Hicas Locked But Still Having Steering Issues

[Munkyb0y]

R33 gtst S1.

My power steering has been playing up periodically.

I fitted a lockbar, but the same thing is still happening, more so now.

eg. Start it up, steering feels normal (light) for a couple of minutes, then gets heavy and stays heavy. If i turn the car off for a minute or so, and back on, it's back to normal for as long as i drive usually. Then maybe on the next start it might be heavy again, or will revert to heavy while driving.

I removed the steering postion sensor from behind the steering wheel. I thought removing it would probably make the steering heavy all the time. It seems to have made no difference.

I removed the hicas fuse from the boot. No difference.

I unplugged the hicas ecu. Steering gets heavy.

So what should i be looking at? The hicas ecu is faulty?

Considering removing the steering position sensor has made no difference, i would imagine that cant be the issue, or removing it would have caused heavy steering constanlty.

And why with the fuse removed do i still get light steering for extended periods? I thought that would kill the whole hicas deal.

Your advice / experience is appreciated.

And also, forget the hicas light. I dont care about the light being on. Just the weight of the steering. I'd gladly replace the hicas bulb with one 10 times brighter, just to have my normal steering back

Edited March 19, 2010 by Munkyb0y

[Munkyb0y]

so many responses. please people, contain yourselves

another thing that occured to me. i recall reading somewhere, when removing the hicas rack, leave what you can plugged in under there.

well when i removed it, there was only one earth strap to the rear cradle that remained. everything else was just loose ends that i cable tied away.

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

i didn't touch anything under the boss kit....

just hooked up the lock bar, cable tied all the new loose ends and crabwalked my ass over for an allignment....

afaik the hicas ECU is the same as the power steering, so disconnecting it will f**k your steering

try to get an ECU from a mate and try that?

[Munkyb0y]

cheers man

i'm trying to track one down, as cheap as possible, just to see if that helps.

i assume all s1 and s2 units would be the same

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

lol... nothings ever the same

[Munkyb0y]

surely theyre the same!!!!!!!!!

even the gtr33 series 3 unit seems to have the same lug connection for the harness.

[MBS206]

How urgent is getting the HICAS computer for you?

Mine will be out in like 2 - 3 weeks

[Munkyb0y]

How urgent is getting the HICAS computer for you?

Mine will be out in like 2 - 3 weeks

you have PM

[PM-R33]

How urgent is getting the HICAS computer for you?

Mine will be out in like 2 - 3 weeks

How are you taking it out? I was under the impression you can not take it out without it going into crazy "where the f**k is the HICAS computer gone, im going to take away your power steering mode you son of a bitch" mode.

[Munkyb0y]

lol yep, thats the mode it goes into without the hicas computer.

Edited March 25, 2010 by Munkyb0y

[MBS206]

This crazy mode it enters... Afaik that's the ecu causing that isn't it? Might need to recheck the wiring diagrams, but I believe it's done by ecu. As such that's already aftermarket.

And I was going to rip everything out out cables and all. I'll test it once I've moved the car. Pull hicas controller out, see if ps is alive

[Munkyb0y]

from what ive tried, if you remove the hicas computer, power steering goes with it. it may ultimately be up to the ecu, i dont know, but if it is, it doesnt like the hicas computer not being present. either way, the power steering goes.

it would be good to see if you work around this somehow. post up your findings when you get to it.

and wouldnt you know it? my power steering has been behaving itself over the past 2 days. so swapping anything out right now wont tell me much.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Munkyb0y

[GtrVspec]

well i don't know about dramas after the hicas bar is installed. but i was having the steering dramas before i put the bar in and before i took the car to the mechanici removed the fuse to the Hicas and wouldnt you know the steering is constantly soft and responsive. I have no Hicas ecu anymore and mine hasn't played up after the bar went in either...

[Munkyb0y]

really? farken hicas, the mystical creature from the far east.

[GtrVspec]

Another one ive heard is , you have the lock out bar in , no fuse , and u leave the ecu plugged in but u cut a wire which apprently is what goes to the steering sensor and cutting that wire will apparently eliminate the heavy steering problem. Can't confirm it though havent tryed.

[dave_rb20]

hey mate,

95 r33 here

I had heavy steering issues so did HICAS lockout + alignment.

I experienced intermittent heavy steering issues so removed the fuse which fixed the problem.

Never had problems with arm-breaking steering in 12months UNLESS I take my car through the laser car wash that sprays underside of car with high pressure water jet. This obviously disturbs or shortens out a sensor in the back end of car and problem will reappear until I turn ignition off then on again.

I'd say it's something to do with plugs near the diff.

Cheers

Edited March 27, 2010 by dave_rb20

[SiR_RB]

anyone know if this will work on an r32 gtr? and where is the fuse on the r32 gtr?

i want to give this ago...sick of hicas light poping up...friggin shiet !!

[Chris32R]

Does your light come on after 10 or so minutes of driving?

Mine does in my 32R and then it gets heavy steering.

Its getting the Hicas removed at Xspeed, I should get the car back tommorow. I will find out exactly what they removed and if it fixed the heavy steering issue.

[Munkyb0y]

what is this plug? the line under it runs to the steering rack.

i unplugged it to check the contacts were clean, and found it was wet in there. so i cleaned it with contact cleaner, and blew it out with a compressor.

drove the car last night and today and steering feels spot on. dont know if this might have been the cause of the intermittent problems or not.

fingers crossed. i guess i'll find out over the next week or so.

the reason i was in there was to clean this plug which runs straight to the solenoid by the looks of it. being under the oil filter, it gets covered in oil at every oil change.

well it was a total b1tch to unplug, really hard to reach, and requires two hands, but there's barely room for one.

cleaned it eventually, but it looked like it was pretty clean, and well sealed from the surrounding oil/grime.

[SiR_RB]

my light used to come on after about 10mins of driving and stay on, steering didnt realy get heavy

now the light flashes on and off every 5 or so mins, everytime the light goes on (usualy for 2 seconds) the steering gets heavy, soon as the light goes off steering goes back to norm

hecticGTR: yeh bro let us no how u go, if it fixed the problem im locking mine out aswell

thanks