Saginaw conversion + Desmog (1 Viewer)

[Atthruhiker]

I am about to have my 82 fj60 desmogged by my local mechanic. Im not mechanically competent enough to do it myself and he has done several fj60 desmogs.

My power steering pump leaks and it is the 3rd one I have had replaced in the last 2 years (all remanufactured), so Im either going to spend the money and get an OEM toyota or I was thinking about going Saginaw based on all the rave reviews about it I have seen on here.

My mechanic suggests to go ahead and do everything at the same time (pump and desmog)

I read on a few threads that you can put the saginaw PS pump in the place of the smog pump, I already bought all the desmog parts from Jim C and it comes with a smog pump idler pulley. Was this purchase unnecessary?

If I go saginaw then what parts exactly do I need? I found that you can buy a saginaw conversion kit from Cruiser Brothers in CA. Do I need to get this entire kit?

Also, does anyone know the exact part number for the saginaw PS pump Im supposed to buy?

Thanks in advance, im just a little confused on what parts I need to get if I am going to desmog and replace/convert power steering in one shot.

 

[g-man]

No reason to do both of these at the same time. They are not in the way of each other. I like to get one thing done at a time. Then troubleshoot, instead of doing a bunch of stuff and trying to figure out any problems that come up.

I'd put the idler pulley on where the smog pump came off. It will be a tensioner pulley for the fan/water pump belt.

Cruiser Bros conversion kit is needed to modify the ps bracket. You will need to remove your bracket and cut a leg off of it, then bolt his adapters to it. I think about any saginaw "p" pump will work ...he references one that he uses on his post. Personally I'd get a new one and not a rebuilt one from a parts store. I've had bad luck with 2 reman's. Borrowing a pulley puller/press more than once to remove or install the press on pulley is a pain. My new pump is a CVF racing sag pump and has a keyway and nylon lock nut instead of a press on. If you go with the press on ...again ref Georg's post and get the pulley with the holes in it. Necessary to remove and install the pump to the bracket. Make sure the you get the right ps pressure hose...most saginaws have a 5/8-18 threads but I guess there are some metric ones out there. Also you need to get the right sized belt, the old V belt you had for the toyota pump will not fit into the new pulley.

 

[OSS]

The rebuilt Toyota pumps always fail early. A brand new Toyota pump can last 10 years easy.
My vote is just get another new Toyota pump and forget about it. No special brackets required or nothin. Just bolt it on.
I replaced my PS pump once in 30 years and 290,900 miles. New Toyota

 

[bcolvin]

I am in the process of doing the desmog as well as the powersteering pump. The kit from cruiser brothers is a complete kit. It comes with an already modified bracket. You send them back your current bracket to get back the core charge. Also included is a new power steering lines, pulley, and belt. The power steering pump is from autozone. Endurance Power Steering Pump 7023. My cruiser is still down and out as one project has led into another so I can give you a full report on how everything is working.

 

[Cruzerman]

Here is my write-up from many years ago. Do the Saginaw when you do the desmog since it will allow you to ditch the smog pump and not have to use an idler pulley or gutted smog pump. And you'll get two belts running the water pump, which is also a plus.

Saginaw Pump Install

Well, like so many other folks, the power steering pump gave up the ghost on my FJ60. Leaked all over the place. Luckily, I don't have an air pump, but it did cause me to have to replace the motor mount. Anyhow, I replaced it with a rebuilt pump. Lasted about 1 1/2 years until it started...

forum.ih8mud.com

IMHO, the Saginaw pump is much better than the Toyota unit.

 

[g-man]

Ok. The ps pump is sort of in the way of pulling out the smog pump...but if you turn it around in your hand like a rubics cube enough times ...it will come out w/out having to remove the ps pump.

 

[g-man]

..before removing the ps pump or its supply lines, cover the driver's engine mount with some foil or cling to keep it from getting soaked with ps fluid. Ps fluid soaked rubber motor mounts will fail.

 

[NMfjCruiser]

The Saginaw is great. If your pump leaks it’s a cheap alternative. I think it even changed the steering feel for the better. If the Sag were to leak you can pick it up anywhere. Definitely a vote for the Sag

 

[g-man]

This link outlines how to flush your power steering. I recommend doing this if you have the time and a few quarts of ATF. May get a few more years out of your steering gear. Not only getting the old fluid out also flushing out bits of metal. How to replace power steering fluid (with pictures) | IH8MUD Forum