Hicas Problem R33 S1 Gtst

[kazumie_leaf]

hey SAU ! im a new member here so if this is in the wrong spot admins please move!

iv owned my 94 r33 gtst s1 for about 3 and a half years now and my good friend before me had it for 5. ever since he has owned the car the hicas light will stay on and the hicas will not work!. but every once so often (normally after a rain storm) the next morning when i start the car the hicas light will be off the steering is light and hicas is fully working. so go to the gas station shut it off restart it and bam hicas light heavy steering, the hicas is no longer active.

now i know alot of you will say just get a lock out bar. but id really like to find out this problem before resorting to a lock out bar ()not that im agianst it im just super interested in the hicas system its self) no one in my area (canada) knows anything about hicas systems. so i thought i could pick the brains of a few more experinced guys.

i have tryed getting it to go into diag. but its never worked for me even one day when the hicas was active i tryed it and nothing.. (either im doing it wrong. or its just not going into the diag.)

any help would be awesome. thanks SAU

[GTSBoy]

Aftermarket steering wheel?

[ErOR]

How are you trying to get it into the diagnostic mode?

The HICAS system and the low speed steering assistance are tied together as you've found out. There are speed sensors in front hubs and the steering angle sensor behind the steering wheel which are crucial. In the R33 the system is electronic so maybe there's a bad connection somewhere. Take out the HICAS ecu and pop it open to see that inside everything is ok, as sometimes a screw can get loose and it can create electrical shorts.

[GTSBoy]

Hence why I asked about an aftermarket wheel - because if the boss for the wheel does not have the drive peg for the steering angle sensor you;

a) get a HICAS fault and light on,

b) can't get it into diagnostic mode because the bloody steering angle sensor is needed as part of the song and dance.

The best answer when trying to diagnose this shit is to take it to a workshop with a decent scan tool (a Nissan dealer at the worst, any good general mechanic otherwise) and plug it into the Consult port and interrogate the HICAS CU directly.

[Neil]

I would also check all the sensors front and rear just to make sure everything is connected properly. Would I be correct in assuming the front steering rack on a S1 has a sensor as the S2's do. You would be so pissed off if turned out to be just a crappy connection or a frayed wire because it does work sometimes.

Cheers

Neil.

[kazumie_leaf]

hey guys sorry for the long reply. i belive the steering wheel was changed out to a stock r32 steering wheel. ill go over the sensors once i can get it into my buds shop. im thinking its a stupid connection and that would be why on more humid/rainy days it works but on warm ones doesnt. thanks for all the fast replies ill go over most of this and let you guys know whats up.

[89CAL]

Check steering wheel sensor as suggested

If you have heavy steering when driving slowly it may be the HICAS ECU itself. I had this problem (mind you i have a lock bar installed) and it was just an ECU fault. Sounds similar to yours. Usually the first time i drove it for the day it all worked then as soon as i parked up went and did something and came back, started the car - heavy steering

I bought another ECU for about $50 second hand (was actually a newer model HICAS ECU) and has been fine ever since

Ideally, if you know someone else with a 33, swap the HICAS ECU's and see if your car starts working perfectly and their car starts playing up. That way you can confirm or rule it out without spending anything

Edited May 12, 2015 by 89CAL