SW20 Problems

[Redd]

I've just got my car on the road and there are a few problems I wanna sort out before I retire from working on cars for a few months.
1. No highbeams just lows havnt checked bulds but i dont think its them they worked once then tried again and just darkness
2.No powersteering It has fluid and I can hear the pump whining but nothing
3. Passengers side window went down but now wont go back up I replaced the winder motor today from my other car and still nothing
4. Orange battery light on the dash
5. I put on a trademe sequencial blow off valve and it opens at idle I've tightened up the bolt on the back but just as bad

Any help with any of these would be a great help

[MR2SIK]

I've just got my car on the road and there are a few problems I wanna sort out before I retire from working on cars for a few months.
1. No highbeams just lows havnt checked bulds but i dont think its them they worked once then tried again and just darkness
2.No powersteering It has fluid and I can hear the pump whining but nothing
3. Passengers side window went down but now wont go back up I replaced the winder motor today from my other car and still nothing
4. Orange battery light on the dash
5. I put on a trademe sequencial blow off valve and it opens at idle I've tightened up the bolt on the back but just as bad

Any help with any of these would be a great help

1. try flicking the stalk back reasonably hard, mine does it from time to time.
2. is the power steering light on the dash? if so, turn the key from off to acc 10-20 times then try starting again, otherwise the p/s is a common issue.
3. not sure sorry
4. check for a little black thing thats connected to the car that goes in the battery, its a fluid level meter, if its not hooked up it needs to be earthed.
5. put the stock bov back on, venting bovs on afm equipped '2s make them run like a sack of kittens at the bottom of a river. or at least get a genuine article

[solitaire]

yep everyone says it and just like everyone else i didnt believe them... i was venting to atmosphere for about 3 weeks until i got sick of the rough running...

if you stick a one way valve on the vent side of the stock bov it will idle normally... but when you come off boost it will rich out and your mileage will suffer

[Redd]

Yeah I would put on a factory bov if I could but the flange for the bov has been welded to the factory outlet pipe in place of the old one. Gunna try a mate bov to see if it is the problem.

[solitaire]

Yeah I would put on a factory bov if I could but the flange for the bov has been welded to the factory outlet pipe in place of the old one. Gunna try a mate bov to see if it is the problem.

Does it idle if you put your hand over the bov? I.e. is there any chance air is getting drawn in through the bov when the manifold is at vacum?

[Redd]

yip that is exactly what it is doing tightened up the bolt on it as much as possible but it still leaks at idle

[solitaire]

can you attach a one way valve to the vent hole of the wastegate?

[blackmk3]

3. Passengers side window went down but now wont go back up I replaced the winder motor today from my other car and still nothing

Check the window control swiches, might have a dirty contact or a loose connection someware, thats what the supra did.

Multimeters are your friend, come in to town early tonight and we will have a look

[avinesh]

do u have a aftermarket steering wheel some people remove the electronic board in between the steering wheel base to fit the boss kit that would have you having no power steering......

[solitaire]

do u have a aftermarket steering wheel some people remove the electronic board in between the steering wheel base to fit the boss kit that would have you having no power steering......

Excellent point!

Same thing happened to me actually... Drivenperformance do a boss kit for it... its very hard to find a boss kit for the 1990 - 91 mr2 turbos (there are 4 different boss kits for mk2 mr2's and the earliet one is near on impossible to get... but the one that driven performance supply for the later models will work perfectly with 5 minutes of really basic modification...

pm me if you think this might be the case... happy to talk you through it...

[fivebob]

do u have a aftermarket steering wheel some people remove the electronic board in between the steering wheel base to fit the boss kit that would have you having no power steering......

Why?

The sensor is at the base of the steering column, and that only regulates the amout of assistance at low speed. The power steering itself is mechanical

[Zak]

But the SW20 power steering is electrical, I imagine there is a switch at the top to turn the pump on?

[Alex B]

Its an electric pump, it comes on with the ignition. The thing at the top i think has to do with the turning spot lights.

[solitaire]

When i didnt have the sensor on the steering wheel plugged in it was really really hard to turn the steering wheel... the instant i plugged it back in it was easy to turn... felt exactly like the power steering was not working

[fivebob]

But the SW20 power steering is electrical, I imagine there is a switch at the top to turn the pump on?

Nope, your imagination is running away with you.

The pump is electrical, the system like most power sterring, is mechanical. The pump is controlled by the PS ECU and is turned on when the engine starts, or when the ignition is turned on if the ECU is replaced by an aftermarket one. The amount of effort supplied buy the system is determined by the SPD signal and at low speed the sensor at the bottom of the column has some, albeit minor, input. On early SW20's that sensor is also used to turn the fog lights. No having that sensor connected will not disable the PS.

[fivebob]

When i didnt have the sensor on the steering wheel plugged in it was really really hard to turn the steering wheel... the instant i plugged it back in it was easy to turn... felt exactly like the power steering was not working

What sensor on the steering wheel?

[solitaire]

When i didnt have the sensor on the steering wheel plugged in it was really really hard to turn the steering wheel... the instant i plugged it back in it was easy to turn... felt exactly like the power steering was not working

What sensor on the steering wheel?

Woops The sensor that turns the fog lights - when that is not plugged in on my mr2 the power steering assistance is basically nothing, when its plugged in the fog lights turn with the wheel and the power steering is very helpfull

[Redd]

I dunno what plug you guys mean is it that one that spins on the steering wheel behind the bos kit cause im sure I pluged that in. Tex said it may be the relay but I dont know where it is as there is nothing in the fuse box marked as power steering.

[solitaire]

there shouldnt be anything that spins... there should be a ) shaped thing just below the boss kit... that is stationary...

[Redd]

was playing round trying to find power steer problem last nite and was replacing what i thought was the relay but i didnt disconect the battery and arced through my ratchet replaced it anyway but now have the powersteer light on the dash. Where is the fuse for the powersteer if there is one? I beleived that the relay was a small cup shaped thing on the passenger side wheel arch with two wires coming off it was i right?