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Today at Atelier Kaz - ex-Honda R&D, F1, Indy/CART engineer

Alignment 01

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2 Comments
by
Kaz-kzukNA1
, 28-02-2012 at 10:01 PM (4890 Views)






Before visiting the alignment platform, it is my standard practice to check
the state of the alignment adjusters and apply silicone grease to the adjuster body.

Rear side was done while working on the drive shaft and other services so
working on the front side at the moment.

The camber adjuster was slightly oxidised but not too bad.
The tie rod was really rusty and took a while to free up the lock nut.
Also, it was not fun trying to rotate the rod arm using 12mm spanner
as it was heavily corroded.






As seen on many NSX, the Caster adjuster at both R & L side were seized.
Looking at the blue marker paint, it looked like both sides were never adjusted
since leaving the factory so it would be interesting to see the alignment data.
So many NSX with EPS showed tiny rattle at the passenger side rack end.

Most of the cases were due to the wear at the collar/bush inside the EPS rack but
from time to time, the actual rack end or tie rod itself could cause this.

So, before the alignment service, it is important to confirm the cause of the issue
because if you replace the tie rod or rack end, you must carry out the alignment
service again.

So, opened up the rubber boot and confirmed that there was no play at all
at the locking washer/nut/thread at the rack end.
The tie rod ball joint was fine and thus, it confirmed that the rattle was caused by
the issue inside the EPS rack.
By the way, the locking band for the rubber boot was positioned in a way that
it was not possible to remove it without cutting it.
Normally, I can remove and re-use it without any issues so possibly removed in the past???



In Japan, KEP Engineering has been offering the EPS rack overhaul service for
many years at very reasonable cost.
They spent lots of time and money to acquire the know-how and developed
the special jig.
(All three above photos are courtesy of KSP Engineering, Japan.)

Without actually operating the EPS rack with the EPS controller under specific load
using the jig during the re-assembly process, you won’t be able to adjust several
critical parts and it is very likely to cause noise/issue in the future even after it
was overhauled.

Because of their achievement, now-a-days, even the Honda garage in Japan are
sending the EPS rack to them for overahul based on the request from the owners.

I hope I can do something for UK based NSX as well.


So, ready to go for the alignment service.

Kaz
Categories
Alignment , EPS - Power Steering

Comments

  1. pralognan's Avatar
    Interesting. I've been chasing the rattle at the passenger side of the rack. Fitted a new rack end and doubtful if it is any better.
    No obvious wear in the rack end 53521-SLO-AO1. The part looked shiny-almost as new. Careful reading of the history supplied
    by the previous owner showed the same part was replaced in 2006, 5000 miles ago! Just wasted my money!
    What would a rack overhaul by KPS cost?
  2. Kaz-kzukNA1's Avatar
    Hi, pralognan.

    KSP Engineering started offering this service long time ago
    and at that time, there was only a few racks being serviced.
    Now, they are constantly overhauling 5 – 10 EPS racks every month
    because even the Honda garages are now sending the rack to them
    due to the fact that they can’t pass the strict MOT with the level of
    play inside the rack.

    They are expecting about 1,000 racks to be overhauled at their place
    and developed their own custom jig for the service.


    At this stage, KSP is offering the service at about JPY48,000 (about GBP400)
    plus extra costs for any other parts that had to be replaced during the service
    but the cost for the extra is minimum.


    I am in discussion with them on the best method to overhaul the EPS rack
    for UK owners but as it involves welding and lots of knowhow plus the custom
    made jig, at this stage, it is best to send the rack to KSP back in Japan.


    The problem with this method is the insurance cost in case of damage to
    the package or even worse, if it went missing.
    EPS rack itself is not that heavy for its size thanks to the aluminium rack body.

    EPS rack is always on the back order and depending on the control module you have,
    it has to be a specific model due to the number of sensor input.
    Otherwise, it will trigger the EPS warning light.


    The new rack is very expensive.
    You can buy very old used car with the amount of money involved…..

    With the back order situation, the price of new rack, the requirement for the
    specific rack spec, market size/demands, etc, it needs careful planning and
    consideration in case of the the package got damaged or gone missing.


    Without the spare EPS rack, you could end up with the NSX sitting in the
    garage for several months…..


    The other thing to consider is the options for the owners while waiting for
    the EPS rack back from Japan.
    If you want to just move the car off the lift, you can briefly install the manual
    steering rack to move the chassis or just use wheel caster at the four jackup
    points to move around within the garage.

    However, the owners may want to use their NSX while waiting for the EPS rack
    back from Japan.
    For this, it will require two different spec spare EPS racks to cover both type
    (torque+rotation sensor type or torque sensor type only) of EPS fitted NSX.

    Strictly speaking, this will require the alignment service twice as well.

    Kaz