from any rocks that may kick up?
Re: Astra power steering pump.
I don't think so, but we'll find out!
Oh, I should mention how it feels. I think the steering is slightly heavier than it was with the teardrop pump I had on it prior.
It feels pretty good though.
The lower pressure also allowed me to feel a problem I had the entire time and didn't realise. My steering valve adjustment was slightly out and it was easier to turn left than right. A half turn of the adjustment nut fixed that and the steering feels way better overall now.
Oh, I should mention how it feels. I think the steering is slightly heavier than it was with the teardrop pump I had on it prior.
It feels pretty good though.
The lower pressure also allowed me to feel a problem I had the entire time and didn't realise. My steering valve adjustment was slightly out and it was easier to turn left than right. A half turn of the adjustment nut fixed that and the steering feels way better overall now.
Last edited by hybrid on Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Astra power steering pump.
Thanks Jeff,
I just told a mate here about using one, so will get him to read this.
Jbb
I just told a mate here about using one, so will get him to read this.
Jbb
Re: Astra power steering pump.
Here's a good video showing the difference if you put power to both wires vs staging them.
Re: Astra power steering pump.
There should be enough room to mount the pump under the rear splash tray. I did a trial fit on a 67 and appeared to fit ok. Only issue would be checking levels. It looks as though it would fit a 65-6 also.
Was going to do this but then i'd have to fill all the holes in the apron then repaint it.
I also delayed the startup on mine by using a Peel CP30 Switch that Mr Ed suggested. It's used in LPG installs so it only runs when it sees an ignition tach signal. Works fine and off when cranking.
Was going to do this but then i'd have to fill all the holes in the apron then repaint it.
I also delayed the startup on mine by using a Peel CP30 Switch that Mr Ed suggested. It's used in LPG installs so it only runs when it sees an ignition tach signal. Works fine and off when cranking.
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Re: Astra power steering pump.
I liked it up front so the original hose bracket would work, and yes can fill it easy enough.
Re: Astra power steering pump.
very cool mate. much better than the idea of using your radiator as a pool water feature
Onlyfans.com?hybrid wrote:
I can take more pics if anyone is interested in a particular area.
.
Last edited by gbx78 on Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
'You can never test fire too many times.' - Hybrid
'You can never have too many gauges' -
Boofhead
'You can never have too many gauges' -
Boofhead
Re: Astra power steering pump.
As Nuts worked out, the Astra pump draws a lot of current and causes a voltage drop on startup which upsets the EFI so it is below it's minimum for startup.Nuts wrote:I also delayed the startup on mine by using a Peel CP30 Switch that Mr Ed suggested. It's used in LPG installs so it only runs when it sees an ignition tach signal. Works fine and off when cranking.
The simple fix is the Peal LPG switch as Nuts used or a $10 timer as Hybrid used. I worked out after Nuts bought the Peal relay I recommended that a simple 5 pin relay on the starter circuit would have done the same thing for about $5.
85 - Tap into the power wire on the starter solenoid wire and connect it to the 85 terminal.
When you hit the starter it opens the 'normally closed' relay (87a) and disconnects the pump.
86 - Goes to earth
30 - Ignition in
87a - Ignition out ('normally closed') to blue wire power out to pump (low current only)
87 - Not needed
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66 Convertible Bench Seat AODE 3.5 9"
66 Convertible Bench Seat AODE 3.5 9"