C5 Steering Help
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5th Gear
Joined: Sep 2008
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C5 Steering Help
Hello My first post here. I though someone here could help me with problem. I have used a 99 wrecked C5 to build a 1948 Chevy truck. My issue is stiff steering. Power steering is working some but the steering is very stiff and when driving the steering will not return back to center unless my imput puts it there. I put a new pump on it and have bleed the system using the procedure explained in post from this forum. Am I having an issue because I have disabled the magnasteer or is the rack the problem. This my second build like this and the first one was just fine.
Any help would be appreciated
Any help would be appreciated
Last edited by Tuned55; Oct 27, 2019 at 05:29 PM.
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From: Prescott, Arizona
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Drifting
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,862
Likes: 594
From: Prescott, Arizona
I think the problem is the disabled magnasteer. You should carefully read everything in those links and references in post #4. It might be possible to substitute a low voltage source to give full assist but I would want to be sure and very careful because the test procedures set forth in one of the references seems to discuss several hundred milliamps of current and anywhere from 0.5 to two ohms of resistance. 12 volts and 2 ohms would send 6,000 milliamps across the circuit, 12 volts and 0.5 ohms would send 24.000 milliamps, perhaps burning out the magnasteer in the rack.
From one of the posts in #4:
"The rack has an electronically controlled hydraulic assist that is powered by a variable DC supply. The EBTCM controls this supply to increase or decrease the assist based on your speed. It reduces assist at higher speeds and increases it as low speed. The frequency won't be varied, it will be the pulse width or % duty cycle. I don't have the specifics off the top of my head for the mapping and you may be hard pressed to find it. It may be in the dealer service manuals though."
From my 2001 FSM it is clear that voltage is applied to the magnasteer as noted, your 2099 is a slightly different system/ wiring than 2001, recommend yo go over the Variable Effort Steering section in detail.
From one of the posts in #4:
"The rack has an electronically controlled hydraulic assist that is powered by a variable DC supply. The EBTCM controls this supply to increase or decrease the assist based on your speed. It reduces assist at higher speeds and increases it as low speed. The frequency won't be varied, it will be the pulse width or % duty cycle. I don't have the specifics off the top of my head for the mapping and you may be hard pressed to find it. It may be in the dealer service manuals though."
From my 2001 FSM it is clear that voltage is applied to the magnasteer as noted, your 2099 is a slightly different system/ wiring than 2001, recommend yo go over the Variable Effort Steering section in detail.
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
I think the problem is the disabled magnasteer. You should carefully read everything in those links and references in post #4. It might be possible to substitute a low voltage source to give full assist but I would want to be sure and very careful because the test procedures set forth in one of the references seems to discuss several hundred milliamps of current and anywhere from 0.5 to two ohms of resistance. 12 volts and 2 ohms would send 6,000 milliamps across the circuit, 12 volts and 0.5 ohms would send 24.000 milliamps, perhaps burning out the magnasteer in the rack.
From one of the posts in #4:
"The rack has an electronically controlled hydraulic assist that is powered by a variable DC supply. The EBTCM controls this supply to increase or decrease the assist based on your speed. It reduces assist at higher speeds and increases it as low speed. The frequency won't be varied, it will be the pulse width or % duty cycle. I don't have the specifics off the top of my head for the mapping and you may be hard pressed to find it. It may be in the dealer service manuals though."
From my 2001 FSM it is clear that voltage is applied to the magnasteer as noted, your 2099 is a slightly different system/ wiring than 2001, recommend yo go over the Variable Effort Steering section in detail.
From one of the posts in #4:
"The rack has an electronically controlled hydraulic assist that is powered by a variable DC supply. The EBTCM controls this supply to increase or decrease the assist based on your speed. It reduces assist at higher speeds and increases it as low speed. The frequency won't be varied, it will be the pulse width or % duty cycle. I don't have the specifics off the top of my head for the mapping and you may be hard pressed to find it. It may be in the dealer service manuals though."
From my 2001 FSM it is clear that voltage is applied to the magnasteer as noted, your 2099 is a slightly different system/ wiring than 2001, recommend yo go over the Variable Effort Steering section in detail.
Jeff @Turn One was awesome and willing to help me with my problem.
Thanks for all your impute and help.
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