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Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:19 pm

I purchased a Koyo power steering unit at the buggy show in Lansing and need a little help.
The wires were clipped and I have no information on how to wire this up. The unit is off of a 2008 Nissan Versa. This same power steering unit is used on many smaller autos including Nissan and Saturn. I spent 5 hours online looking for information and came up with nothing. I sent an email to Koyo and they responded with, "sorry you are s.o.o.l., we only talk to the car companies” Today I went to the Nissan dealer and they provided me with a wire diagram but it was incomplete. It turns out the unit is sold complete and the details are not available. I have most of the wiring but the four wires coming off the sensor are not listed.
The question is, has anyone used an electrical power steering from Koyo and if so how the heck do you set it up?

Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:03 am

Good luck with that. Electric power steering units require a feedback loop computer connected to the host car's electrical system. That computer takes information from all the other host computers to provide accurate levels of power to the electric motor so that it will turn at the proper ratio. Unless you're prepared to put senders on every part of your car, you are SOL, and even then it's not for certain that the unit will work. I've been looking into electric power steering units for years and still have never found a stand-alone unit. But for something as small as a VW, why?

Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:47 am

You have a valid point with having a small vehicle. I figure I will be about 1500 to 1800 pounds when the buggy is complete. There were two reasons for wanting to put the unit on. The first is we sometimes run for 10 to 12 hours at a time and in the mountains it would be nice to have a little extra. The second is I always need to one up my brothers buggies. I have seen many hydraulic power steering units on buggies and I did not want to go to all the trouble and thought this would be a little easier. I did see a nice stand alone here http://www.unisteer.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PR...e=UNISTEER but power steering was not worth $1000.00 to me.

Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:35 am

:D Even that unit isn't a stand-alone. If you follow the links to Uni-Steer, they are reman'd brand name units that still need to be integrated into the vehicle computer system. A hydraulic unit wouldn't be hard to set up. I had even entertained the idea of an electric hydraulic unit similar to a boat's I/O drive. Still in the "idea" phase, but I have a much heavier kit car to put it into!

Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:58 pm

Unless you saw something different the system has to hook up to positive, negative, ignition, and a led light. I didn’t see anything about having to hook it up to the vehicles computer system. But, you will need a column or steering shaft with all of the components.
Speeking of boats, if need need an anchor I may have one that looks like an electric power steering unit. This project is turning into a nightmare.

WIRING YOUR ELECTRA-STEER™ KIT:
1. The heavy red wire needs to go to a constant positive 12 volts. We
normally go to the battery but any constant source will work.
Note: The 30 amp slow blow fuse needs to be installed in line with this wire to
prevent damage or fire. *Failure to do so may result in a short circuit or
malfunction.
2. The heavy black wire needs to go to a constant ground. Again we prefer
the battery but a good and clean ground is fine.
*It is strongly suggested that all connections made be soldered & taped to
insure integrity. Shrink tube is also supplied to seal your connections.
3. The white wire gets a single spade connector put on it and is used for
diagnostic purposes, so it need to stay in an accessible spot.
4. The purple wire gets a single spade connector put on it and is used for
diagnostic purposes and also needs to stay in an accessible spot.
Note: the White & Purple wires are used for trouble code reading and clearing.
They need to be located in an accessible place. They do not get connected to
anything.
5. The orange wire goes to one of the sides of the LED light.
6. The yellow wire is not used for this application. It may be trimmed back
and taped into the harness.
7. The green wire is connected to a key on power source usually we use the
ignition switch lead. The other side of the LED also goes to this wire and
may be spliced in anywhere in this wire.
8. Be sure to leave the orange wire and the green wire long enough to go
through a hole in the dash where you want the light located.
9. Make sure your connections are good and your hardware is tightened to
spec and there is no binding in your steering linkage.
10. Drill a ½ inch hole where you want the LED to be. Run your orange and
green wires through the hole and wire in your light. After your connection
is made simply push the LED into the hole until it snaps in place.
11. Install your steering wheel & be sure your wheels are straight and that you
install your steering wheel straight.
12. When you are done, you can turn the ignition key to the on position. The
LED will light for about 5 seconds. This is a normal function. When the
light goes out your steering should work. Verify that nothing is binding and
there is no trouble light. Each time the key is cycled the LED will light for
the 5 seconds this is a prove out, and is normal.

Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:45 pm

:lol: Ah... I didn't read into it far enough. I went to the Electra-Steer website and the first thing I saw was the reman'd units for street cars. I didn't follow the link to Ididit's portion, which does have a control brain as a stand-alone. Makes me wonder if it's a constant feedback at one ratio, so it's easy to steer at slow speed, but gets very twitchy at higher. A phone call would solve that...