EPS power steerings.

Hello chaps,

I have been given a fiat punto for spares.
It has the EPS power steering system, this is where the steering nacelle has the pump/motor/torque sensor/control ecu all self contained onto the steering column, as a power steering system, with a standard steering rack.
This I was thinking lends itself well to being fitted to my landy, so long as it has the balls to turn the landys steering.
The system requires 2 signals, one a speed refererence (4 pulse per rev of the prop shaft), and the other was an ignition coil connection which gave the ecu a engine speed reference (could possibly come from the alty instead), a bit of amatuer electronics would sort these out.
I believe a firm offers a 'kit' for a similar system used on the corsa, which has proved popular with race car builders.
Anyone any comments on this idea, or am I being stupid again.

The Corsa version was discussed on 'ere yonks ago. some chap was recommending it, had fitted it to his (cobra replica?) kit car, said it had plenty of torque for that application. might find it on a search. from memory there were waterproofing issues as they don't like getting wet - more of a problem on a Series than a Corsa.

I don't know of anyone fitting it to a Series yet.

I'm a bit light on DVLA 'originality points' to do the steering on mine!

Ive been told a left hand drive early chevvy blazer power steering box works for a right hand drive landy, bolts straight on to the bracket, no need to hack out lumps of chassis bodywork ect.. so ive been told....ive yet to look in to this myself.

If its the same one we discussed before; chap selling the 'kits' had it fitted to a MKII Escort stage rally car to give assistance to a high ratio rack and wide offset wheels, and it was electrically powered.
Looked at it and gave an angineering assessement which was that its intended to drive a rack & pinion steering system which puts a lot less load on it, than a landies worm & sector & drag link arrangement; next, the current draw of the actual assistance motor gave a power of something like 1/4Hp or less... cant remember exactly off the top of my head; but it wasn't a huge amount; to get an idea of whether it might have the balls to offer any useful assistance on a series, looked at the pump on the coiler power steering box, and that's reckoned to have the DELIVERY power to drive a 2 1/2Hp hydraulic winch..... which sort of suggests that the system is nowhere near in the same county, let alone ball-park for what a Land-Rover needs to help turn its tiller....... current draw was also something rather more than a normal series alternator could deliver......
So, while it looked like a convenient way of getting some assistance, thought was, that it wouldn't be much... and if it was any help at all, it was likely to be rather 'strained', and sucking juice from your battery rather hard.
Bit of fiddling it might work..... I mean, if the control unit ups the assistance pressure at low speed and backs it off at higher speeds, well, the punto props will be turning wheel speed; landy prop 4.7x wheel speed, but on a wheel roughly twice the diameter, so you'd probably need a trigger that gave something like 8 pulses per wheel turn, or 2 per prop rev to get an equivilent road speed signal; but then you'd probably want to 'fool' the system into thinking its turning slower still, to increase the assistance over all.... and having one so, t=you'd then be running it even closer to the limit.
It was a project on the books at LUCAS ATC when I was there, for the Fiesta..... it wasn't a well loved project, and it was hugely cost compromised to build it down to a price ecconomical enough to install on an entry price small car..... every-ones attitude to it was that it was a waste fo time on a small car anyway, and the only reason for it was to satisfy the ad-men....... twas NOT a 'robust' system.

Yep that makes sense teffy, the issues with the signals is no problem, a pic micro could be be used with a couple of proxy's to provide the box with its inputs.
The power issue should not be a problem either, my little punto has a tiny 45 amp hour battery and a 55 amp alty, the series should cope with that, esp seeing as mine has the disco alty.
However your issue about the 'balls' is appropriate, the rack and pinion and weight of the punto is substantially less than that of the series, the motor on the eps is only fused at 10a making it about 1/8 hp, further thinkings shows that its probably not a good idea, maybe ok on an escort, but not on a landy.
Was just an idea, I like projects that come with free bits.