uRizen

iTrader: (2)

Since I got my GXL the power steering CPU would occasionally start beeping out of nowhere but would quiet down after power cycling the car and the problem wouldn't occur again for months at a time. I referenced to code in the FSM and every time it was five beeps, indicating a problem with the steering sensor.

I let it slide because it happened so infrequently and I didn't feel like pulling the wheel to check the sensor.

Fast forward to a few days ago when I installed a knock-off MazdaSpeed wheel (I do alot of autocrossing now and the monster 390mm stock wheel was too big.) I was very careful about aligning everything correctly and the install went very smoothly. I also cleaned out the sensor as much as possible and checked that everything was snug. The wheel feels great and I was happy, until the power steering started beeping again.

It still went away after a power cycle, but would return randomly within a half hour of driving (mostly when the wheel was kept straight for a long period of time.) The turn signals still self terminate perfectly and everything is nice and tight. The beeping drove me nuts so I pulled the power steering fuse and that took care of the beeps.

I actually prefer the steering feel as it is now that the power steering unit isn't running ful boost at lower speeds. It feels much more consistant and adds noticible effort at lower speeds, but I'm happy with the way things worked out.

So, to my question, is running the power steering pump without the control unit going to cause any problems? From what I can tell the pump just reverts to a default level of power boost which works for me since I didn't like how loose it was with the CPU running.

uRizen

iTrader: (2)

Heh, I noticed that the rear defogger light is lit when the fuse is out but teh defroster isn't running.... so I disconnected the power steering CPU and fixed that problem.... how ghetto, lol.