When a sensor or input fails, it will most probably produce an intermittent failure. An intermittent interruption to the vehicle speed input to the controller will produce an increase in power assist. This condition can be detected when the vehicle is moving, as the steering wheel is sensitive to small inputs. The controller is in parking mode with the pump delivering full steering assist.
An intermittent interruption of the HWSS with the vehicle moving will produce minimum power assist. This will be detected as a sudden increase in steering effort when the vehicle is turning a corner. This is where a scan tool can help in quickly diagnosing the problem. Another valuable tool is a digital multimeter that can measure pulse width. It can provide diagnostic and component test information. Some of the most important diagnostic and repair solutions can come from service information.
There may be a technical service bulletin out there that describes the condition and repair for the vehicle. Take advantage of all your diagnostic options before starting the repair. Chassis: Spring Replacement and Engineering.
Chassis: Ride Control Estimator. Chassis: Nissan Electro-Hydraulic Steering. Digital Edition. Contact Us. Shop Owner. Special Content Video Podcasts Webinars. Magazine Current Issue Past Issues. Only a few vehicles, including some heavy-duty pickup trucks, currently use this system. If you're interested in a deep dive into the mechanics of how steering assist is created in either hydraulic or electric power steering systems, check out this Car and Driver technical explainer.
Here at Car and Driver, the three major steering characteristics we evaluate in every vehicle we test are effort, response, and feedback. Two of those—effort and feedback—took a turn for the worse in early EPS systems, which didn't replicate the highly evolved, natural feel-for-the-road imparted by hydraulic systems. This made it hard to sense when a vehicle's tires were running out grip and starting to slip.
Although driving enthusiasts like us were, not surprisingly, up in arms about these negative developments , they actually affected all drivers—and still do. There's a real-world need for vivid feeling through the steering wheel when a vehicle is approaching its limits—say, when it's about to skid on a surface that's slick from rain, snow, or ice.
A vehicle with more communicative steering makes for a better-informed, safer, and more confident driver in all situations. However, the good news is that engineers have spent much time and effort through the years evolving electric power steering and creating sophisticated algorithms that faithfully re-create the steering sensations lost after the switch from hydraulic units.
They let you know what the front tires are doing just as faithfully as the old hydraulic steering systems did—which is a very positive development for both cars and their drivers. New Cars.
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Thanks for signing up! Notice for the Postmedia Network This website uses cookies to personalize your content including ads , and allows us to analyze our traffic. Choose Trim. My Picks. You already have 5 vehicles in your picks. The adoption of power steering meant that automakers have also been able to reduce the steering ratio, thus improving steering response in everyday sedans and SUVs to what were once considered sports-car levels. In principle, a power steering system works by exerting force on the steering gear, typically from either a hydraulic or electrical source, in addition to that provided by the driver via the steering wheel.
Various designs have been used to vary the amount of that additional force and to keep it proportional to the force or the degree of steering angle exerted by the driver.
The trick is to keep the system from adding so much force that the driver no longer feels a direct connection to the road. Too many systems have gone too far in that direction, with the result that driving a car so equipped is as lacking in road feel as driving a video-game simulator.
Indeed, it has been my observation that there is now a whole generation of drivers who have never experienced true steering feel. As a generality, electrically assisted systems tend to be particularly lacking in road feel, although that is not a blanket condemnation.
Some manufacturers have developed very tactile electrically-assisted systems that are as rewarding to drive as their best hydraulically-assisted counterparts. If they can do it, so can the rest. Which is a good thing, for the fuel-economy benefits resulting from the use of electric power steering systems means that they are likely to become the new norm.
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