[modern] SLS conversion Part II - under the hood

[Bryan Neish <B.F.N@BTInternet.com>]

Forced out of my sloth by the need to replace a suspect CPS [see "Deathly
hush" 11 Aug], I took the opportunity to remove the redundant SLS hydraulic
pump, Girling control valve and hoses not required since I converted to
conventional rear suspension two years ago.
The procedure was similar to that posted by Dave Lokensgard [Modern 12 Apr
2000 - thanks Dave] with minor variations.
e.g I didn't remove the top radiator hose for better access mainly because the
radiator drain plug on my car seems to have welded itself into it's drain hole
and fearing potential damage to the radiator, I am not about to attempt
further to remove it. I usually drain the radiator by removing the bottom hose
- but that's a "total loss" scenario and messy so I decided to see if I could
manage without - and did it OK.
Dave describes salvaging the support bracket which holds both the hydraulic HP
hose from the pump and one of the A/C hoses to retain it for the latter. My
car's installation must be different. The support bracket is formed around,
and is spot welded to, a swaged sleeve on the HP hose which I suppose I could
have "butchered" to remove, BUT, that bracket, through a rubber isolator,
bolts to the top of an extension to the mounting for the Girling valve. When I
installed the new moulded HSMO feed from the reservoir to the P/S Pump, it
fouled [by about one inch when hot] that extension so the mounting had to be
removed in it's entirety anyway. [I did think of shortening the top of the new
hose to clear the mounting but I thought the 90 degree bend would put too much
strain on the feed nipple on the plastic reservoir which is prone to cracking].
I baulked at removing the mounting "the proper way" by detaching the nuts and
reinforcing plate from the studs which pass through the inner wing valance
into the wheel arch. The mounting is bonded to four cubes of rubber which in
turn are bonded to an inner base plate - so I sliced through the rubber blocks
to separate the mounting and left the rest in place. 
To support the A/C hose in the long term I intend to get a couple of the
"figure eight" plastic hose "stand-off" clips similar to the one already in
place on the A/C hoses nearer to the bulkhead. Meanwhile a couple of cable
ties loosely fitted keep them from flopping around unduly.
Removal of the hydraulic pump was straightforward and although access between
it and the fan is tight I managed to get a one-quarter inch drive 10 mm socket
in there between the fan blades. The bolts were really (stuck) tight and an
open ended may well have rounded off the corners. Fitting the blanking plate
with the new bolts provided [P/N FS108201J] raised a small problem. The bolts
were too long and had to be cut back - they "bottomed out" before clamping the
plate. The new bolts protruded 0.75 ins through the plate whereas the bolts
which held the pump on originally protruded only 0.5 ins beyond the flange of
the pump.
I used the same technique as Dave L to remove the feed and return hoses from
the reservoir - carefully cutting the hose over the nipples length-wise with a
hobby knife until they could be removed from the nipples without putting any
strain on them. From the white deposit left on the black plastic nipples, I
think that some sort of sealant was applied when the hoses were originally fitted.
The socket [of the electrical connector for the valve body] which remains
attached to the wiring loom fits neatly inside a discarded Kodak 35 mm film
canister held on with a couple of turns of insulating tape. I thought it was
an elegant way of keeping dirt and moisture out when it's tied back to the
loom and looks just as Sir William himself would have fitted it!

Didn't notice any strange noises when I started the engine afterwards and the
P/S still works OK.

Parts used :-

	1ea Blanking Plate EAC3977  - £3.85
	1ea Hose           CBC6297  - £5.70
	3ea Bolt           FS108201J- £0.45

Oh, and BTW, I also changed the CPS - very easy access now the SLS pump and
hoses are removed.

Part used :-

	1ea CPS            DBC11501 - £33.90

[All prices - Plus VAT & delivery from Classic Components UK]

Bryan N
‘91 4.0 Sovereign [76 K]
‘91 1.6 MX 5 / Miata [87 K]
Cambs., England.