Pics and info on Corsa EPS rack for those interested

[Giles]

A few people have asked so thought I'd stick it up.

This is a 2000 onwards (low speced engine) corsa electric power steering rack - just as I took it out the corsa.

Right hand end is steering wheel end. Still has the electronic key code box on it.

You can see the BIG motor on the side, and atthe bottom the ECU which calculates how much effort the motor has to put out relative to engine revs and speed of car.

There is switch on the centre section of the ali body (side you can't see) which measures the movement of a ring on column shaft - this moves relative to forced being applied to the column to twist it.



This now looks nothing like the above. Spent a £200 on having it modded so the adjustable bit of the standard cav column is now on it (bonus of keeping cav switch gear etc with no fuss), and of course I had to heavily mod the steering column mounting bracket to hold it in the car, as well as the pedals to be able to get them all to fit properly.

Most importantly Brain S has worked some magic on the ECU. This can now be programmed for speed sensativity, overall assistance (or lack of it) etc etc. Basically it's now as good as the stuff churned out by Waldron, HH etc etc for £1k+.

I'm dead chuffed.
A few more minor mods (and connect it to my new quick rack when it arrives) and I'll be smiling like I've just boned Kelly Brooke.

[SimonP]

Nice one. Few on here have that EPAS system on their Nova's. Combined with quickrack, I'm sure it makes for a really good drive.

[Giles]

Yeah a few have been used. Don't think any as yet though have the ECU modded.
That may change though as I have a feeling a product will soon be on the market - at a reasonable price.

[Ste_nova]

www.hh-ms.com have the modded ecus in for £200

the setup i removed from a late corsa B had the ecu in the drivers footwell not on the coloum

[Giles]

Yeah that looks a nice basic system.
Plus VAT so £235.

[Rob_S]

nice, how much does it weigh?

[Giles]

That and a bit more.

TBH I haven't weighed it. Motor is quite substansial though. I'll have to chuck it on some scales. It probably weighs the same as the electric hydrahilc PS pump I've also got. (ok that doesn't help you much lmao).

[Rob_S]

about 2.5kg?

[Giles]

more than that I should think (I'm usless with guessing weights).

I should be able to weigh it after the weekend if Brian has finished with the motor etc so I'll let you know.

You've gotta remember though that weights should be compared with the column AND whatever PAS stuff you liking it too as this is all in one.

[DarrenH]

just for the hard of hearing, thats a steering column right ? not a rack as such, as you called it in the first sentance.

steering wheel on the right hand end, UJ going into a manual steering rack on the left hand end ?

i had no idea they worked like this. when people refered to corsa electric power steering i thought it was an electric power steering PUMP. weirdness.

[Rob_S]

hence tying it up to a quickrack to have fully programmable quick power steering

[Giles]

nipples. Yep 0dders it's a column. The rack on these corsa's is just a normal manual rack.

I've already got a hydrahlic power steering pump (electric) and was talking to Brian about making this speed sensative - however he thinks this would never really work 100% ideally so mentioned the corsa system. Git has cost me a fortune, lmao

[Ste_nova]

can someone banana the corsa b and corsa c column

[dathers]

Id thought of doing this to my nova as that has a quick rack and is very heavy when parking,the £200 price of the modded ecu made me change my mind,
If brian s can sort it cheaper id consider it again.
How much did the scrappy want for the leccy column n ecu?
Dave

[16vmanta]

AMT in Chesterfield charge £50 for the mod and you can use the speed input to change the weighting of the assistance.

[Giles]

AMT in Chesterfield charge £50 for the mod and you can use the speed input to change the weighting of the assistance.

Bloody hell that does sound good. Be interesting to find out more about that.
Anyone got it?

I paid £94 for my column and ECU. From what I hear £75 to £100 for everything is a good buy.

[PhilM]

Corsa B
1 STEERING COLUMN,WITH MOTOR,RHD W3036095 - 1 9156399
W4178142 -
W6063094 -
9156399 £566+VAT

Corsa C
20 STEERING COLUMN,WITH MOTOR, -34317641 1 9196424
RHD (EXC.TILTING STEERING
COLUMN) (FOR POWER STEERING)
Note: EXCEPT DRIVING SCHOOL CAR
9196424 £533+VAT

20 STEERING COLUMN,WITH MOTOR, 34317642 - 1 93175516
RHD (EXC.TILTING STEERING
COLUMN) (FOR POWER STEERING)
Note: EXCEPT DRIVING SCHOOL CAR
93175516 £469+VAT

Ive got a corsa b one sat around somewhere...

[16vmini]

i would be intrested in one of these racks + ECU's if anyone has one for sale.
(or swap for some v6 bits )

Matt

[Brian_S]

There are some things people should bear in mind before thinking it's the greatest thing since sliced bread though.

The column is off of the small litreage Corsa's, and is therefore possibly weak ( in assistasnce! ). Every electrical power steering column has it's ultimate torque where upon the ECU gives up trying to assist, and then gives you no assistance. The corsa column does this as I have the torque sensor out of the column and I can test it.

This ultimate torque assist feature is there to stop you burning out the motor by trying to dry steer your front wheels against a kerb, etc. ( Hey it is meant for a girly corsa after all, who knows what could be happening! )

There is a possibility that the column trying to assist a heavy front, FWD car with a strong diff in it will just give up all the time, and not offer much assistance at all. Clearly on a RWD car it may stand more of a chance, but the systems ultimately been designed for a light corsa.

The advantages over a hydraulic PAS column or rack is that you can turn it off at higher speeds and the column will not become heavier to steer. Turning the motor when it is not operating is effortless.

It is easy to control, and you could use one without an ECU mod, if you accepted the corsa's speed assitance programming. All a mod, or 'extra ecu' will do for you is transform one speed input to another speed signal to fool the column ECU into thinking that the car is doing a different speed to what it actually is doing. Or to transform a single pulse speed signal into the corsa's required ABS style speed signal.

Under £50 for the extra electronics to make it adjustable should be easily achieved. There's not that much too it, depending on what functions are required...

[dathers]

I didnt realise that some corsa B's had them,what models/year did they come in?
I know my corsa b gsi on an M reg was normal belt driven pump style power steering.
Dave

[Brian_S]

Some other pictures:

Complete setup:


Torque sensor:


Column ECU:

[PhilM]

another thing to note - the corsa b column is quite prone to failure - we get quite a few in at work. The column starts to stiffen up in one direction

[AJBek]

I thought about doing this on mine before the C20XE goes in, but decided to go down the electric pump route, mainly because I already have a hydralic rack, and that makes using a saxo pump much easier. If I had a manuel rack then this may well have been the way I would have gone. My dad has this EPAS on his corsa, and it works well. I note however that the new astra uses an electro hydralic system like the saxo one, so the EPAS system may well struggle with bigger cars. You can turn the electrohydralic system off once you get moving to save power as well, but it lacks the variable assitance that the EPAS system has, it is either on or off lol. No electronics to worry about , hence another the reason I went for it.

[dathers]

another thing to note - the corsa b column is quite prone to failure - we get quite a few in at work. The column starts to stiffen up in one direction

So is the corsa C a modified veersion to overcome this problem?
This is begining to look very atractive again,especially with my quick rack which is real heavy at parking speed,but really good when giving the car some stick so the speed senative bit would be really good.
When people say the ecu needs 'modding' and it can cost £200 from HH and the like,what is the mod they do and why is it done?
Dave

[AJBek]

another thing to note - the corsa b column is quite prone to failure - we get quite a few in at work. The column starts to stiffen up in one direction

Possibly the early C's as well, my sister has a Y plate 1.0 and her steering is stiff from time to time.