Electronic Power Steering can kiss my ass

Johann

Johann

Red Skull Member
Joined
May 20, 2020
Messages
1,149
Reaction score
1,954
Loc
Triangle area NC
Who thought this was a good idea? I get that having one less thing on the serpentine belt is good for mileage but dang it! Bad circuit in board in there means replacing the entire PS unit. Looks to be a persistent 1500 RAM issue even subject to recall for some years but not 2013... grrrr. Damn thing can't find itself on startup under 40 degrees. Once it warms up it is fine.

At a minimum boards should be accessible and replaceable. Congress should DO SOMETHING! Or maybe an Executive Order! :laughing:
 
I have EPS on my craftsman garden tractor. Went to jump start it the other day. I no longer have EPS on my craftsman garden tractor.
 
blay127 said:
I have EPS on my craftsman garden tractor. Went to jump start it the other day. I no longer have EPS on my craftsman garden tractor.
Click to expand...

Why do you need power steering on a garden tractor? Those things are a slight upgrade from a radio flyer wagon with an engine on it.
 
Replaced one for a co worker on an AWD charger. what a total fail that was. $1300 for a rebuilt unit is all that was available.
 
Been a decent truck except for the electronics. On national back order. Quoted $2200 to repair once one can be found.

I'm starting to think junk yard... for the part. If not the whole truck!
 
Wife’s Polaris Ranger has been great and the kids sportsman eps has been great:flipoff2::flipoff2:
Had three steering racks replaced on the Acadia when we had it. Don’t know if they were electric but warranty, so I DGAF. No more GMs in this driveway.
 
Johann said:
Been a decent truck except for the electronics. On national back order. Quoted $2200 to repair once one can be found.

I'm starting to think junk yard... for the part. If not the whole truck!
Click to expand...

Found the broken piece for my wife's hybrid escape on ebay, swapped it out and had a ford shop re program it.
 
KarlVP said:
Why do you need power steering on a garden tractor? Those things are a slight upgrade from a radio flyer wagon with an engine on it.
Click to expand...

Ahheem, "lawn mower" does not equal "garden tractor".
 
2big bronco said:
Found the broken piece for my wife's hybrid escape on ebay, swapped it out and had a ford shop re program it.
Click to expand...


I'm going to start digging. Other than Ebay, what are the current junk yard search tools? I usually go to my local LKQ for jeep parts but they never seem to have Rams.

The tech told me this is not a part that has to be reprogrammed via CAN-BUS but I need to verify that. I can do the R&R. Book time was 2.5hrs. All the money is in the part!

I cannot imagine having EPS on a yard implement. But then my Lawn tractor is a 86 JD330 diesel. It is primitve as it gets. :laughing:
 
Johann said:
I'm going to start digging. Other than Ebay, what are the current junk yard search tools? I usually go to my local LKQ for jeep parts but they never seem to have Rams.

The tech told me this is not a part that has to be reprogrammed via CAN-BUS but I need to verify that. I can do the R&R. Book time was 2.5hrs. All the money is in the part!

I cannot imagine having EPS on a yard implement. But then my Lawn tractor is a 86 JD330 diesel. It is primitve as it gets. :laughing:
Click to expand...

car-part.com is good for late model junkyard stuff.
 
Can you pull the part and reflow it? Sounds like a dry solder joint somewhere.
 
OllieNZ said:
Can you pull the part and reflow it? Sounds like a dry solder joint somewhere.
Click to expand...

I'm tempted to give it a try. I could probably at least see a bad joint. But dicking around with circuit boards beyond that is not my strong suit. Really want to yank this and stuff the "new" one in with little down time. But who doesn't
want that!

Looks like there are reconditioned ones on ebay so someone must be doing that. $300 core though. Found a used one for $800 out of Texas. Still researching...
 
2big bronco said:
Found the broken piece for my wife's hybrid escape on ebay, swapped it out and had a ford shop re program it.
Click to expand...

That's one of the things that pisses me off the most about new junk: the need to re-program the vehicle so it can work with a replaced steering component . . . or light bulb . . . or floor mat :mad3:

TL/DR: John Deere service model --> Dear John letter writing
 
ExWrench said:
That's one of the things that pisses me off the most about new junk: the need to re-program the vehicle so it can work with a replaced steering component . . . or light bulb . . . or floor mat :mad3:

TL/DR: John Deere service model --> Dear John letter writing
Click to expand...

No kidding, since they are not able to prevent people from working on their own junk they manage to over complicate it till you need too many electronic tools to make it talk to the rest of the truck. BRILLIANT!
 
It sure does work nice tho :D The two cars I've owned that I thought had great steering were an X1/9 (full manual steering, very nice feel), and a 944 (really good hydraulic assist, very nice feel). I think my BRZ's steering is even better, and it's electric.
 
The electric steering in the Mustangs is pretty solid and robust, you rarely hear of failures even on heavily tracked (HPDE/Road course) vehicles with sticky tires. Obliviously straight line doesn't stress it much. When they fail its usually the cogged belt and not the electronics. Added bonus is being able to change the assist on the fly, that's pretty cool. The feedback is good and just by driving you'd be hard pressed to know its electric unless someone told you.

The electric steering on my newer Corolla is very artificial and disconnected feeling (no proper road feedback). Leaves a lot to be desired but I'm sure will work fine for the purposes of a miserly shitbox daily driver fuel sipper :D
 
FlexyTJ said:
The electric steering in the Mustangs is pretty solid and robust, you rarely hear of failures even on heavily tracked (HPDE/Road course) vehicles with sticky tires. Obliviously straight line doesn't stress it much. When they fail its usually the cogged belt and not the electronics. Added bonus is being able to change the assist on the fly, that's pretty cool. The feedback is good and just by driving you'd be hard pressed to know its electric unless someone told you.

The electric steering on my newer Corolla is very artificial and disconnected feeling (no proper road feedback). Leaves a lot to be desired but I'm sure will work fine for the purposes of a miserly shitbox daily driver fuel sipper :D
Click to expand...

I could not live without road feedback. Every old rig I have driven feeds my hand information regarding road conditions, traction, and rattles the fuck out of my hands over potholes. No new tech can match the good old manual road condition data transfer.
 
I have a '13 Mustang GT with EPS, it's been completely problem free. Has 3 modes: comfort, standard and sport and there are distinct differences in the feel, mostly in "how hard is it to steer". I get plenty of feedback from my car, it doesn't feel disconnected at all to me. I did an HPDE with Priest once and thought the car felt great, it was the brakes that showed a problem area, both with the car and my driving
 
Welby said:
I have a '13 Mustang GT with EPS, it's been completely problem free. Has 3 modes: comfort, standard and sport and there are distinct differences in the feel, mostly in "how hard is it to steer". I get plenty of feedback from my car, it doesn't feel disconnected at all to me. I did an HPDE with Priest once and thought the car felt great, it was the brakes that showed a problem area, both with the car and my driving
Click to expand...


Might be neat with the different modes. Might be another selling point when they came up with it.

On my truck it has always felt overly light in the front. Takes more effort to move the steering wheel on my WJ. I'd rather it had more resistance, especially when pulling a trailer. Really easy to oversteer.

Then there is the cost. A brand new Ram steering rack for a 2008 is $208 the one for my 2013... $2000.
 
CrustyJeep said:
It sure does work nice tho :D The two cars I've owned that I thought had great steering were an X1/9 (full manual steering, very nice feel), and a 944 (really good hydraulic assist, very nice feel). I think my BRZ's steering is even better, and it's electric.
Click to expand...

I dunno, never felt the steering on one of those toyota/subarus, but most electric stuff has this little dead spot where there's no assist for the initial tiniest amount of steering wheel movement, makes it feel kinda like a gear with too little backlash or a binding u-joint

that and a lot of them do not like fast steering input, you go to whip the wheel back around and it doesn't keep up near as well as dumb old hydraulics, just natural because the motor has inertia and they're generally running a small motor at high speed
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Back Refresh