Power Steering Problems

[timbob]

Having a few issues with the power steering pump on my 106gti. It'll work sometimes perfectly fine, but every so often it hardens up - you can feel the amount of assistance changing through the wheel, very strange. Give the pump a clout, and it springs back into life for a certain amount of time.

I'm away from home at the moment, but can get a cheapish 2nd hand pump delivered there for next week, but in the meantime I want to disable the power steering.

Am I right in thinking that if I unplug the wiring to the (electric - not aux belt driven) PAS pump, then undo the hoses and drain the fluid out of the steering rack by turning lock to lock a few times, the car will drive as though it didn't have PAS at all.

I know it might be a touch heavier than a car designed not to have PAS at all, but that's fine, I'd rather not be wondering whether the steering will lock solid as I enter every corner!

 

[timbob]

That's why I want to drain the fluid out the rack, with the pump packed up, you're turning the wheel against the hydraulic pressure of the system - hence it being impossible to ture. That's how it sometimes is at the moment.

I think the theory goes that if you disconnect the pump and drain the fluid, it just works like an old school car with no power steering - slightly heavy at parking speeds, and fine once on the move, just like my old cars.

I just wanted somebody more knowledgeable than me to confirm that it would actually work, and I wouldn't knacker my steering rack or anything by draining the power steering fluid out of it. Anyone?