Esprit electric power steering conversion

[Roger Moore]

Hi everyone, I own a 1989 Esprit turbo and am contemplating with the idea of electric power steering conversion. Tired of the heavy steering. I heard Hilly had some pictures posted could you please point me to the right direction? By the way I leave in Los Angeles. Thanks Roger

[silverfrost]

Hi Andy used a vauxhall corsa motor,  however this was on a 80/81 g esprit,  some folks have posts more recently giving other new improved motors to be fitted as time has moved on as did technology. So check other posts for fitting aftermarket motor assisted steering. 

How ever that said Andy is an excellent engineer and you can get some great info and insperation from his posts   you can find a lot of this posts by looking up the user name Hilly in the project and restoration section   

 

[skiing]

I believe Lotusbits do a conversion kit for this.

[Roger Moore]

Thanks Guys for your response. I haven't been on the forum a long time. I have already installed an electric power steering on my car and it runs fantastic. It is a very simple conversion and you don't have to modify anything else on the car. It came from a 2010 Toyota Yaris and cost me $200. I can provide details if anybody is interested. 

My new project that I need help with is to eliminate the mechanical vacume pump and replacing it with an electric one. I need it to run the entire vacume system on the car, engine, brakes heater etc. 

Ant pictures or diagrams would be appreciated. 

Thanks Roger

[eeyoreish]

Would love to see some details of the electric power steering set up you installed!

[Steve4012]

8 hours ago, Roger Moore said:

Thanks Guys for your response. I haven't been on the forum a long time. I have already installed an electric power steering on my car and it runs fantastic. It is a very simple conversion and you don't have to modify anything else on the car. It came from a 2010 Toyota Yaris and cost me $200. I can provide details if anybody is interested. 

 

I would be interested to hear details of the power steering conversion as well! 

[Roger Moore]

Hi Steve, sorry for the late response, been working hard on a friend's Subaru wrx. The details about the electric steering would be: Bought the steering column with the control unit. You can connect electrically 2 ways, with or without vehicle speed signal. I chose the non signal because it is much more simple, the difference would be the same steering assistance all the time, but the steering weight was so perfect that I didn't need it. Make sure the steering comes from a Yaris that does have ABS. The mechanical part is to cut the lotus column into 2 pieces and the toyota in 2 pieces and weld them together both on the inner shaft and the outer. You need a Borgussen coupler for the rear. This way you don't have to remove anything from the cat to install the new steering, and you keep your turn signal and wiper switches and your own steering wheel. I' including sone photos, one of them shows the steering installed, notice the steering motor under the dash. Forgot to mention the hood release works perfectly and does'n need alteration. The last picture shows the location that I chose for the fuse and the relay.

[Steve4012]

Thank you Roger, that's really helpful 👍

[AndyPG]

Hi Roger,

What's the significance of the Yaris steering column being from an ABS car?

Andy.

[Codriver]

i am looking at this post with great interest and would like to fit E P S also i have an 1989 Lotus esprit Anniversary model

would love some and guidance please

Firstly what is a Borgussen coupler ?

why do you need a column from a Yaris with abs?

i was looking at a Corsa C column but you have done a great job and worked it all out sweet\

regards Cyril

 

[AndyPG]

Hi Cyril,

Welcome to the forum.

The Borgusson coupler is basically a drive coupling for grafting the new steering column inner shaft to the esprit shaft.

Quite a few Toyota and other EPS columns are suitable but the easiest to use are those which default to and operate satisfactorily in failsafe mode when not plugged into the original car's ECU.

These columns still need their controller though.

The Yarris column from an ABS car is such a column.

Andy.

[Codriver]

Thanks 🙏 for your help Andy 

were would I get the coupling for or do you have to make it up 

i am thinking Corsa column would be ok and a variable plug in sensors is only £25 is available 

but the Yaris looks a bit easy 

would you know were I can get any more information /details 

thanks Cyril 

[AndyPG]

Hi Cyril,

I've been contemplating the conversion as a possible future project but it's still on the shelf for now.

I have acquired a 2007 Prius EPS column with the Prius controller and it works perfectly on the bench.

Grafting it into your existing Esprit column is not for the faint hearted and needs doing in a 100% robust way.

I intend having a chat with an industrial transmission parts supplier regarding suitable couplings as there's not much info here in the UK regarding that specific Borgusson item.

This is the website that I have been reading.

www.therangerstation.com/tech/toyota-electric-power-steering-eps-conversion/

Andy.

[snowrx]

I think Borgeson is the vendor for the coupler?  Can we have a pic of it installed?

  www.borgeson.com

 

[Codriver]

Thank you Andy i am asking myself should i do this conversion or not ?

i have my Lotus in stripped out at the moment and is  good time to convert as the dash is out and the rack is off.i am still looking at Corsa C or Yaris column a control sensor is available from Ebay and the reports are good and it work ??

I have to thing a bit more on it but i like the idea off just worried now it may not be worth the trouble and how well will work at speed ??????

Thanks to all of you for your help so far.

 

On 11/01/2020 at 16:46, AndyPG said:

Hi Roger,

What's the significance of the Yaris steering column being from an ABS car?

Andy.

Cyril

[Codriver]

I to would like more pictures on how others have got this to work it great how you all are helping Thanks

I Need some front brake discs any suggestion ?

Cyril

 

[Mysterae]

Why not install the power steering from later model Esprit's, or are the parts obsolete?

I'd like power steering too but not keen on this particular solution.

[AndyPG]

1 hour ago, Codriver said:

I Need some front brake discs any suggestion ?

Cyril

 

Hi Cyril,

I'd start a new thread regarding brake discs.

It's good to keep threads on track with their title subject.

46 minutes ago, Mysterae said:

Why not install the power steering from later model Esprit's, or are the parts obsolete?

I'd like power steering too but not keen on this particular solution.

Hi Alan,

For the adventurous engineering type, the Toyota EPS route can be a good little project, can be completed for under £100 and is reported to work very well.

Definitely not for everyone though.

The cost of a conversion using later Lotus parts would likely be huge if you could do it at all.

Andy.

[chandrab]

On 19/02/2020 at 07:39, AndyPG said:

Hi Cyril,

I've been contemplating the conversion as a possible future project but it's still on the shelf for now.

I have acquired a 2007 Prius EPS column with the Prius controller and it works perfectly on the bench.

Grafting it into your existing Esprit column is not for the faint hearted and needs doing in a 100% robust way.

I intend having a chat with an industrial transmission parts supplier regarding suitable couplings as there's not much info here in the UK regarding that specific Borgusson item.

This is the website that I have been reading.

www.therangerstation.com/tech/toyota-electric-power-steering-eps-conversion/

Andy.

Hi Andy, my buddy with an 1991 Esprit SE acquired a Yaris (US model) column and another Esprit steering column....not sure about the prius controller...is that something extra he had to buy?  He is looking for more information on how to graft the two parts together.  Could you or roger, cyril post more pictures as you go forward and note any difficulty?  My buddy may be interested in buying couplings also.  Thanks!

[AndyPG]

7 hours ago, chandrab said:

Hi Andy, my buddy with an 1991 Esprit SE acquired a Yaris (US model) column and another Esprit steering column....not sure about the prius controller...is that something extra he had to buy?  He is looking for more information on how to graft the two parts together.  Could you or roger, cyril post more pictures as you go forward and note any difficulty?  My buddy may be interested in buying couplings also.  Thanks!

Hi Chandra,

I can't offer much more than I have already said as I too haven't attempted the conversion as yet.

From the research I have done, I would recommend using the OEM Yaris EPS controller as opposed to a non OEM device. He will certainly need one or the other.

Andy.

[Barnsley-mark]

Has anyone got the part number for the Yaris steering column? I have been looking and there seems to be a lot of similar parts with different part numbers ending in 40 to around 52

[hspeck]

ezpowersteering.nl a electric power steering conversion for the Esprit if anyone is interested

http://www.ezpowersteering.nl/type/26/181/Lotus_Esprit.html

[red vtec]

8 hours ago, hspeck said:

ezpowersteering.nl a electric power steering conversion for the Esprit if anyone is interested

http://www.ezpowersteering.nl/type/26/181/Lotus_Esprit.html

Mike and Graham are good chaps. A lot of DB5's have this fitted. 

[hspeck]

9 hours ago, red vtec said:

Mike and Graham are good chaps. A lot of DB5's have this fitted. 

I learned about this whilst watching Harry's Garage . He has one in his espada iirc... and he seemed quite pleased with it so i reckon the company must be doing something right

Although I am not sure which model of Esprit it is for.. 

[red vtec]

7 hours ago, hspeck said:

I learned about this whilst watching Harry's Garage . He has one in his espada iirc... and he seemed quite pleased with it so i reckon the company must be doing something right

Although I am not sure which model of Esprit it is for.. 

The one on the website was an SE? I know Mike and Graham to speak to through car shows that I did.