4WS not working

[LUD35]

in my Vti-r Prelude the 4ws light on the dash is permanently on and the 4ws isnt working at all...when i went to pick up the car from the wholesalers the 4ws worked for 5 mins then it stopped...

is this a normal problem? cuz a mate of mine with an si has the same problem...

if its a normal problem, is it easily fixed?

any help would be greatly appreciated. cheers, LUD35

[MR-VTEC]

try www.preludeaustralia.com ;)

[acongdon]

You also need to check the steering wheel is fitted in the straight ahead position according to the rack sensor. Not uncommon for the wheel aligner to adjust the wheels without the steering rack being in the straight ahead position. The diagnostic jumper will show the error on the dash, no need for special tool.
If it is a wheel sensor it is a simple replacement. It could be the computer in which case it's a VERY expensive repair.

[LUD35]

thanks fellas, ill hav a chat to my dad see if he can organise something. ill definitely think about hondacare. cheers dylan, MR Vtec, and acongdon.

[ECU-MAN]

vtec>turbo your sort of right

4WS system has

2 sensors on the front rack- front sub and front main
1 sensor onthe stearing colunm
2 sensors on the rear rack rear sub and rear main
2 rear wheel speed sensors ( same as ABS )

its not the wheel sensors that get put out
its the rear main and sub sensors

its alot of work to realign the sensors. and as acongdon said you dont need the Honda tester to fix or diagnose the 4ws, you can do it all from the SCS connector

[kiss]

if your 4ws has been working before, it should still work here and there
my 4ws doesnt work sometimes, but i have found a weird way to make it work. someone told me to start up the car in this way,
put the car into ignition but do not start the car until the BEEPING finishes (your SRS light should switch off at around the same time) then you ignite the engine
you should hear a first click in the rear(im assuming its the 4WS computer), then followed by a 2nd click where the 4WS steering light on the dash turns off and that means its activated. but you may already know about the "click" noises since its worked before.

if it doesnt work the first time, i sit there and do it until it bloody works, sometimes its first go, other times its atleast 4 times, probably kill petrol this way

im no pro but thats how i get mine to work!
goodluck mate

[bigteethygrin]

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41105

here ya go man.. 4ws diagnosis guide for all 4ws questions from now on.

[connections]

mines gone aswell :( like 4ws light is flashing on and off..

need a new 10a fuse for it lol as their is no 4ws fuse atm...

[TheFranchise]

this is exactley why i didnt buy a lude with 4WS!

[connections]

mies working aggain just a blown 4ws fuse lols...got a nerw one yester day...also disconnected the battery put it back on and 4ws is working great aggain!!!!!!!

[Speeder]

um i know this is not exactly related, but wouldn't you rather ditch 4ws all together? I mean its a cumbersome system for sporting drive which is what the prelude was designed for. city driving will benefit though.

[kiss]

i prefer to keep the 4ws, as it gives me a better turning circle when i chuck a u-turn.

the steering wheel on other cars can full hook it right/left by 2 n half revolutions
whereas as the lude (4ws) can only hook it 1 n half revolutions
so when 4ws is disabled, im basically losing about 50% of my turning circle...

[BigWillieStyles]

I had a similar issue with my 4ws, fixed it for 20 bucks, when Honda quoted 4000! A large majority of cases whereby the light comes for 4ws on is due to aging of solderings in the ECU`s.

Problem is that Honda only put there circut boards through a thin wash of solder, the solder only lasts for a few years before it starts to dry and crack. I removed my 4ws computer, and took it to a local auto electrics centre for resoldering of these `dry` joints.

http://www.preludeaustralia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12748

[BigWillieStyles]

i prefer to keep the 4ws, as it gives me a better turning circle when i chuck a u-turn.

the steering wheel on other cars can full hook it right/left by 2 n half revolutions
whereas as the lude (4ws) can only hook it 1 n half revolutions
so when 4ws is disabled, im basically losing about 50% of my turning circle...

Its actually very dangerous to drive without 4ws, the manual states that the wheels lock into place when the car is not in 4ws mode, but this is not the case. They are infact loose, and could be responsible for some serious accidents.

[ROLLED]

wouldn't this be a benefit? my friend has a Si 4th gen with 4WS and he couldn't actually parallel park with the thing before...i dont know if he can yet or not but 4WS is quite gay to be honest

[bigteethygrin]

it is a benefit... it tightens up the turning circle by heaps!

some ppl say in fast corners it can make the car unstable which i guess is true with stock suspension, though i have sway bars and struts upgraded and seems to hit bends quite fast without any issues.