So I just bought my first rx-8, it is 192hp version, not much left of it's interior, it is slightly molested, or so i thought, but was cheaper, significantly, then price of engine rebuild :D. Anyway, i knew it had the dreaded "harder to turn right" issue and thought to myself - obviously i will just clean the connector and it will be fixed.

Anyway this is what i found instead of power steering connector.

How can i test it if it is getting enough power? Is there some diagnostics? Or can i check with multimetr?
Also car is pulling to the left, can it be caused by this or is it tracking issue?



I have found few threads here where people have exact same issue, even with the turning to the left, but no answer.
Seems that car was that cheap with rebuild because attempted fixes did not work ...

 

Is there any indication that the job was done incorrectly? Are any of the wires lose or corroded? Chances are he tried to fix it and sold it when he realized he needed a new rack.

 

Exactly what I was thinking.

Most likely it is this (last post there) issue https://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/foru...p?f=25&t=47002 we will have a look at it an few hours and decide what to do.
In super tight left sided hairpins steering also made some noise.

 

For what it's worth. Replacing the rack can be a lot cheaper than it sounds. I had mine installed for $225. You can find them fairly cheap too if you look around.

 

Well it is just that sensor, so i will check EPC and order it, rather then risking faulty secondhand rack. For now I run with EPS fuse removed because I did not feel safe with car that steers itself (and does not have line assist/autopilot :D ).

The weird sounds when turning sharp left were cause by not really well holding inner right wheel arch, so rack itself is most likely OK.


When diagnosing it I found out that tyres on the car are awesome s001 7mm in front, 6,5mm back, perfectly balanced, not a single vibration in the steering wheel and tracking is also spot on.

Update: it is not possible to order just sensor.

 

No, it's not.

The only other thing I would really recommend before looking at the rack is the ball joint itself. Jack the front end up and move the steering wheel lock to lock with the wheels off the ground.

If you notice resistance in the steering wheel in certain areas there's a good chance your ball joint is on it's way out.

 

I tried that and it was quite quite smooth, just a tiniest hint of resistance, really barely noticeable. I also checked if steering wheel is perfectly centered in relation to tie rods and it is.