R33 Hicas Issues!

[caitlinphilippa]

BEFORE YOU LINK ME TO OTHER THREADS HEAR ME OUT

I have a 1993 s1 r33 (4door)

I have only owned it for about 2 weeks, and I am at my wits end with such a silly issue....

When I start and stop the car more than once in a half hour - hour time period, I start the car and my HICAS light is on and I have NO power steering.

First time it happened I pulled into a servo thinking it was pws fluid but after a quick look online the answer seemed to be just turn the car on and off.. Too easy problem fixed (for now)

Yesterday I spent about 20 mins driving with the light and no pwr steering became even after sitting for 15 mins the light wouldn't go out.

I don't have time to wait for my temperamental car to snap out of it for a half hr SO what's the fix?!?

I have checked power steering fluid so that's not the issue, I have read a few different fixes: new s2 hicas ecu, lock bar, disable hicas, speedo sensor etc etc so I'm lost as to which one is really the fix??!?

[Odium]

You should still have some power steering, it will just be a lot stiffer than usual at low speeds, this is normally due to dry solder joints in the HICAS ecu in the boot. After a while, it heats up and something expands on the circuit board, causing a short, or an open, which isn't normal.

This seems to make the ECU think that it is going at a higher speed than it is, so the power steering stiffens up for stability.

There are numerous solutions to the problem because there are numerous causes to the problem. New sensor would only fix it for someone who has a dodgy sensor, obviously.

I'd recommend a lock bar personally, fk hicas right off...

Mine would do as you described (Series 2 though) if I went for a long drive (like 40 minutes home from work, stop at the servo, then start it again) More commonly happened in Summer.

[Tony Olsson]

You should still have some power steering, it will just be a lot stiffer than usual at low speeds, this is normally due to dry solder joints in the HICAS ecu in the boot. After a while, it heats up and something expands on the circuit board, causing a short, or an open, which isn't normal.

This seems to make the ECU think that it is going at a higher speed than it is, so the power steering stiffens up for stability.

There are numerous solutions to the problem because there are numerous causes to the problem. New sensor would only fix it for someone who has a dodgy sensor, obviously.

I'd recommend a lock bar personally, fk hicas right off...

Mine would do as you described (Series 2 though) if I went for a long drive (like 40 minutes home from work, stop at the servo, then start it again) More commonly happened in Summer.

I've been having the same problem for ages with next to no power steering (which made the GOR cruise very interesting!). I'm leaving hicas and getting a lock bar. But think I might look see if my problem is a dry solder in the boot. Thanks Odium for the info there

[caitlinphilippa]

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Edited June 6, 2014 by caitlinphilippa