RX-8 Power Streering Rack teardown
angryonion
Just some guy
So today I saw one of my coworkers throw an electric power steering rack in the trash.
I was like no way I'm going to let that go I want to see its guts and maybe snag some magnets.
So here are some pics.
This is what it looks like in one piece.
This is the steering angle sensor.
here is the rest of the photo's.
This system or something like it will be on most cars in the future,the RX-8 does not even really need a mechanical connection with the PS rack.
The steering wheel has an optical sensor in it and the rack has a torque sensor the only reason there is for a mechanical connection is just backup:D
I was like no way I'm going to let that go I want to see its guts and maybe snag some magnets.
So here are some pics.
This is what it looks like in one piece.
This is the steering angle sensor.
here is the rest of the photo's.
This system or something like it will be on most cars in the future,the RX-8 does not even really need a mechanical connection with the PS rack.
The steering wheel has an optical sensor in it and the rack has a torque sensor the only reason there is for a mechanical connection is just backup:D
Comments
The sensor is calibrated at the factory when the rack is made its not reusable.
I'm still going to keep the magnets in the tube,for what I have no idea.
Instead of having a power steering pump and Hydraulic lines its just an electric motor.
Gone shall be the days of mechanics and the auto electrician shall rise and rule the world.
Same in most things these days. You almost need a degree in electronics to work out how to fix most modern appliances and things in general. What was once a simple repair, now takes a few thousand dollars worth of diagnostic gear to find the problem and even then the problem isn't worth fixing. Cheaper to replace than repair.
Electrics are great, removes moving parts, like power steering pumps for example. It opens up doors for vehicle modification, performance wise and fuel economy. however dont agree with fly by wire electronic brakes and steering. The driver still needs some control when something shits itself.
And all this wonderful automotive puterized tech will all be based on Windows 8. I'd rather take my chances with the cables, hoses and monster cable sized wire looms.
What Spinster said is right computers control EVERYTHING in a car.
Most Mazda's and Fords have at least 2 networks if not three.
In 1998 I took my first network course from Ford the Lincoln Continental had 10 onboard computers.Tons of fun trying to figure out where a break in the network was after some fool tried to install an alarm or some other shit.
Love doing that. Got a cylinder head once from an MG/Rover that had Variable Valve Control. The head was nothing speacial apart from having larger valves and 2 inlet cams instead of one (once controlled cyls 1&2, other 3&4, pretty much like a normal cam cut in two - 4 cyl engine) and an extra cam with worm gears on it that would advance or retard the VVC control units that were cog driven elliptical mechanisms on each cam. The timing belt was as normal, on the other side of the engine their was another, much smaller timing belt connecting the exhaust cam to the other inlet cam. A unit was bolted to the head that had a piston that worked off oil pressure with a flat gear that would drive the cam that worked on the VVC control units.
What it did was slowed or advanced the speed of the cam, was an amazing bit of engineering and whoever designed it - well, that was propper thinking. Shame Rover went bust, I have heard they were quite far on with building a solenoid controlled engine rather than mechanical valves.
Its the law that the driver must have a mechanical connection in the steering in the UK; probably the same in other countries too.