Hi,
Ever since I fitted 17s to my jdm 93 2.2 I've had problems with my 4ws, nothing major but i'd like to sort it, does this sound familiar to anyone?:
The 4ws warning light comes on when you start her up, that's fine it usually goes out, but sometimes it stays on meaning my rear wheel steering has been disabled and the back end is left to wobble about in any random direction it pleases, not good when overtaking on bumpy roads, and when you want to race!
It mostly only disables itself when I park at a gas station, I don't know why, but when I turn her off somewhere else and then restart it's all good.
I know you're supposed to be able to fix the problem everytime by turning her off, removing and replacing the 4ws fuse, but it's one of the big screw down fuses and it's too much hastle!
Can anyone help?!

 

i could help.

you see that red word next to garage on the upper right hand corner? use it.

 

resolder the connections inside the 4ws unit. it will fix your problems. I promise.

end of discussion

 

Thanks kulrevon, will get the ol soldering iron out

 

not always. this is just a fix for only ONE of the 4ws problems. for example i'm getting code 20 which is something about the sensors and it can't go away by just doing that. you have to get the error code and start from there

 

I also believe for safety reasons if there are problems with the 4ws unit it locks the wheels

 

yes, there is a centering mechanism that is supposed to lock the rear steering in case of a malfunction, so i wouldnt worry about it wobbling around. resoldering the relays worked for me, but make sure you know what what to look for and you know what you are doing. this fixes the 4ws problem for most people, but buffalo is right, it could be something else. "search" is your best friend.

 

if yoru rear wheels just wobble about, you would NOT be able to drive at all.. i doubt the do that. they lock them selves straight. search and you'll maybe find an answer, but I will be making a pretty decent guide to 4ws to post up here pretty soon so peopel will have it all in one source..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by shutta &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if yoru rear wheels just wobble about, you would NOT be able to drive at all.. i doubt the do that. they lock them selves straight. search and you'll maybe find an answer, but I will be making a pretty decent guide to 4ws to post up here pretty soon so peopel will have it all in one source..</TD></TR></TABLE>
nahhh. i believe him. the lock thingy is not workin on me too. the wheels are just fine even on high speed but they move a little when i hit a pot hole, even a shallow one, or road bump. is not too bad to make you crash the car, you have to hold the steering wheel tite and it will stop.

 

usually if the lock is failing it is the soldered connections going bad.
I understand it could be other things but he should at least check the connections in the unit.

but yes he should check the codes too. has anyone found out the code 20 sensor problem? I know a few people have it.

 

Yeah, my rear wheels definatley aren't locked when the rear wheel steering's disabled, the car does mostly go in a straight line but I guess because they rear wheel's want to stay straight anyway, it's when you hit a bump or change in elevation in the road that they move, or if you just try to go fast round a corner. I may be wrong but it's just how it seems to me. It's a good job the rear wheels are still self correcting anyway, or I'd be totally scr**ed.

If they are meant to lock when the 4ws disables itself then there wouldn't be a problem, except when I try to park. If they should lock then it sounds like I definately do need to check the soldering, which I will, if the weather's ok this weekend.

That guide sounds useful, better than searching

 

kinda weirdhow it does it when parking at gas stations huh...
i get the same problem

a quick turn of the key while the car is on..(yea i know its bad) gets the light out...
but it takes a minute of driving for the 4ws to fully work again

if you turn the key to get the light out and turn your wheel...the rear wheels wont turn very much

i dunno...this is what ive been doing for the last year

 

Yeah it is weird, but definately true, I'd love to know why.
Interesting, might try turning the key like that, it ain't gonna sound good though. Does it damage anything?

 

Right now my 89 lude has rope for a rear stabilizer bar, rides like its on a sheet off ice, but it rides, don't talk about not being able to drive on wobbly tires

 

the rear end has caught me by surprise a few times on the highway with the light on. I'm inclined to agree it isn't locking properly due to the posts.

Right now, I have no way of re-soldering the posts in the ecu without taking the car down for an extended period of time so I'm trying to pick up a spare 4ws ECU. What's the number on these things?

 

Hi there,

I seem to have a similiar problem! If i disconnect the battery terminal the 4WS remains on for an entire journey no matter how far it is or how sharply i turn, however as soon as i turn the car off and leave it for a while, when i return the light remains on and the 4WS does not work anymore. Do you know how i can fix this perhaps? Is this a loose connection?

Many thanks

 

solder the connections. I dont remeber if it is inside the ecu or inside the unit under the car.

 

https://honda-tech.com/zeropost?cmd=tshow&id=886363

 

start you car, jack up the rear end, try turning the rear wheels.. i want proof that yoru wheels are not locking up.. everyone that posted that they were.

 

"the 4ws control unit drives the electric motor with dc current. It switches the current polarity to change the motors direction. the strong return springs, one at each end of the actuator provide centering action. the return the wheels to straight ahead position whenever current is cut to the motor"


"the return spring compresses when the steering shaft screw moves right or left. when the motor is offm the steering shaft screw is held in straight aead (neutral) position by the force of the return spring.

I'll give you 3 guesses as to where those quotes came from... Do you think that if the rear wheels coudl ever move around freely liek you guys say yours are doing and that an automobile manufacturer liek honda woudl not be forced to put a recall on that part? unless the springs in the actuator came ou of yrou system, i'm going to just believe you guys are feeling something else that isn't the rear wheels moving around.. oh, and just so we can definatly figure out why you guys' 4ws light is on, check to code and i'll figure out what the problem is.

 

I'm not doubting what you're saying...and I would like to know the source you're getting that from.

And I can tell when the system isn't working. What freaks me out is when the system is shut down (4ws light on) yet driving down the highway the rear end starts shifting around. If anything I think it is following the ruts on the road. Low speed operation doesn't seem to be affected, except my wheel is OFF-CENTER the entire time. So obviously it is not centering. The only difference between the circumstances described above and normal driving is that the 4ws light is on.

 

have you gotten an alignment lately? and when you did did whoever did it lock the rear wheels with the special tool when they aligned it? there is "mechanical" and "electronic" alignment, the wuotes i posted are from the factory honda prelude sevice manual. can you check which codes your 4ws is throwing?