mantamutilator79
Part of things
I love the smell of kerosene in the morning….
Posts: 160
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Hi Guys, I haven’t posted on here for a while, but I’ve finally got my into gear to finish the Manta. After replacing most of the braking system and retro fitting a Corsa B Electric Power Steering column, I powered up the electrics to discover the EPS does absolutely nothing!! I’ve followed a couple of build threads on different forums to do this conversion and have fitted the necessary “controller” which I bought off Fleabay. A 50A fuse is fitted and I have a + feed from the ignition side. When turning on the ignition, you can hear a relay click in the ECU but nothing happens on the steering column. I’ve gone to the extent of buying another ECU and testing the whole lot on the car and again on the work bench, but still no joy. I've got power feeds to both sides of the ECU but nothing seems to be reaching the actual electic motor. I've tried turning the controller knob back and forth to see if anything happens, but to no avail. Has anyone had any experience of these units? It all looks pretty straightforward but I just can’t fathom out why it won’t work. Any help or suggestions would be really appreciated.
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PhoenixCapri
West Midlands
Posts: 2,680
Club RR Member Number: 91
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Corsa B EPS conversionPhoenixCapri
@phoenixescort
Club Retro Rides Member 91
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£1k builds: Eagle Jeep bit.ly/33uoUCE Estelle bit.ly/3rXATC8 Superminx bit.ly/3H6tDZe
£2k builds: Chevette bit.ly/3sNPqQ4 Gazelle
Other Builds Toledo bit.ly/3oYFGkO Capri Mk1 bit.ly/3rVTtdQ Capri Mk2 bit.ly/3uWLijx Escort Mk2 bit.ly/359HUXL E-type bit.ly/3sSqbMD CRX bit.ly/3I2gYrt
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Like the MGF EPAS, it needs an ECU and a speed signal to change the tension on the wheel at speed. Although I think you could get away with just having 12v and ground.
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I've done a lot of these conversions on mantas and sold even more of the corsa columns with controllers and wiring kits to people fiting them in other cars. So i might be able to offer some help in checking things. In all that time i think i've only come across one column that made a grinding noise when turned, never seen one not work (had about 60 on the bench to test over the last year or so) Quite a few need the torque sensor adjusting but thats easy when you know how. So your setup should look something like this The red wire from the blue plug goes to the battery (or alternator) through a 50amp fuse Brown wire from blue plug goes to a good earth point If you're not using the blue plug and just using the large yellow crimp terminals on the wire slid home into the socket space make sure the red is at the top (as in the picture) Then your speed signal box will have a white plug on it that goes into the space on the ecu above Depending on who's box you have the wiring could be any colour. But basically it needs an earth and an ignition live feed, there will also be 2 wires going to an adjuster By the sounds of it you have most of it right as you are getting the click to show the ecu is powered. When you say nothing happens on the steering it can be hard to tell if you're getting assistance when the column is on a bench, as it needs resistance to fight against So best way to check on the bench is if you put your multimeter into the 2 terminals of the green plug. With the igniion and ecu on it should read 0v, now turn the steering wheel one way and the voltage should increase (as the assistance increases) The faster you turn the higher the voltage reading. Turning the opposite direction will show a negative voltage. If you are not getting voltage out of the ecu its faulty, if you are the column should be working. If you fit it to the car with the wheels on the ground you should easily be able to feel the assistance Some speed sgnal boxes have a very narrow range of adjutment and go from very light to even lighter so you can't feel a change, but switch the ignition off and it'll go really heavy
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mantamutilator79
Part of things
I love the smell of kerosene in the morning….
Posts: 160
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Hi Mantasport,
I really do appreciate this reply.
The set up that I have created is nearly identical to the one pictured, as I followed some-one's guide on one of the forums (can't remember which one though) but it was very detailed. I bought the Corsa B EPS as a complete unit, so have the original ECU, 12v motor, and the blue, green and black plugs and wiring.
The blue plug is 50amp fused then onto the battery and the earthing wire is very substancial!! As I mentioned, the controller for the speed sensor is a Fleabay purchase, packaged with the necessary wiring diagram, wires and the all important white plug. I chose the one with a remote adjuster knob.
When first installed in the Manta, I turned the ignition on and hoped to turn the steering wheel effortlessly, like I had seen on some YouTube EPS conversion posts!! When nothing exciting happened and I still struggled to turn the steering, I thought maybe it was an electical fault. I checked all the wiring, fuses and connectors but still nothing seemed to work. There was a click from the ECU, but that was about it.
After removing the column and placing it on the bench, I have now discovered how the torque sensor switch works. I have adjusted it back and forth so that the motor spins in opposite directions and have now set it in the "neutral" position, so nothing is operating. Do you know how "tempremental" these switches are? It did seem a bit sensative!!
I am going to fit it all back on the car and see if it now works. As you mentioned, the column can't feel any resistance when it's on the bench so the results should be interesting?!
Failing that, could you give me a price on a replacement for me?
thanks again for your suggestions, Pete
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The fact that adjusting the torque sensor made the motor rotate tells me that the motor on your column is working (the roatating is normal when the sensor is moved out of alignment) So while it on the bench put a multimeter across the terminals of the green plug to check output voltage to the motor from the ecu with everything powered up.
It should be 0volts at rest and then rise up as the column is turned. If the volts increase your column is working but it can be hard to feel the assistance while its not connected to anything sat on the bench. Often turning the wheel on the column while its on the bench feels the same when the system is powered or not, this does not mean its not working as it requires resistance to really show its effect
As you've moved the torque sensor you need to be sure is back in the centre, otherwise you get more assistance one way than the other. While its still setup on the bench turning the wheel one way then back the other should feel the same, if it feels a little heavier one way the sensor needs adjusting slightly. This part can be hard to get right and you don't need to be 100% perfect but if you can feel a difference on the bench it will be magnified by the time its on the car.
Then fit it back into the car and try it (with the wheels on the ground and everything connected) and you should feel a marked difference between having the system powered and turning it off and trying the steering. Turning the adjuster from end to end should allow you to fine tune the amount of assistance, this can be set better when you start driving the car around.
I tried 6 different makes of controllers when i first started doing kits and while they all worked some didn't give much difference in feel across their range of adjustment. The one i use goes from very light all the way down to virtually off, it also isn't overly fussy about voltage drop when starting the engine etc (one i tried switched off if the volts dropped bellow 12v, which happened everytime stating the 6cylinder 24v lump of an engine)
Let us know how it goes
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mantamutilator79
Part of things
I love the smell of kerosene in the morning….
Posts: 160
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Sept 21, 2013 21:34:57 GMT
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Hi again, MantaSport
Was it really in June the last time I posted on this forum? Time flies when in the final stages of putting a long time project together!!
After refitting the Corsa column, everything worked fine. There were a couple of niggly bits that needed sorting, then during a spur of the moment, I arranged insurance and took it down for the dreaded MOT. And the list of advisories? The offside brake light needs a better earth!!!
So after an 11 year build, The Red Wreck is back on the road and fully legal. And the insurance for a 4.2 litre nitrous injected V8, nitrous, living in West London, with all modifications declared........................................ £254!!! Now the fun begins.
I've also spent the evening looking at your web page. I've found it very inspirational and the amount of work you have done to customer's cars is so impressive. So much in fact, that I'm planning the re-birth of my other labour of love, Pulse8. The shell is now sitting on a wheeled dolly in the garage, before I embark on the rebuild. Having never really liked the front suspension set-up on the Mantas (not enough room to get the headers around the steering and bottom tie bars) I MAY use a separate tubed chassis under this one? This could give me so many more options, although cost will be the main deciding factor.
thanks again for all the info on your page. It's a pity we're at opposite ends of the country, although Pulse8 has travelled as low as Land's end and as high as Airdrie. The world is my oyster!!
Regards, Pete
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Mar 11, 2017 19:29:09 GMT
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I'm new on here after searching for help fitting a corsa eps to my 1957 ford popular I found this forum. This thread has been the only one I could find with some explanation on how to do it. Shame there isn't a photo to show which terminal the red wire goes to, it says top but which way is at the top.
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Mar 12, 2017 10:04:44 GMT
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Are you talking about the power terminal on the ecu? Where the Blue plug goes normally. If so red (power) is away from ecu, brown (earth) is closest to ecu, if you are using crimp terminals onto wires instead of the blue plug just be aware they can work loose and you really don't want them touching each other or earthing out the power wire.
Best idea is to get a blue plug.
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Mar 12, 2017 13:52:16 GMT
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Are you talking about the power terminal on the ecu? Where the Blue plug goes normally. If so red (power) is away from ecu, brown (earth) is closest to ecu, if you are using crimp terminals onto wires instead of the blue plug just be aware they can work loose and you really don't want them touching each other or earthing out the power wire. Best idea is to get a blue plug. Thanks , so looking at the metal removeable top of the ecu brown is at the top with the red underneath. I guess it's a breakers yard for the blue plug. For testing crimps will be ok, I found a video on you tube where the fella hung a 5kg weight on the output shaft as a load and turned the column with mole grips and with the power working could turn it without the moles.
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Mar 12, 2017 15:02:32 GMT
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Terminals on ecu look about 8mm wide, saw some on eBay 7.8mm and guess that's the size but I don't need 100 just two. None of the usual suspects i.e. Halfords screw fix etc don't have them. So stumped for today.
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Mar 12, 2017 17:04:32 GMT
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Just realised this thread is about corsa b mine is corsa c, will that make any difference regarding the red and brown wire positions.
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Thanks , so looking at the metal removeable top of the ecu brown is at the top with the red underneath. I guess it's a breakers yard for the blue plug. For testing crimps will be ok, I found a video on you tube where the fella hung a 5kg weight on the output shaft as a load and turned the column with mole grips and with the power working could turn it without the moles. No brown at the bottom and red at top with metal cover upwards, they say a picture paints a thousand words so here If you can't find a blue plug locally i have a few here for sale, one chopped out of a corsa with a about 6" of wire on it is £6 posted or for one with new crimp terminals installed in the plug and new wire (1.5m red 0.5m brown) they are £15 posted. I also stock fuse holders, speed controllers etc
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Mar 13, 2017 16:13:55 GMT
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Thanks for your help. I went to a breakers today and got a blue plug, £5, so I saved a £1 but had to crawl around in broken glass in the footwell of an old corsa. Went home and wired it up, no click from the ecu so was a little worried as there was 12v on the main supply and switched supply. When I turned the adjusting knob fully clockwise the ecu clicked and it was easier to turn the column by hand on the spline than with the adjuster turned anti clockwise, I had a bungy with a 5 litre can of paint hanging from the shaft to create resistance, so it's all good by looks of things.
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brachunky
Scotland
Posts: 1,314
Club RR Member Number: 72
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Corsa B EPS conversionbrachunky
@brachunky
Club Retro Rides Member 72
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Feb 27, 2019 21:26:27 GMT
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Old thread revival!This would possibly be a great mod on the F100 but anyone know of the corsa pas ability to work on a heavier vehicle like my truck?
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,710
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Corsa B EPS conversionDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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Feb 27, 2019 21:51:19 GMT
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Old thread revival!This would possibly be a great mod on the F100 but anyone know of the corsa pas ability to work on a heavier vehicle like my truck? I’ve fitted loads to 50s Chevy trucks. Work fine. I’ve even got pre-lazercut brackets to mount them in such an application.
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brachunky
Scotland
Posts: 1,314
Club RR Member Number: 72
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Corsa B EPS conversionbrachunky
@brachunky
Club Retro Rides Member 72
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Feb 27, 2019 22:15:23 GMT
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Old thread revival!This would possibly be a great mod on the F100 but anyone know of the corsa pas ability to work on a heavier vehicle like my truck? I’ve fitted loads to 50s Chevy trucks. Work fine. I’ve even got pre-lazercut brackets to mount them in such an application. Thanks for the reply Dez. I see via Mr Google that Corsa b's&c's are used but what about the Corsa D as b's are getting thin on the ground!
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The probelm with the D column is there are no good speed controllers developed for them yet as they are more integrated to the original car than the older systems.
The C columns are more reliable than the earlier B although they are slightly larger around the housing and a longer tail. If you have enough room for them they are a good option and i have sold several to people fitting them into older american trucks.
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brachunky
Scotland
Posts: 1,314
Club RR Member Number: 72
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Corsa B EPS conversionbrachunky
@brachunky
Club Retro Rides Member 72
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Feb 28, 2019 11:43:01 GMT
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The probelm with the D column is there are no good speed controllers developed for them yet as they are more integrated to the original car than the older systems. The C columns are more reliable than the earlier B although they are slightly larger around the housing and a longer tail. If you have enough room for them they are a good option and i have sold several to people fitting them into older american trucks. Thanks again for the info. I see a summer job coming up!
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froggy
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,099
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Feb 28, 2019 23:51:32 GMT
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Suzuki wagon , Vauxhall agila uses a much more compact system with a clutch drive on the motor so no drag . Takes a sine wave input so you can use any vr type sensor to generate a speed signal so no need for any boxes . I’ve done both my track cars this way so you get full assistance at parking speeds and it goes off at speed until it sees an input from the torque sensor . ECU is about the size of a packet of fags
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