Thank you for this video!!! The 'no centering' issue with the Prius EPAS steering rack helps me understand why Prius occupants wander all over our roadways, constantly causing accidents!
Great video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I’m considering EPAS on a classic car I’m restoring and this is the first I’ve heard of the self centering issue. I don’t think it’s enough to stop me from going forward with the upgrade.
how's the project going? i've been researching this for my tri five and i'm looking for input if you don't mind. the self centering shouldn't be an issue with us since we're using our manual box right?
Dylan, thanks for the nice write-up. I've had one sitting around for a while and haven't put it in yet. Very interesting to hear someone with real rally experience reviewing this mod. I was a bit concerned that there might be gotchas for what we're asking from it.
I'm just starting this project using a "09 Corolla unit. I'm installing it in my daughter's "63 Nova. I got one extra little tiny hurdle. She says I have to retain the stock column shift for the automatic! I think I'm going to try doing it with a cable type linkage. Also, it needs to clocked up high or it covers the fuse panel . I'll take pictures but, I ain't no video star. Just good looking!
Thanks for this. Was just thinking about replacing my urs6 hydraulic power steering with this setup. Mostly because the pump is leaking but also because it's a mess of hydraulic lines/parts are hard to find. The more simple a setup the better.
Great detailed video! I'm wondering if you considered positioning the quickener before the power assist motor (steering wheel side) as it may make a difference in applied torque from the motor, albeit speed increased. Maybe it's better the way you have it, just a thought. Thanks for the video.
Thanks, Michael. Putting the quickener upstream of the EPAS is difficult from a packaging perspective, as in most cars that would put the epas gearbox and motor right in the middle of the pedal assembly. In my under dash shot, you can see the quickener barely clear the gap between pedals to get through the firewall. For purely forces involved, I'm not sure which would be the better theoretical position.
Very informative video! I just completed this mod using the same eps and ecu and works amazing. Only issue I have is that it doesn't self center even after setting alignment caster and replacing all my tie rods. Is your setup self centering properly or is this just something I need to live with?
It depends on tires too. With wide/grippy tires, self centering abilities will be further reduced. Mine does not have much natural self centering ability on pavement, but I don't really notice it.
this is some great how to info, i would like to to add power steering on a Yanmar 240 compact tractor, leave everything the same but just add steering wheel torque. thanks.
My steering column has a gear shift column next to it as it's in a van with a column shift. Can any of the housing be cut away to allow easy movement after installation?
At low speeds in chicanes with the original subaru alternator, the EPAS motor would start to lose assist. We switched to a 130 amp alternator out of a newer Subaru and the problem went away. Itll never be able to brute force the steering while at a stop as good as a hydraulic system, but of course for our use case that doesnt matter.
A normal hydaulic PS system doesn't help find center when you let go of the steering wheel either. The wheel centering force or car self steer comes from the castor setting of the front end. If the driver isn't applying a torque to the steering wheel, the valve is fully open and the fluid just bypasses in a traditional system, so it should be about the same as this Prius system... How well does this system work in practice? Do you like it? Is the feedback good/intuitive?
This isn't necessarily true? Racks on vehicles with very little factory caster can be biased to exert more holding force towards/at center. For performance here- I'm now 5 years into heavy rally use and I'm quite happy with it. The feedback is extremely precise and the assist setting even without a speed reference for variable assist is a good compromise. I haven't ever missed the factory hydraulic power steering, which is a statement that probably best conveys how well the system is working.
hello, can you tell me please what is difference between gen3 and gen2 steering columns? one have blue torque sensor while other black. Is there something to know?
Hi man it’s me again I had a question is there a way to control the voltage so the steering can get stiffer using a potentiometer or ? If u have any ideas I’d rather get it from ur professional stand point. Ur the man I have forwarded ur idea to tons of people on the race car build sites
@@tonymontana4349 you can definitely do this to fake the speed signal to the ecu and there are several kits available for this exact gen Prius column. I haven't done it and I don't have any knowledge of the details of the integration.
No problems thanks again man. Ur the man steering to me feels excellent on this mustang I s like a dream just checking on options. Appreciate u man thanks
Hi Dylan , could you tell me how you did the electrical installation? I saw that there are 3 cables, positive and negative, direct to the battery and the contact cable, but the ecu, I mean, how did you connect it?
@JavierRamirez-ri4xd Hi Javier, this is just a 5a fused wire that gets power when the key is on, so that the unit knows when to turn on. Very simple and you can take power from any ignition powered circuit
@@DylanGondyke Thank you for your response, I am about to buy a Toyota etios power steering here in my country Argentina, so I am finding out if I can test it before buying since the person who sells it to me says that everything has to be connected, including the control module
@JavierRamirez-ri4xd this is true yes. It's hard to test but also there is very little to go wrong with these units. Very low chance there is a problem
Hey bud people are using the opel corsa pas but they hard to get now im in new zealand and looking for an alternative obviously id need a rhd one so what model was the best one out of prius ?
Thanks for the video! I picked up a 04 Prius column and control box today for my GC Impreza rally car. I read in another comment that you did some modifying to the rack (not column) as well? Cam you explain that a little? I thought I'd be able to just cap the two fluid lines on the rack and use as is?
Hey Brad! Unfortunately, we can't just plug or loop the lines- the rack actually has to be properly "de-powered". This involves taking it apart and cutting the seals on the rack shaft. There are other tutorials on the web out there that explain this pretty well. I don't have any footage of when I did it, so I don't have a good way to explain it. Best of luck and have fun with the conversion!
Hey man, thank alot for the great infos really very helpful as Im about to do the same for a classic car. Just woundering, I've checked around and I see prius epas is about the same price as brz/frs epas. Since brz/frs newer would it work ok without connecting the canbus system (speed/angel sensors) or I just be better of with older epas and not deal with canbus?
Late response, but my advice would be to only go with BRZ/FRS if there is concrete info out there somewhere on how to wire it up and get it working in a failsafe mode. One of the reasons the Prius EPAS swap is so accessible is because of how little it takes to get it to function and how well documented it is.
I know a number of companies make or sell “Steering Quickeners”. I would guess this on is aftermarket and a ratio of your choosing. Who makes it or sold it? Thanks. I will be enjoying my 4th lumbar fusion starting the 15th of July, 2020, so lots of time to look and watch. ASE Master Tech since 1978 - Retired
@@deankay4434 no problem! They make 2:1 versions and also versions that have inline input and output shafts, but this was a fairly cheap and durable solution!
Friend of Derek. I road race an '08 STI. I'm considering doing this mod. Have you tried racing with the quickener alone? I have heard of at least one circuit/tarmac racer talking of disconnecting the power steering. Also, you mention an adapter. I have a lathe and TIG. Was wondering if I could do all this without buying an adapter by cutting, pinning and welding? Derek will want me to do his too... Very well-done video!
Hi Glyn, I've driven other cars with the quickener and stock power steering, and the feeling is great. It just has a greater propensity to boil the fluid with asking so much of the stock system. As far as with the quickener and without EPAS or power steering, the feeling is very, very heavy at slow speeds. I'm using a rack with a power ratio, so that combined with the quickener and no sort of power assist is too much for the driver to muscle through with the same reaction time when you get down to 15mph and below, and that's on medium grip dirt surfaces. Asphalt with sticky tires- my arms hurt thinking about it. As far as the adapter goes, it's that grey piece in the video. It's simply a plate and tube assembly that bolts onto 3 bolts on the EPAS housing and 2 bolts on the mount holes for the quickener, clocks them, and keeps the quickener from rotating. This is easily made with a drill, angle grinder, and welder with a little patience. A lathe is perfect for truing up all the little couplers for welding, as the better you can align these components, the better the steering feel will be. Hope this helps!
Hi Dylan I am interested to do the same conversion (Electric Steering), but was wondering how it turned out after a few rallies? Did it last ? Any after tought? Suggestion?
Hi Stephane, I'm somehwere around 7 full rallies and 7 rallysprints in, plus a few other track events- around 2500 competition miles- with no issues of any sort. I haven't had to take anything out or even look at it. If I could offer advice at this stage, it would be to reinforce what I said in the video- take a LOT of time making sure you have zero runout of the shaft pieces when you weld them. This will be the determining factor in how long the system lasts without maintenance!
Hi i needed some guidance from you. I find the stock steering of my Corolla e170 right hand drive, heavy due to my arthritis. can modify we the existing the steering or some other cars steering installed? If yes then which model might be compatible with mine and be lighter than the existing one. Because I'm a doctor myself I'm having a lot of trouble driving to work
@Dylan Gondyke , Great video. Did I hear you say the motor had to be set at a certain angle under the dash? I'm installing one in my coupe now and didn't know about the motor needing to be at any certain angle. Thanks.
I need power steering for a triumph project, but my experience with an electric assist Smart car seemed to make electric power steering undesirable since the power assist comes in pulses which is sometimes incompatible with my chosen steering input, sometimes even in a straight line. Is this Prius EPAS unit absolutely smooth, or can you feel the motor impulses?
Hey Daniel, that's a different style motor, but all the concepts here remain the same. It will operate in a constant-assist failsafe mode once you give it power.
Hey mate , just one question with the quickener adaptor , how did you install the last grub screw for the coupler or did you rely on the adaptor to keep it together, cheers
Hey Hayden. I drilled a cross hole in the tube so that I can get an Allen wrench in there to tighten the final set screw for the adapter between quickener and the EPAS.
Do you have any experience with the 2010-15 models? Any pros or cons to using the newer model EPAS? I'd like to find out if they too have the failsafe, and if they work with just the three wires as the 2004-09 versions.
I believe it becomes more complicated to use the newer models, which is why the 04-09 kits are so popular for UTV and restomod/racing conversions. I didn't want to get into having to have an Arduino or other add-on to fake signals or to control output, so I stuck with the older models.
anyone know any other systems like this to use? that are independent electronic systems where it basically has its on control box and u just supply the 12 or 24v power supply?
www.therangerstation.com/tech/toyota-electric-power-steering-eps-conversion/ Got this list from the description of this video: ua-cam.com/video/oRNOmAqsVLg/v-deo.html Thinking of doing one of these swaps to get better gas mileage in my truck. Probably won't make much difference but I'd be the first to do it I think so that would be kinda cool.
I’m doing this to my Suzuki Samurai and I am stuck. I have the three wires wired positive to positive battery terminal, negative to negative battery terminal, and “initiation” (top left pin black wire) to positive battery terminal. I wired it this way just to check that it works. I hear two clicks immediately when I give the initiation wire 12 volts then about 5 second later two more clicks from the ECU. The motor is not turning on at all to assist. To make sure the motor works I plugged one positive and one negative wire directly into the motor wiring connectors and the motor turns on and spins the shaft one way. If I reverse the wires it spins the opposite way. That is what I was expecting so I figured my ECU or torque sensor is bad. I got a new ECU with new torque converter and same result as before. Two clicks immediately then 2 clicks 5 seconds later but no assist. I am at my wits end. Any suggested troubleshooting would be appreciated.
Hey Jimmy, the motor only applies assist force if it detects deflection in the shaft. That means that free spinning it on a bench even with all the wiring hooked up correctly will NOT give you any assist force. You have to put a load on the shaft. (IE, have a friend hold one end with a pair of vise grips, or put it in a vise, etc. You won't feel anything motor-wise until you apply a load to the shaft that causes that deflection that is sensed by the pair of torque rings.
@@jimmyallen8210 It sounds like you've eliminated ECU and torque sensing rings themselves as an issue, and you're hearing what you should in terms of power-up when you energize the signal wire. I would look at possibly damaged wiring to the ECU from the torque sensors- it seems to be the only component left that might cause this issue.
@@DylanGondyke Finally solved this mystery. The non-ABS ECU requires pins 6 and to be powered. It’s that simple, but who would have guessed that. I had no idea I had the “non-ABS” version.
Using the quick steer does it really work for a manual setup as well driving on the street instead of using the electric steering Sorry for the crazy questions just trying to ease the pain of the manual steering somewhat
@@tonymontana4349 the steering quickener makes low speed manual steering even more difficult. Whether or not you add it depends on your end goal for what changes you want to make to your steering and why.
Hi Annur, if you google wiring diagram for the specific ECU that you have, you'll find diagrams showing which pin is the trigger wire for initializing the system.
Great video! I want to add EPAS to my Fiero based 2000 Lamborghini Diablo. What year prius did the parts come from and does the steering recognize easily the transition from left to right, since it does not try to return to straight on its own?
Hey Eric, this video applies to any 04-09 Prius system. As far as the transition from left to right- it's based on which way the wheel is being turned, which is sensed through the torque rings. The assist is applied to the shaft via a one way worm gear- there is no discernible play or delay when you change directions. Hope that helps, and good luck!
Got a question ... Is there a way to test the box for functionality. I put a Prius EPAS into my 67 mustang. It is t working anymore. It ran for about two weeks. Now it stopped working. Is there a distinct click from the module. I’m not hearing one. I know the power to the box is good, as is the ignition hot lead. What else can I test?
Hey Jeff, there's not really a distinct module click. I'd pull the two wire plug off the motor itself and see if it's being sent juice if you apply torque to the wheel. The torque rings would only be a problem if a wire for them became frayed or damaged
@@DylanGondyke OK thanks, I’ll check that out. My plan is to get to the two thicker wires coming out of the box that run to the motor apply some torque and see if I get a power there. If not, I may have to replace it in the box or the motor. If I do, I believe I have something found in the steering column, at which point I’ll probably have to take it out and rebuild it. I think I should be looking for anything specific?
@@jefffeiner8426 There's really nothing to fail with the column mounted torque rings and the motor itself is super stout, so I'd suspect a wiring break or a problem with the controller box .
Okay, so it’s out of the car. Real hard to turn, even out of the car. I greased the work gear in the EPAS and that seemed to help. Still no power steering. It would work intermittently for a half second, then stop. I haven’t been able to track down any loose connections, or shorts. I do notice that when I try to turn it I heat the box click. That can’t be good. Any ideas?
One of the benefits of a column mounted assist, rather than a rack mounted assist, is that you don't lose nearly as much 'road feel', because there isn't any deadening of rack feedback. The motor is again, just a helper that acts on a one way worm gear on the actual column shaft, which is left completely intact/unbroken as it passes through the EPAS itself. The downside is that the assist level and general assist feel is definitely on the 'under-assisted' side of the spectrum with a 1.5:1 quickener. I don't have a problem with it with our use case, but on a tarmac surface where you might need a greater assist to overcome tire friction and keep you from having wildly different required input forces on the wheel, perhaps this might not be ideal. The most tarmac racing I've done on this car is an autocross course where I was perfectly happy with assist levels. Hope this helps.
@@DylanGondyke this is where I keep going back and forth on, do I do a quickener with it or not. Thinking AFTER the motor as putting the quickener into the motor hasn't proved to work well. not think 1.5 but 1.25 should be good enough ...
@@kevinschmidt1473 not sure what your stock rack ratio is so I can't hazard a recommendation. For me, hands down still best bang for buck change on the entire build
@@DylanGondyke I had tried an e30 with the 1.5 and it was just too much, got lost in the wheel often at a rallycross. I'm wondering if 1.25 is the sweet spot for me... hard to tell without trying it. Current steering rack is 17.4:1 which is a bit under 3 turns lock to lock. I'm just getting fatter and hustling through some the tight sections I can hear me breathing hard in the audio. I don't want to get in shape, round is a shape therefore I am in shape! anywhoo, see you soon at LSPR!
@@escargod Yes to at least cutting, and I would google and look for a specific walkthrough for your model rack, as it's likely to be a different process.
i cant seem to get my eps from 07 or 05 prius to work. i got the parts from the junkyard off of 3 cars. i got 2 shafts with 2 motors on them, 3 ecu and a shaft with only the torque sensor on it. i cant seem to get any to work with the 3 wire hook up. when i add ignition i hear the ecu click but no real difference in how it turns. do i need to add more wires to something or add a fuse or the angle sensor? or is all these broken from the junkyard?
Hey Anil, I'd start with the basics. Unhook the motor, leave the ECU plugged into the column torque sensor, and see if you're getting voltage in either of the wires TO the motor if you clamp the output shaft and then apply some torque with a wheel or a pair of pliers. Remember that it alternates which wire is positive depending on the direction it is trying to spin the motor. If you don't see any voltage, then either the torque sensor is bad or the ECU "on" wire you're using to initialize the system is not in the right pin. They all have this fail-safe mode as a safety feature, so 3 wires is all that is needed, regardless of year.
@@DylanGondyke i got it to work! everything was right but i overlook the clamping part of the end of the shaft in the vise to stop the shaft from moving which is like friction from the wheels. i always thought something was wrong with the sensor or fishy with it because i was always turning the wheel or the motor itself and didnt see any major difference. the only thing i did notice was feel a small vibration in the steer which was from the power or something and tht feel was like 1% noticeable. i was thinking turning the steer would make the shaft move and i can see it works but thts not how the torque sensor works i guess. thanks for making this post and have me go back and check.
@@DylanGondyke i got a question though will this work with a motobike battery from 98 kawaski zx9r engine? idk if i want a bigger baattery and mess up electrical.
No idea about the battery- It's really about amperage draw and loads that you're going to put on it. And correct about the shaft- it only measures shaft deflection and THEN applies assist force. If there is no deflection, no helper force is necessary!
I have this system in my Z32 minus the quickener, and I was wondering if you guys have ever found a way to use the wheelspeed sensor inputs to adjust the amount of force feedback the unit outputs? I would love to be able to control the amount of feedback with a potentiometer, but for now I am stuck in failsafe mode as well.
I don't need it and haven't spent much time looking into it, but there are several people making kits for these specific units that use things like arduino boards to control output signal
@@Andykruger_ I don't have any specific recommendations- I would just do some Google research and see what offering works best for your skill level as some can be quite involved to wire up
Correct. Different year controllers have different wiring for the control box. Power and ground are obvious, but the signal wire location is different and you should look up a diagram for the specific year you buy
Thank you for this video!!!
The 'no centering' issue with the Prius EPAS steering rack helps me understand why Prius occupants wander all over our roadways, constantly causing accidents!
I love this. Very smart, simple, safe, effective
Great video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I’m considering EPAS on a classic car I’m restoring and this is the first I’ve heard of the self centering issue. I don’t think it’s enough to stop me from going forward with the upgrade.
how's the project going? i've been researching this for my tri five and i'm looking for input if you don't mind. the self centering shouldn't be an issue with us since we're using our manual box right?
Excellent work with these technical / prep videos!
Great info and good editing/voiceover! Now im thinking of all the stuff i could put one of these setups in. Must be fun with the quickener!
Dylan, thanks for the nice write-up. I've had one sitting around for a while and haven't put it in yet. Very interesting to hear someone with real rally experience reviewing this mod. I was a bit concerned that there might be gotchas for what we're asking from it.
I had the same concerns Mark, but we're 4 years in with no damage, play, or maintenance required on the column or its components
@@DylanGondyke I need to look at depowering the rack. Maybe a winter project.
I'm just starting this project using a "09 Corolla unit. I'm installing it in my daughter's "63 Nova. I got one extra little tiny hurdle. She says I have to retain the stock column shift for the automatic! I think I'm going to try doing it with a cable type linkage. Also, it needs to clocked up high or it covers the fuse panel
. I'll take pictures but, I ain't no video star. Just good looking!
i like the column shift on my tri five too but if i can get this to work i wouldn't mind making the floor shift leap. were you able to keep it column?
Thanks for this. Was just thinking about replacing my urs6 hydraulic power steering with this setup. Mostly because the pump is leaking but also because it's a mess of hydraulic lines/parts are hard to find. The more simple a setup the better.
Great quality and explanations!
I really want to install this on my car thanks for the inspiration
Hi sir
Please, can you explain the replacement of the torque sensor.
I'm from fiji 🇫🇯 Island 🏝.
Great detailed video! I'm wondering if you considered positioning the quickener before the power assist motor (steering wheel side) as it may make a difference in applied torque from the motor, albeit speed increased. Maybe it's better the way you have it, just a thought. Thanks for the video.
Thanks, Michael. Putting the quickener upstream of the EPAS is difficult from a packaging perspective, as in most cars that would put the epas gearbox and motor right in the middle of the pedal assembly. In my under dash shot, you can see the quickener barely clear the gap between pedals to get through the firewall. For purely forces involved, I'm not sure which would be the better theoretical position.
This is amazing. I thought Prius were only good for their catalytic converters.
Very informative video! I just completed this mod using the same eps and ecu and works amazing. Only issue I have is that it doesn't self center even after setting alignment caster and replacing all my tie rods. Is your setup self centering properly or is this just something I need to live with?
It depends on tires too. With wide/grippy tires, self centering abilities will be further reduced. Mine does not have much natural self centering ability on pavement, but I don't really notice it.
this is some great how to info, i would like to to add power steering on a Yanmar 240 compact tractor, leave everything the same but just add steering wheel torque. thanks.
Did you get your power steering hooked up on your tractor and if so what did you use I have jd 750 and want to do also it’s about the same tractor
Looks like I’m not the only one looking to put power steering on a tractor. Mines a Ford 1300 (made by Shibaura)
My steering column has a gear shift column next to it as it's in a van with a column shift. Can any of the housing be cut away to allow easy movement after installation?
Excellent video! That thing takes a lot of juice with 50A fuse. Have you had any issues with power consumption?
At low speeds in chicanes with the original subaru alternator, the EPAS motor would start to lose assist. We switched to a 130 amp alternator out of a newer Subaru and the problem went away. Itll never be able to brute force the steering while at a stop as good as a hydraulic system, but of course for our use case that doesnt matter.
A normal hydaulic PS system doesn't help find center when you let go of the steering wheel either. The wheel centering force or car self steer comes from the castor setting of the front end. If the driver isn't applying a torque to the steering wheel, the valve is fully open and the fluid just bypasses in a traditional system, so it should be about the same as this Prius system... How well does this system work in practice? Do you like it? Is the feedback good/intuitive?
This isn't necessarily true? Racks on vehicles with very little factory caster can be biased to exert more holding force towards/at center. For performance here- I'm now 5 years into heavy rally use and I'm quite happy with it. The feedback is extremely precise and the assist setting even without a speed reference for variable assist is a good compromise. I haven't ever missed the factory hydraulic power steering, which is a statement that probably best conveys how well the system is working.
hello, can you tell me please what is difference between gen3 and gen2 steering columns? one have blue torque sensor while other black. Is there something to know?
How you can arrange torque measurement system for a single hollow shaft?
Hi man I just installed it in my car came out great can u send me the link for the steering wheel adaptor that goes on the column thanks again
Hey Tony, I bought it right from NRG for the year Prius Column that I got. I think it was probably the priciest part I bought for this! 🙃
Thanks I’m checking the site now I appreciate you
Hi man it’s me again I had a question is there a way to control the voltage so the steering can get stiffer using a potentiometer or ? If u have any ideas I’d rather get it from ur professional stand point. Ur the man I have forwarded ur idea to tons of people on the race car build sites
@@tonymontana4349 you can definitely do this to fake the speed signal to the ecu and there are several kits available for this exact gen Prius column. I haven't done it and I don't have any knowledge of the details of the integration.
No problems thanks again man. Ur the man steering to me feels excellent on this mustang I s like a dream just checking on options. Appreciate u man thanks
Hi Dylan , could you tell me how you did the electrical installation? I saw that there are 3 cables, positive and negative, direct to the battery and the contact cable, but the ecu, I mean, how did you connect it?
@JavierRamirez-ri4xd Hi Javier, this is just a 5a fused wire that gets power when the key is on, so that the unit knows when to turn on. Very simple and you can take power from any ignition powered circuit
@@DylanGondyke Thank you for your response, I am about to buy a Toyota etios power steering here in my country Argentina, so I am finding out if I can test it before buying since the person who sells it to me says that everything has to be connected, including the control module
@JavierRamirez-ri4xd this is true yes. It's hard to test but also there is very little to go wrong with these units. Very low chance there is a problem
Hey bud people are using the opel corsa pas but they hard to get now im in new zealand and looking for an alternative obviously id need a rhd one so what model was the best one out of prius ?
Thanks for the video! I picked up a 04 Prius column and control box today for my GC Impreza rally car. I read in another comment that you did some modifying to the rack (not column) as well? Cam you explain that a little? I thought I'd be able to just cap the two fluid lines on the rack and use as is?
Hey Brad! Unfortunately, we can't just plug or loop the lines- the rack actually has to be properly "de-powered". This involves taking it apart and cutting the seals on the rack shaft. There are other tutorials on the web out there that explain this pretty well. I don't have any footage of when I did it, so I don't have a good way to explain it. Best of luck and have fun with the conversion!
Hey man, thank alot for the great infos really very helpful as Im about to do the same for a classic car.
Just woundering, I've checked around and I see prius epas is about the same price as brz/frs epas. Since brz/frs newer would it work ok without connecting the canbus system (speed/angel sensors) or I just be better of with older epas and not deal with canbus?
Late response, but my advice would be to only go with BRZ/FRS if there is concrete info out there somewhere on how to wire it up and get it working in a failsafe mode. One of the reasons the Prius EPAS swap is so accessible is because of how little it takes to get it to function and how well documented it is.
I know a number of companies make or sell “Steering Quickeners”. I would guess this on is aftermarket and a ratio of your choosing. Who makes it or sold it? Thanks. I will be enjoying my 4th lumbar fusion starting the 15th of July, 2020, so lots of time to look and watch.
ASE Master Tech since 1978 - Retired
Asked to soon for old guy, who found young guy on his game by providing a link in “Description” under video. Thanks for that!
Still learning!
@@deankay4434 no problem! They make 2:1 versions and also versions that have inline input and output shafts, but this was a fairly cheap and durable solution!
Friend of Derek. I road race an '08 STI. I'm considering doing this mod. Have you tried racing with the quickener alone? I have heard of at least one circuit/tarmac racer talking of disconnecting the power steering.
Also, you mention an adapter. I have a lathe and TIG. Was wondering if I could do all this without buying an adapter by cutting, pinning and welding? Derek will want me to do his too...
Very well-done video!
Hi Glyn, I've driven other cars with the quickener and stock power steering, and the feeling is great. It just has a greater propensity to boil the fluid with asking so much of the stock system. As far as with the quickener and without EPAS or power steering, the feeling is very, very heavy at slow speeds. I'm using a rack with a power ratio, so that combined with the quickener and no sort of power assist is too much for the driver to muscle through with the same reaction time when you get down to 15mph and below, and that's on medium grip dirt surfaces. Asphalt with sticky tires- my arms hurt thinking about it.
As far as the adapter goes, it's that grey piece in the video. It's simply a plate and tube assembly that bolts onto 3 bolts on the EPAS housing and 2 bolts on the mount holes for the quickener, clocks them, and keeps the quickener from rotating. This is easily made with a drill, angle grinder, and welder with a little patience. A lathe is perfect for truing up all the little couplers for welding, as the better you can align these components, the better the steering feel will be. Hope this helps!
Hi Dylan
I am interested to do the same conversion (Electric Steering), but was wondering how it turned out after a few rallies? Did it last ? Any after tought? Suggestion?
Hi Stephane, I'm somehwere around 7 full rallies and 7 rallysprints in, plus a few other track events- around 2500 competition miles- with no issues of any sort. I haven't had to take anything out or even look at it.
If I could offer advice at this stage, it would be to reinforce what I said in the video- take a LOT of time making sure you have zero runout of the shaft pieces when you weld them. This will be the determining factor in how long the system lasts without maintenance!
Hi i needed some guidance from you. I find the stock steering of my Corolla e170 right hand drive, heavy due to my arthritis. can modify we the existing the steering or some other cars steering installed? If yes then which model might be compatible with mine and be lighter than the existing one. Because I'm a doctor myself I'm having a lot of trouble driving to work
@Dylan Gondyke , Great video. Did I hear you say the motor had to be set at a certain angle under the dash? I'm installing one in my coupe now and didn't know about the motor needing to be at any certain angle. Thanks.
Rich, that was just specific to my installation in a Subaru. They don't require any special orientation!
@@DylanGondyke ok great. Thanks for the reply.
I need power steering for a triumph project, but my experience with an electric assist Smart car seemed to make electric power steering undesirable since the power assist comes in pulses which is sometimes incompatible with my chosen steering input, sometimes even in a straight line. Is this Prius EPAS unit absolutely smooth, or can you feel the motor impulses?
You definitely can't feel pulses or any weirdness. That would drive me nuts!
Thanks for a good video. Will EPAS from toyota verso also work.
Hey Daniel, that's a different style motor, but all the concepts here remain the same. It will operate in a constant-assist failsafe mode once you give it power.
Hey mate , just one question with the quickener adaptor , how did you install the last grub screw for the coupler or did you rely on the adaptor to keep it together, cheers
Hey Hayden. I drilled a cross hole in the tube so that I can get an Allen wrench in there to tighten the final set screw for the adapter between quickener and the EPAS.
Do you have any experience with the 2010-15 models? Any pros or cons to using the newer model EPAS? I'd like to find out if they too have the failsafe, and if they work with just the three wires as the 2004-09 versions.
I believe it becomes more complicated to use the newer models, which is why the 04-09 kits are so popular for UTV and restomod/racing conversions. I didn't want to get into having to have an Arduino or other add-on to fake signals or to control output, so I stuck with the older models.
6:47 what motor?
I interesting video! I have a Mitsubishi EPAS ECU but l don't know which wires to use, can send a photo if you have an email
anyone know any other systems like this to use? that are independent electronic systems where it basically has its on control box and u just supply the 12 or 24v power supply?
www.therangerstation.com/tech/toyota-electric-power-steering-eps-conversion/
Got this list from the description of this video:
ua-cam.com/video/oRNOmAqsVLg/v-deo.html
Thinking of doing one of these swaps to get better gas mileage in my truck. Probably won't make much difference but I'd be the first to do it I think so that would be kinda cool.
I’m doing this to my Suzuki Samurai and I am stuck. I have the three wires wired positive to positive battery terminal, negative to negative battery terminal, and “initiation” (top left pin black wire) to positive battery terminal. I wired it this way just to check that it works. I hear two clicks immediately when I give the initiation wire 12 volts then about 5 second later two more clicks from the ECU. The motor is not turning on at all to assist.
To make sure the motor works I plugged one positive and one negative wire directly into the motor wiring connectors and the motor turns on and spins the shaft one way. If I reverse the wires it spins the opposite way. That is what I was expecting so I figured my ECU or torque sensor is bad. I got a new ECU with new torque converter and same result as before. Two clicks immediately then 2 clicks 5 seconds later but no assist. I am at my wits end. Any suggested troubleshooting would be appreciated.
Hey Jimmy, the motor only applies assist force if it detects deflection in the shaft. That means that free spinning it on a bench even with all the wiring hooked up correctly will NOT give you any assist force. You have to put a load on the shaft. (IE, have a friend hold one end with a pair of vise grips, or put it in a vise, etc. You won't feel anything motor-wise until you apply a load to the shaft that causes that deflection that is sensed by the pair of torque rings.
Dylan Gondyke thanks for the info. My modified steering shaft is all installed and I am driving it, but I cannot get the motor to assist under load.
@@jimmyallen8210 It sounds like you've eliminated ECU and torque sensing rings themselves as an issue, and you're hearing what you should in terms of power-up when you energize the signal wire. I would look at possibly damaged wiring to the ECU from the torque sensors- it seems to be the only component left that might cause this issue.
@@DylanGondyke Finally solved this mystery. The non-ABS ECU requires pins 6 and to be powered. It’s that simple, but who would have guessed that. I had no idea I had the “non-ABS” version.
@@jimmyallen8210 Wow! Good going. I also had no idea that a different ECU existed!
Hey Dylan, did you run it through a relay?
The trigger wire is run through a relay, but the main power wire is an always on fused circuit to the battery
Do I have to run a quick steer with this setup or can it be used without it on a street car with manual steering
It can be used without it and it's much simpler to fabricate if you do not use one
Using the quick steer does it really work for a manual setup as well driving on the street instead of using the electric steering Sorry for the crazy questions just trying to ease the pain of the manual steering somewhat
@@tonymontana4349 the steering quickener makes low speed manual steering even more difficult. Whether or not you add it depends on your end goal for what changes you want to make to your steering and why.
Got it man thanks and of course I’m gonna do ur setup without the quick steer appreciate ur response
Just did my car fabricated the bracket because of u I finally did it thanks man just gave me the lesson if a lifetime
how to identify the ignition wire ?
Hi Annur, if you google wiring diagram for the specific ECU that you have, you'll find diagrams showing which pin is the trigger wire for initializing the system.
It for my mrk2 ford escort 1980 🤗🤗🤗
Great video! I want to add EPAS to my Fiero based 2000 Lamborghini Diablo. What year prius did the parts come from and does the steering recognize easily the transition from left to right, since it does not try to return to straight on its own?
Hey Eric, this video applies to any 04-09 Prius system. As far as the transition from left to right- it's based on which way the wheel is being turned, which is sensed through the torque rings. The assist is applied to the shaft via a one way worm gear- there is no discernible play or delay when you change directions. Hope that helps, and good luck!
@@DylanGondyke thank you
Got a question ...
Is there a way to test the box for functionality. I put a Prius EPAS into my 67 mustang. It is t working anymore. It ran for about two weeks. Now it stopped working. Is there a distinct click from the module. I’m not hearing one. I know the power to the box is good, as is the ignition hot lead. What else can I test?
Hey Jeff, there's not really a distinct module click. I'd pull the two wire plug off the motor itself and see if it's being sent juice if you apply torque to the wheel. The torque rings would only be a problem if a wire for them became frayed or damaged
@@DylanGondyke OK thanks, I’ll check that out. My plan is to get to the two thicker wires coming out of the box that run to the motor apply some torque and see if I get a power there. If not, I may have to replace it in the box or the motor. If I do, I believe I have something found in the steering column, at which point I’ll probably have to take it out and rebuild it. I think I should be looking for anything specific?
@@jefffeiner8426 There's really nothing to fail with the column mounted torque rings and the motor itself is super stout, so I'd suspect a wiring break or a problem with the controller box
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@@DylanGondyke right on. I’m gonna take it out and bench test it.
Okay, so it’s out of the car. Real hard to turn, even out of the car. I greased the work gear in the EPAS and that seemed to help. Still no power steering. It would work intermittently for a half second, then stop. I haven’t been able to track down any loose connections, or shorts. I do notice that when I try to turn it I heat the box click. That can’t be good. Any ideas?
Where to buy a cheap eps? The manual steering of my mitsubishi lancer 90' is killing me
Hey Alex, these are pretty easy to find as complete packages on Ebay, or even cheaper at your local junkyard
@@DylanGondyke im from philippines...
@@alexfloresjr.429 international ebay shipping?
I'd be curious how it feels? I've been thinking of doing this in my new 240 build.
One of the benefits of a column mounted assist, rather than a rack mounted assist, is that you don't lose nearly as much 'road feel', because there isn't any deadening of rack feedback. The motor is again, just a helper that acts on a one way worm gear on the actual column shaft, which is left completely intact/unbroken as it passes through the EPAS itself. The downside is that the assist level and general assist feel is definitely on the 'under-assisted' side of the spectrum with a 1.5:1 quickener. I don't have a problem with it with our use case, but on a tarmac surface where you might need a greater assist to overcome tire friction and keep you from having wildly different required input forces on the wheel, perhaps this might not be ideal. The most tarmac racing I've done on this car is an autocross course where I was perfectly happy with assist levels. Hope this helps.
@@DylanGondyke i like a tight feel what guy does not ..right
@@DylanGondyke this is where I keep going back and forth on, do I do a quickener with it or not. Thinking AFTER the motor as putting the quickener into the motor hasn't proved to work well. not think 1.5 but 1.25 should be good enough ...
@@kevinschmidt1473 not sure what your stock rack ratio is so I can't hazard a recommendation. For me, hands down still best bang for buck change on the entire build
@@DylanGondyke I had tried an e30 with the 1.5 and it was just too much, got lost in the wheel often at a rallycross. I'm wondering if 1.25 is the sweet spot for me... hard to tell without trying it. Current steering rack is 17.4:1 which is a bit under 3 turns lock to lock. I'm just getting fatter and hustling through some the tight sections I can hear me breathing hard in the audio. I don't want to get in shape, round is a shape therefore I am in shape! anywhoo, see you soon at LSPR!
So with this mod combo you completely eliminated the hydraulic power steering system from the car?
That's correct- the pump and reservoir along with the lines to the rack have been removed from the car!
@@DylanGondyke did you pull the rack apart and cut out the center section & weld the pinion?
@@jesussepulveda5181 Yes, the rack was disassembled and depowered with this mod.
@@DylanGondyke I suppose this mod is covered somewhere in a forum or video? Do you actually have to cut and weld? I have an '08 STI.
@@escargod Yes to at least cutting, and I would google and look for a specific walkthrough for your model rack, as it's likely to be a different process.
i cant seem to get my eps from 07 or 05 prius to work. i got the parts from the junkyard off of 3 cars. i got 2 shafts with 2 motors on them, 3 ecu and a shaft with only the torque sensor on it. i cant seem to get any to work with the 3 wire hook up. when i add ignition i hear the ecu click but no real difference in how it turns. do i need to add more wires to something or add a fuse or the angle sensor? or is all these broken from the junkyard?
Hey Anil, I'd start with the basics. Unhook the motor, leave the ECU plugged into the column torque sensor, and see if you're getting voltage in either of the wires TO the motor if you clamp the output shaft and then apply some torque with a wheel or a pair of pliers. Remember that it alternates which wire is positive depending on the direction it is trying to spin the motor. If you don't see any voltage, then either the torque sensor is bad or the ECU "on" wire you're using to initialize the system is not in the right pin. They all have this fail-safe mode as a safety feature, so 3 wires is all that is needed, regardless of year.
@@DylanGondyke so if i find out the torque sensor is bad then i need the whole coloum connection and not just the small blue area of the sensor?
@@DylanGondyke i got it to work! everything was right but i overlook the clamping part of the end of the shaft in the vise to stop the shaft from moving which is like friction from the wheels. i always thought something was wrong with the sensor or fishy with it because i was always turning the wheel or the motor itself and didnt see any major difference. the only thing i did notice was feel a small vibration in the steer which was from the power or something and tht feel was like 1% noticeable. i was thinking turning the steer would make the shaft move and i can see it works but thts not how the torque sensor works i guess. thanks for making this post and have me go back and check.
@@DylanGondyke i got a question though will this work with a motobike battery from 98 kawaski zx9r engine? idk if i want a bigger baattery and mess up electrical.
No idea about the battery- It's really about amperage draw and loads that you're going to put on it. And correct about the shaft- it only measures shaft deflection and THEN applies assist force. If there is no deflection, no helper force is necessary!
I have this system in my Z32 minus the quickener, and I was wondering if you guys have ever found a way to use the wheelspeed sensor inputs to adjust the amount of force feedback the unit outputs? I would love to be able to control the amount of feedback with a potentiometer, but for now I am stuck in failsafe mode as well.
I don't need it and haven't spent much time looking into it, but there are several people making kits for these specific units that use things like arduino boards to control output signal
@@DylanGondyke do you have any contacts for people that are developing a unit? I am interested in this as well
@@Andykruger_ I don't have any specific recommendations- I would just do some Google research and see what offering works best for your skill level as some can be quite involved to wire up
You dont explain how to wire
Correct. Different year controllers have different wiring for the control box. Power and ground are obvious, but the signal wire location is different and you should look up a diagram for the specific year you buy