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Subject:Why is there no power steering in a diesel?
From:Sam Scholten
Date:Tue, 17 Mar 1998 17:18:21 -0800

Hi volks,

Here's the simple, obvious answer to the questions about power
steering in the diesel:

To my knowledge, there weren't ANY T3's with power steering until the
'84 Wolfys, which I seem to think came out late in the year. This is
over and above any consideration of power steering pumps usually being
where the exhaust manifold is, in the case of the bus.

I don't see why anybody shouldn't try to fabricate a mount on the
right side of the engine compartment, if they have the shop or
connections to do so. Power steering does not suck down that much
power; compared to what the verboten A/C sucks down, power steering's
demands are almost negligible.

Besides, my '84 has manual steering and, despite my daily parallel
parking, I am very satisfied with it. Downtown, it's not very heavy,
and in most driving situations, I prefer the tightness and road feel
of manual steering to the numbness of power steering anyway. In
addition, it is not advisable to steer your front wheels at a
standstill to begin with- regardless of what you've got, you'll wear
out your front end.

Maybe if you diesel westy guys are fighting the wheel that badly, you
may have problems with your shocks and/or front end alignment- or even
low tires! Trust me, in a manual-steering model, THESE THINGS MAKE ALL
THE DIFFERENCE.

I hope I haven't raised the goat with this one. If I do, I'm extremely
sorry. If you have comments, go ahead and send a reply to me.

Best regards,
Sam

"Punk's not dead (it just sucks right now)"
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