Corsa electric power steering conversion

[j.alvin]

Hello.

I am planning on convert my steering column to a Opel/Vauxhall Corsa electric power steering model.
My plan is also to buy a controller for the electric steering controllbox from ebay.

However I do I have a few quesions regarding this conversion that I hope that some of you that might have experience on this could help my answering.

1. What is the difference between the B- and C-model of the Corsa electric power steering column? What makes the C-model the preference one?

2. This might be a tricky question, but does any one know if there are any differences between the column of a right hand drive Corsa compared to a left hand drive Corsa? My car is left hand drive.

3. All you out there that have made this conversion how do you experience the feeling of the power steering with the ebay controller, is it okey for a day at the racetrack?

4. What am I suppose to do with the original power steering tubes/hoses that originaly goes to the mechanic power steering pump and reserver? Can I/ need I to mount a cooler and reserve oiltank for the lubrication of the steering rack/gear?

Yes I am building on I car that already has the mechanic powersteering but I want to replace it with this electric unit.


Best of regards
J.Alvin
Sweden

[Graham]

4. What am I suppose to do with the original power steering tubes/hoses that originaly goes to the mechanic power steering pump and reserver? Can I/ need I to mount a cooler and reserve oiltank for the lubrication of the steering rack/gear

thats easy you just remove it all, the rack functions perfectly well with out any of it

[exboyracer]

What car are you converting?

If it already has hydraulic power steering you should really remove the internal seals and valves from the rack and fill it with grease otherwise it may put excessive load on the motor.

The differences between the Corsa B and C columns seems to be down to a difference of opinion , some people prefer the B while others prefer C. I've never seen any conclusive proof that one is better than the other.

Some interesting reading

http://www.turbosport.co.uk/showthre...power+steering

http://www.turbosport.co.uk/showthre...power+steering

[Graham]

If it already has hydraulic power steering you should really remove the internal seals and valves from the rack and fill it with grease otherwise it may put excessive load on the motor

no need honest gov

[exboyracer]

I'll take your word for it G!

I know it's not the same thing, but when I removed the power steering from my Prelude trackday car stripping the rack made a massive difference to the steering effort. But then again in that case I went to fully manual steering, rather than from one form of assistance to another.

[Graham]

I know it's not the same thing, but when I removed the power steering from my Prelude trackday car stripping the rack made a massive difference to the steering effort.

im running huge 245 slicks, on a pas rack without pas, its heavy at low speeds but great on track.

a fwd car with its torque steer would be much more of a handfull thou.....

[daniele]

the car to be converted is not mentioned .
some steering box (born as hydraulic) are really heavy to turn when hydro is not working. It depends from car to car. Normally a hydro one has also a shorter ratio compared to a manual one. This too increases the effort required.
So fit a EPS to a manual one is ok, to a hydro one I have some doubt (I agree with exboyracer). But a lot depends on the car to be converted and the use the car will be done.

[Graham]

to a hydro one I have some doubt

why? if a hydralic rack stripped of all the hydralics works perfectly well as a normal rack with the exception that its quicker ( but nowhere nearly as quick as a quick rack), why wouldnt it work with eps?

there are at least 3 race cars here on ts that work perfectly well using pas racks without hydralics

[j.alvin]

My car is a Nissan 200sx s14.

You are saying that I can just plug the steering rack gear oil in/outputs?
I believe that it does need some kind of lubrication.
If going with grease, what kind?
And will not the rack movement become a heatbuildup and also cause pressure inside the rack?

How about you guys that drive these columns with the ebay power controller, if I use the least amount of power steering how is the car acting on the race track?

[Graham]

You are saying that I can just plug the steering rack gear oil in/outputs?
I believe that it does need some kind of lubrication.
If going with grease, what kind?
And will not the rack movement become a heatbuildup and also cause pressure inside the rack?

this is getting boring now! for 20 odd years ive been running power racks with nothing more than the all the hydraulics removed with never an issue.

you cant possibly ever work the steering enough to cause a heat build up and pressure build up

[j.alvin]

this is getting boring now! for 20 odd years ive been running power racks with nothing more than the all the hydraulics removed with never an issue.

you cant possibly ever work the steering enough to cause a heat build up and pressure build up

Ok, if you say so I believe you, but still if you move a piston inside a tube, back and forth you will be draging air back and forth that would need to evacuate,or it would be compressed.
Is not that causing a airbump!?

But I must admit that I dont really know how a nonPSA steering rack works though.
Are ther no airbleeding valves or something?

[Graham]

but still if you move a piston inside a tube, back and forth you will be draging air back and forth that would need to evacuate,or it would be compressed.
Is not that causing a airbump!?

what do you want me to say? it works, since the day my race car was built its run like it,

i think with 10x18 wheels and huge slicks youd notice if there was a problem, i can see what your saying about compressing air but that wont happen, firstly if you have removed all the pipework the rack isnt airtight, secondly if it was the air would simply travel through the rack to the other side of the piston via the valve body.

if as you were saying you would be compressing air, then you would never be able to move a pas rack by turning the wheels, or it would be impossible to turn with the engine off, because whilst you can compress air you cant compress a fluid

But I must admit that I dont really know how a nonPSA steering rack works though.
Are ther no airbleeding valves or something?

no, because they are not air tight, neither is a pas rack!

[j.alvin]

I dont want to be a pain here but what exactly do you mean by removing "all hydraulics"? What I am trying to say is that I wonder what pieces do you take out of the rack, or keep if that is less

So you run it on a BMW E30 as your pic, or what car?
Is the rack a E30?

[Graham]

you just need to remove any pieces from the rack, just the pipework to and from the pump.

yes i run the e30 in the pic with an e30 rack, but it works just the same for sierra and numerous other pas cars

[j.alvin]

If I understand this correctly you have removed all the auxiliaries but inside the rack is intact, right?

What I have been told, that if the rack does not have a (oil)pressure the seals wont work. Causing dust and dirt to come inside the rack.
But if you havent had any probs with this then I guess that it isnt really that big of a problem.

Do you run the corsa electric powersteer?

[Graham]

If I understand this correctly you have removed all the auxiliaries but inside the rack is intact, right?

What I have been told, that if the rack does not have a (oil)pressure the seals wont work. Causing dust and dirt to come inside the rack.
But if you havent had any probs with this then I guess that it isnt really that big of a problem.

nope no problems, if the rack gators are ok then you wont get dust and dirt in the rack.

no i dont run corsa power steering, but converting my car would be no different to converting a manual rack

[haadee]

what Grahams said numerous, im running mondeos without the hydraulics.
No extra seals whatever on shale/dirt tracks had no problems