hi jeff..

 

seems like my power steering has started to play up for no reason, the fluid seems fine, but then im not sure what level it should be.

 

piccy attatched.

 

when driving it seems fine and sometimes it seems very heavy to steer. not had any leaks or problems before yesterday with the steering. so this is a new one.

 

i would check the sensor and solenoid if i knew : a- what they looked like and B: where they were!! lol

 

basically any help would be good before i pull me hair out..

 

i have got the hicas diagnostic sheet from ttnet and im going to try that but the ecu reports code 55 and i had it checked by datascan at the ross on wye meet the other week and apart from the idle being .25 high all was fine.

 

car is a 1990 jap 2str swb.

 

thanks

 

big si

speed sensor or speed convertor problem

could be but it could also be the cable that goes to the pas bottle that has broken as it was twisted around itself, can i put a meter across the cables connector and get a reading ( disconnecting it from the car first of course)

right i have just spent an hour trying to do that fkn turn steering wheel 20 degrees left to right and pump break pedal 5 times etc... and not once did it fkn work.

 

i know the hicas bulb is fine as when i turn the key all the dach bulbs light then go out when the car starts up as per normal.

 

what the fuk am i doing wrong on this test then?? gotta be honest it doesnt make much sense though as per this... Within 10 seconds after turning the key to 'ON', start the engine, turn steering wheel from left to right 20 degrees from neutral 5 times or more times & pump the brakes 5 times. Then press the brake pedal again to enter the test mode

 

 

what the fuk am i doin wrong?? eh??

 

i need some food now..

Takes a bit of practise bud!-but it does work............ ;)

practise.... fuk me i did it to the letter and got no-where.. ok is it like this, key in car, turn on start engine, turn whel left to right 20 degrees then pump brake or pump break at same time. also how many turns and how many pumps?

 

damn car..

I have got the diagnostic to work, it does take a bit of practice though.

Do as this says http://www.ttzd.com/tech/hicas/hicas.html

Basicall it's 5 turns left twenty degrees, and 5 rurns right twenty dergees, do it quickly then press brake peddle 5 times, make sure your foot comes off the peddle between presses. You should feel the rear end of car start to twitch and any error codes will flash on the dash.

doesnt state that it says you have to drive 15ft under 9mph to engage the hicas error light codes

doesnt state that it says you have to drive 15ft under 9mph to engage the hicas error light codes

 

Sorry yes it does. The hicas light will flash though before you move aswell.

pk1,

 

Right first off you are heading in the wrong direction with the hicas diagnostic, forget that for now as the fault is elsewhere.

 

Basically steering assistance variance is ecu controlled, after much working out what and where all you need to know is there are inputs and an output.

 

 

The input starts at the speed sensor, this signal is delivered to the rear of the speedo head, from here it is re-distributed via a dedicated output to the steering ecu and such things as the cruise control , auto box controller etc.

 

The ecu for the steering takes this and other input signals and produces its own

output signal to the steering rack solenoid (5 volts).

 

The steering solenoid is mounted on the drivers end of the rack and looks like a small cylinder shaped unit with a small cable extending from it and reaching the adjacent chassis rail, it is clipped in to the loom here that brings the output signal from the steering ecu.

 

This signal works on a low voltage of around 5 volts, this is the signal that can cause the problem,the 5 volt signal is usually lost for one of the following reasons.

 

1) Faulty speed sensor

2) Faulty speed delimiter

3) Faulty speedo head

4) Faulty steering ecu ( more common in non turbo)

5) Faulty cable within the system

6) Faulty steering solenoid

 

1 to 3 can be illiminated IF when the fault occurs the speedo still works and so does the cruise control, as this proves you have both input and output signals at the speedo head.

 

4 can be illiminated if 1 to 3 are ok and the 5 volt signal is present on the output pin on the ecu ( will advise of pin number, cannot recall it at the moment)

 

5 can be illiminated if the 5 volt signal appears at the steering solenoid

 

6 can be be illiminated if one of the above is faulty.

 

Testing for the 5 volt signal at both the ecu and steering solenoid is made more easy if you have a prepared test meter with slim leads and optional crocadile clips.

 

On a road test when the hard steering occurs check the cruise and speedo operation then return home, DO NOT SWITCH OFF THE CAR or this will rest the system, jack the car from the drivers side and check for the 5 volts signal at the steering solenoid, if not there then check the steering ecu pin out for the same, if its is there then the problem is a broken cable in between the two points, if it is not there and the speedo and cruise test where ok then the ecu is faulty.

 

I know that sound a bit long winded, but it is the best way to solidly confirm where the fault lies.

 

The steering ecu is under the engine ecu in the passenger footwell.

 

Hope that helps

 

 

Jeff TT

just wondering if the sensor that sits in the power steering fluid resevoir cables coming to the top of it can also cause this problem? as the cables were twisted very tightly. can i put my meter accross them?

 

 

what i have noticed is that if i turn the steering wheel while it idles the revs dip very very lightly. hardly noticeable, my speedo works fine though..

 

i will try and check the sensor under the car tomorrow.

 

also my car is a jap import short wheel base 2 seater twin turbo

The sensor in the resevoir is for level only, will not cause your problem, the dipping of the tick over when using the steering is just the addition load been put on the engine by the pump when it starts working to turn the steering system.

 

If you speedo works ok then start at the steering sensor end, as I said the signal voltage is quite low so a bad connection could be the cause of the problem.

 

Jeff TT

pk1,

 

Right first off you are heading in the wrong direction with the hicas diagnostic, forget that for now as the fault is elsewhere.

 

Basically steering assistance variance is ecu controlled, after much working out what and where all you need to know is there are inputs and an output.

 

 

The input starts at the speed sensor, this signal is delivered to the rear of the speedo head, from here it is re-distributed via a dedicated output to the steering ecu and such things as the cruise control , auto box controller etc.

 

The ecu for the steering takes this and other input signals and produces its own

output signal to the steering rack solenoid (5 volts).

 

The steering solenoid is mounted on the drivers end of the rack and looks like a small cylinder shaped unit with a small cable extending from it and reaching the adjacent chassis rail, it is clipped in to the loom here that brings the output signal from the steering ecu.

 

This signal works on a low voltage of around 5 volts, this is the signal that can cause the problem,the 5 volt signal is usually lost for one of the following reasons.

 

1) Faulty speed sensor

2) Faulty speed delimiter

3) Faulty speedo head

4) Faulty steering ecu ( more common in non turbo)

5) Faulty cable within the system

6) Faulty steering solenoid

 

1 to 3 can be illiminated IF when the fault occurs the speedo still works and so does the cruise control, as this proves you have both input and output signals at the speedo head.

 

4 can be illiminated if 1 to 3 are ok and the 5 volt signal is present on the output pin on the ecu ( will advise of pin number, cannot recall it at the moment)

 

5 can be illiminated if the 5 volt signal appears at the steering solenoid

 

6 can be be illiminated if one of the above is faulty.

 

Testing for the 5 volt signal at both the ecu and steering solenoid is made more easy if you have a prepared test meter with slim leads and optional crocadile clips.

 

On a road test when the hard steering occurs check the cruise and speedo operation then return home, DO NOT SWITCH OFF THE CAR or this will rest the system, jack the car from the drivers side and check for the 5 volts signal at the steering solenoid, if not there then check the steering ecu pin out for the same, if its is there then the problem is a broken cable in between the two points, if it is not there and the speedo and cruise test where ok then the ecu is faulty.

 

I know that sound a bit long winded, but it is the best way to solidly confirm where the fault lies.

 

The steering ecu is under the engine ecu in the passenger footwell.

 

Hope that helps

 

 

Jeff TT

 

my pas play sup, but sometimes speedo plays up with it and sometimes it doesn't, i have removed speedo converter but no change, the board on the clcks was cut just before the speed input to dial, i have connected the inupt and output wires which were in the converter together to loop round this, however it still plays up, could this be the clocks ?