Yup, my '86 came to me without a power steering pump and we've been driving
it that way for 5 or 6 years. Nobody in the family is very big but we manage
to parallel park on 225/55-16 tires without trauma.

Perhaps there is something wrong in your front end Jeff...

On Sun, May 1, 2011 at 12:20 PM, J Stewart <fonman4277@comcast.net> wrote:

> I may have just answered my own question. I had to move the van in the
> driveway, and after popping off the belt I jumped in a fired it up-I could
> barely turn the wheel. It took me several times of going forward/backward
> and gently turning the wheel to get it to move. It felt very stiff, and I
> was afraid if I tried to turn it harder something would break. I thought
> I've read before where folks had disconnected the belt and just kept
> driving? Jeff
>
>
>
> Jeff Stewart
>
>
> ----- "J Stewart" <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>
>
> <SIGH> It's been an all VW weekend for me, and not a good one. Yesterday
> was spent trying to figure why when it rains my daughter's New Beetle floods
> on the drivers side floor, ruining an airbag sensor to the tune of $503.00.
> It has no sunroof (every one keeps telling me to clean the sunroof drains!).
> Today was time for some PM on the Vanagon, mainly flushing and refilling the
> power steering fluid and changing the filter. The fluid reservoir was quite
> gunked up, so I decided to remove it for cleaning, and well, as your might
> have guessed, the lower hose fitting snapped off. Sooooooooo, a new
> reservoir has been ordered, but in the meantime I have shoved bolts into the
> two hose ends and clamped them. I don't really need to drive it this week,
> but the question is, can I drive it with the fluid reservoir disconnected
> without harming anything? TIA, Jeff
>
>
>
> Jeff Stewart
>

--
Jake

1984 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX - 'The Grey Van'
1986 Westy Weekender/2.5 SOHC Subie - 'Dixie'

Crescent Beach, BC

www.thebassspa.com
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27