Stupid question......

[RustyRatRod]

How much HP do yall think a power steering pump will take to operate? Say in terms of a 12V motor. Would 2 HP do it?

 

[GTX.JCW]

Check the current issue of MOPAR Muscle, pg 34. They tested a ps pump on a big block and it showed an average of 6.6 hp loss across the RPM range and a peak loss of 7.6 hp.

Not really sure how it would translate to an electric motor running a pump though..

Jeff

 

[bm02tj]

that is why the car mfgs are going electric assist steering

 

[super-bee_ski]

yup
GTXJCW is right on rusty,
I'ts ALL in this months issue...

 

[Meep-Meep]

I suppose it depends on how you drive it and if the pump is working hard due to load. What is the ideal pump RPM to provide enough pressure? Idle usually doesn't quite do it so maybe 1500? And you don't need 6000. I think the Saginaw pumps are close to 1:1 so playing with some pulley ratios one might come up with a higher RPM motor but less HP to get the job done. Your 2 HP motor might just work if you don't run it direct. Also look at some of the tiny modern car pumps. Just thinking out loud.....

If you are thinking about saving crank HP I don't think it will matter if you shift the drive from the crank vs. adding a higher electrical load on the alternator. No matter what it takes energy to do work.

 

[GTX.JCW]

According to the MM article, the alternator is not the biggest power robber. At just over 4hp at 3K rpm, it pales in comparison to a standard 3" paper element air filter... 14.4 hp!!!! This is testing against running with no filter, and compared to an AirAid high flow filter, the loss was just 5.5 hp..

Having not done a lot of racing, those numbers really surprised me.

Jeff

 

[Budnicks]

yeah, Meeps has a good point... spit-ballen here... maybe with a gear/pulley advantage on an electric motor, they are very torquey & near instant speed/rpm, the 2-Hp might do the job OK... are you trying to use the power steering pump, as an hydraulic pump, for something other than it's automotive intended usage ??... I guess it depends on what type & how much strain, that will be put on the power steering pump, how hard it needs to work...

 

[RustyRatRod]

No, it's more of a space issue. I have P/S on the rat truck......and I'd kinda like to keep it. Hot Heads makes a nice low mount alternator bracket and low mount A/C ( I want air on it late on). That leaves nowhere for the P/S pump, because the only bracket they offer is low mount.

 

[Funship32]

According to the MM article, the alternator is not the biggest power robber. At just over 4hp at 3K rpm, it pales in comparison to a standard 3" paper element air filter... 14.4 hp!!!! This is testing against running with no filter, and compared to an AirAid high flow filter, the loss was just 5.5 hp..

Having not done a lot of racing, those numbers really surprised me.

Jeff

I know that with this latest addition of MM, I was really surprised by how much HP the air filter robbed too. I would have thought the PS pump the worst offender....

 

[daredevil]

How about long hoses and running it off the tailshaft or pinion

 

[Meep-Meep]

No, it's more of a space issue. I have P/S on the rat truck......and I'd kinda like to keep it. Hot Heads makes a nice low mount alternator bracket and low mount A/C ( I want air on it late on). That leaves nowhere for the P/S pump, because the only bracket they offer is low mount.

What did I see that had the PS pump off the back of a generator? I think an old Ford like early 60's. Visualizing the modern alternators it would be pretty difficult coupling something to the back. I never thought much about it but I don't think it matters which way the alternator is turning since it's really an A/C device. Assuming it doesn't care you could put the alt and PS pump face to face with some cute coupler. Hmmmmm, but then you have one going too slow and the other going too fast depending on which pulley you use. Or you can just mount them face to face to save room (assuming you have room for one of them sticking out past the crank pulley) and run two belts one behind the other. Or you can get a small PS pump and disguise it as a Hilborn pump and run it off the cam. That's actually pretty funny now that I think about it. I'm thinking all this up as I type (sober) so it's possible I left out some details!! I'll let you find the holes in my thinking. lol!

 

[daredevil]

Tony Christian of Worlds fastest street car fame ran his alternator off the pinion on his 57 chevy drag car.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I could see doing that with the alternator. With the P/S pump, the most you need it is at low speed and even stopped. So the drive train driven P/S pump wouldn't be effective then. But the alternator has possibilites. I could put the P/S where the alternator would mount.

 

[Budnicks]

I could see doing that with the alternator. With the P/S pump, the most you need it is at low speed and even stopped. So the drive train driven P/S pump wouldn't be effective then. But the alternator has possibilites. I could put the P/S where the alternator would mount.

now that's thinken' outside the proverbial box, just wont charge, when not moven'

 

[RustyRatRod]

I don't think that's be a big problem long as I didn't idle forever, do you? Specially with these mega batteries we can get nowadays.

And the thing is, bein a rat rod I can really rat it up and not even put a pulley on the drive shaft. lol I think it's stay put just fine with the alternator pulley, especially if I got a deep groove one.

 

[Budnicks]

I don't think that's be a big problem long as I didn't idle forever, do you? Specially with these mega batteries we can get nowadays.

And the thing is, bein a rat rod I can really rat it up and not even put a pulley on the drive shaft. lol I think it's stay put just fine with the alternator pulley, especially if I got a deep groove one.

Should work, don't idle too much or get stuck in too much bumper to bumper traffic & have a hot ignition, big stereo amp, tons of lights or something else that really drains power fast... you could run an old Vertex Magneto too, so the ignition isn't draining the battery while not moving, fits the theme too... run all the electronic thru Relays, be safe... could run 2 batteries too

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yeah. Two batteries on my little flat bed would look cool.

 

[Budnicks]

Do you have any photos of the Rat Truck project so far ??

 

[b-star69]

just build more hp!

 

[RustyRatRod]

Do you have any photos of the Rat Truck project so far ??

You must be sykick or sumffin. I was out there today and it hit me I was blabberin about my rat truck with no evidence. Here it is in all it's ratty glory. I madt the bed myself and I am NO carpenter. That's probably a good thing with a rat rod.