Chris Grayson's (of MC2Racing) Guide to a Reasonably Priced, Street Setup for Handling

Chris Grayson has been involved in Merkur XR4Ti performance for a very long time. He formed MC2Racing to provide quality performance parts t...

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Using an electric power steering pump to replace the factory Ford

The advantage to having an Electrohydraulic Power Steering (EHPS) setup is that you can pull the mechanical, belt driven pump off the engine. And, in my case, that will mean I will have one less belt to worry about in my XR4Ti since I relocated my alternator to the passenger-side of the engine, where the AC compressor would typically be located.

I've seen and heard people use the Toyota MR2 pump, but those are $300-400 at this point (mid-2021). There are companies producing "kits" with MR2 pumps as well, but then you're talking about $800-1200. 

This was pulled from the MCA Facebook group, to capture some other options for folks. 

As a couple of people have asked about the options for electric power steering I am posting what I have found out from various sources.

Most Japanese branded cars and SUV with electric steering works in Fail-Safe mode if the control unit (ECU) is disconnected from CAN BUS. Just like Hydraulic Steering, if the Electric Assisted Steering completely fails, the steering is back to completely manual mode maintaining car control.

The biggest advantage of using EPS from Toyota, Nissan and Kia/Hyundai is that the EPS works in Fail-Safe. The ECU for the column is mounted remotely and can be disconnected and removed. The EPS from Saturn Vue and Chevy Cobalt has the ECU that cannot be disconnected and must be de-soldered for remote mount. More importantly there is no Fail-Safe and a 3rd party eBay module is needed in order for it to work. Additionally , people have reported that with after market eBay module, the Saturn EPS does not self center the steering wheel coming out of a turn. You have to make constant corrections. No center feel.

Below is the list of cars that are known to have Fail-Safe Electric Steering. Only 3 wire connection. Ignition On, Power and Ground to the Steering ECU. That's it !

  • 2004-2009 Toyota Prius
  • 2009-2013 Toyota Corolla
  • 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris - (With ABS)
  • 2007-2009 Nissan Versa
  • 2009-2012 Nissan Cube
  • 2012-2014 Kia Soul

ECU Part Numbers:

  • 2004-2009 Toyota Prius 89650-47102
  • 2009-2013 Toyota Corolla 89650-02300
  • 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris - (With ABS) 89650-52120 / 52050
  • 2007-2009 Nissan Versa 28500-EM30A / 991-30303
  • 2009-2012 Nissan Cube 28500-1FC0B / JL501-000932
  • 2012-2014 Kia Soul B2563-99500 / 4PSG1312 / FPSG1312

The output shaft on Toyota is little larger than the rest and therefore the Borgeson 312500, 11/16 36 X 3/4 smooth bore weldable coupling should fits nicely. This couple fits the others as well. The Kia EPS is the biggest and appears to be most heavy duty. The Prius & Corolla EPS are very easy to find at salvage yards so this is the best bet. 

Note: As with any modification, there are risks.

Now, I don't know how much abuse these will handle, meaning, will they last under heavy usage for a drift car? I don't know. I'd love to hear people's experiences, if you have any.

 

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