HICAS and my steering wheel (with pics)

[INASNT]

mine is like lindsey34's except i have the stock airbag wheel. light comes on after 10 minutes of fairly straight driving like on a highway or freeway only, and over about 70km/h. I have no performance issues with the alignment, indicators or hicas at all, just the stupid light.

I was thinking about pulling my airbag steering wheel off and getting a nice new steering wheel.

Where did you buy the boss kit to over ride the airbag sensors etc. I know autospeed sell one but its a bit of a joke price for just the boss kit.

Geoff

Does ur hicas bar make the steering wheel heavy at low speeds?

[GTRgeoff]

nedb, in NRB's case as i understand, the HICAS sensor on the steering column was aligned incorrectly, to suit the wheel. Still looking for reasons as to how this was done and eliminating some possibilities but I expect the Nardi steering wheel was either manufactured wrong or the boss is fitted wrong (if it had one). What is apparent is something is not aligned correctly as the indicators are not operating symmetrically thus I am suspiscious of the offset being achieved using the steering tie rods or rotating the steering column.

In your case it appears either a fault with the HICAS sensors at the rear or the computer and so the only solution I have seen is to replace either with operating parts or a lock.

[GTRgeoff]

Some think so but I never notice it.

[Beer Baron]

NRB having looked at a number of R32GTR stock steering wheels I can tell you the problem is not with your stock wheel. From what I've seen the holes for the HICAS 'lugs' SHOULD be at 2 and 7 as you describe. The fault is with the car (be it the rack or the sensor on the column I don't know).

HTH.

Richard

[nedb]

skylinegeoff - what makes you think that the HICAS sensor on the steering column was aligned incorrectly in NRB's case?

My steering sensor is aligned 2 -7 o'clock possition and from my understanding, that is the correct setup on R32? Am i right?

[GTRgeoff]

mmmgtir, that appears to be the case which is why I suspect the column or the tie rods.

Nick, I screwed up. I did get an email from you and cleverly filed it under HICAS and didn't look there so accept my apology. I was looking into getting the hoses made up or at least providing all the sizes of fittings to make buying them easier. Still haven't done that yet so don't have an answer to your question. To answer the question quickly here for the benefit of others, the hydraulically operated HICAS is usually just blocked off with a couple of bungs but I have heard of others that use the bender pipe. How mauch it would be I don't know.

[GTRgeoff]

skylinegeoff - what makes you think that the HICAS sensor on the steering column was aligned incorrectly in NRB's case?

My steering sensor is aligned 2 -7 o'clock possition and from my understanding, that is the correct setup on R32? Am i right?

You are right so with NRB it's that the wheel is most likely centred when parked with the front wheels dead ahead (as it would be for installation), but the indicator switches off at different positions left and right which shows the column is not properly aligned. the HICAS computer senses this and after 7-10km goes into fault mode, causing the steering offset. The way to determine which is to check the tie rods. If they are equal length then the steering shaft has been rotated.

[nedb]

When i think about it i have a slight problem with the indicator switch as well. Not sure if it's the same thing as NRB's but sometimes i have issues with it staying on as you almost have to force it to indicate.

[NRB]

Geoff, no worries on the e-mail - I've got your reply here now

I'll try to get under the car this weekend to suss out the tie rod situation - await some more photography

[r324door]

I got the same problem and the holes on the steering wheel are 2 - 7 o'clock. Also, sometime my car would start pulling to the side once i hit 65 - 70 and the HICAS kicks in. It feels like drifting but without the wheel spin. The steering wheel has to be turned up to 2 o'clock to get the car to go straight. Once i slow down bellow 60 it fixes itself up.  

Also, after about 10km the HICAS light would come on and then i guess the HICAS comp would shut itself off and the steering would straighten out.  

Any ides anyone?

hey i have only just got my car a 2 weeks ago and thursday just gone my car started doin exactly the same thing, today i was stuffin round to c if i caould fix it and everythime i drove it today it did the same thing. i dont no a hell of a lot about skylines yet, but i just unplugged the computer and drove it then came back home and plugged it back in then went for a drive and it was fine. i dont no yet if this will be a tempory fix or permanent i am guessing tempoary but did u end up gettin urs fixed up??? and what did u do?

[GTRgeoff]

Seems to be a lot of 32's with failing HICAS so I would suspect they are starting to reach their design life expectancy. Unfortunately the 32 has hydraulic HICAS operated off the power steering, and when the sensors/computer faults it sends the rear steering a bit silly. Some get permanent steering wheel offset in one direction after 7-10km, some get unpredictable changes left and right and some have a fault that comes on then goes after slowing or stopping or turning off the car and restarting.

33's are starting to cause a few headaches but they just turn on the light and the rear rack, which is electrically operated, defaults to centre. I am yet to hear of a 34 failing. In the 33 the power steering is electrically variable and becomes more firm at over 80kmh. It is reported by some that disconnecting the HICAS computer results in occasional heavy steering at low speed but I have not experienced this and still have the HICAS computer connected, with the warning globe pulled.

What is clear is that the changes to the steering in the 32 are caused by the rear rack changing position as this behaviour is removed with a lock fitted.

I suspect that some of the steering wheels fitted are not aligned correctly or the steering angle sensor is susceptible to being even one turn out of alignment (due to fiddling when fitting the wheel), but I haven't tested one yet. My guess is that the wheels fitted in Japan may have been slightly out of alignment and the next time a wheel alignment was performed the mechs aligned the front wheels, then adjusted the tierods until the steering wheel was centred which causes the HICAS to fault.

Ultimately, HICAS is just a pain in the ****, especially on the track.

[The Dan]

With the 32's. I'm not sure if it works with the 33's also, but you can put a new sensor behind the steering wheel and it fixes the problem with the offset steering wheel. Also when it goes offset, turn the car off then on again and wait about ten seconds (while driving) and the ass end moves a couple of millimeters and the steering wheel centres again. This resets the HICAS sensors.

[The Dan]

Try fiddling with the wires to the hicas computer. It is located under the parcel shelf in the boot. Maybe unplug it and clean up the connections, then do a computer reset. Pull the steering wheel off....***it is very important to remember which hole the sensor went into behind the wheel so remember how you took it off***...and clean the contact points behind the sensor. Hope this helps.

[The Dan]

When i think about it i have a slight problem with the indicator switch as well. Not sure if it's the same thing as NRB's but sometimes i have issues with it staying on as you almost have to force it to indicate.

Usually this is a problem with steering wheel alignment. Try relocating the position to see if it corrects the indicator. The indicator is knocked off at certain steering intervals and maybe you have it too close to one of the knock off points.

[The Dan]

my hicas light also comes on after 10mins driving. It's also caused by the speed/hicas sensor wire no.53 on the loom been cut.

My light doesn't come on at all throughout the entire drive. I could drive for 6 hours and no HICAS light. But if I drive down a certain road, past a certain point. BANG on she comes. It annoys the hell outta me. So I go the other way home and it has never come on since. ....Plus wire 53 is cut too.

[makaveli]

Hi Guys,

I have been experiencing problem with my hicas in my r32 gts-t too. When i get to 70odd k's the steering wheel doesnt stay straight and after about 10 mins of constant driving over 70k's the hicas light comes on.

Anyone with this similar problem, I will let you know what I found the night before last. I noticed the hicas sensor was not in the little slit in the boss kit therefore it wasn''t straight and it wasn't supported nicely. I couldnt get the boss kit off although I should have the problem fixed today, I will post up my results.

Take care

Mark

[makaveli]

Problem is all gone!!!

The light came on after about 30mins on the freeway although the steering was normal and the light went off.

take it easy

Mark