Power steering kits are fairly complicated pieces of equipment, and our EZ STEER Power Steering Kits are no exception. They’re designed to perfectly translate your steering wheel movements to powered rack movements on the fly. All the while they have to counteract every bump and rut you hit on the trail.
All those moving parts working together mean that sometimes something can go wrong. Whether it’s hard to turn immediately following installation or it stops working years later, we’ve compiled our troubleshooting guide to help figure out your power steering problems. Follow these steps, and you can get your power steering kit running like new again.
These are the most common mistakes we see when someone calls in with a power steering problem:
Most likely, your issue is one of these four. We’ll walk through these issues and a few other less common issues that you can check for before giving customer service a call.
If your white activation wire isn’t connected properly, you’ll have power steering problems. In fact, your kit won’t function at all. This wire should be hot when your key is turned on.
First, you’ll want to make sure the connection between the white wire and your keyed-on power source is solid. A faulty connection can cause intermittent power loss.
If you’re unsure of where your keyed-on power source is located, look for your vehicle’s busbar or power bar. Here’s a list of busbar locations for various makes and models:
Some vehicles don’t have a busbar. Here’s where you can find a keyed-on power source for those UTVs:
Checking your connections is a straightforward process. First, unplug all connectors to the ECU, wait a few minutes, and plug them back in while making sure they’re fully seated. You should feel a click when they’re pushed in all the way. If you don’t, check for bent or broken pins that can interfere with the plug.
To check the ECU voltage output, touch the hot and ground in the plug running to the motor, turn the machine on, and then turn the wheel.
Your multimeter should be on the voltage setting (v) and you should read 3.0 to 6.0 volts going through the two wires. If it’s in the range of 2.0-7.0 volts, you’re good. If it is out of that range, the ECU may be bad.
When checking resistance on the motor, make sure the leads from the motor to the ECU are disconnected and the vehicle’s key is in the off position.
Set your multimeter to the OHM’s setting. Then, check the motor’s ohm reading across the two lead plugs going to the motor. This reading is important and should be checked at least three consecutive times to ensure accuracy.
Results should be between 0.0 to 1.2 ohms. If the ohms are higher, the motor may be bad.
The torque sensor is the brains of your power steering unit. If it’s out of whack, you’ll have power steering problems. Here’s how to check the torque sensor.
After checking the torque sensor, plug it back into the ECU and back-probe the plug. This time, check the voltage from the white and black wires to the ground (green wire). You can also ground your probe on the chassis.
Results should be around 2.0 to 2.5 volts on each wire.
Now, you’ll check to make sure the torque sensor functions properly while in use.
If you’re outside that range, give us a call.
When an EZ STEER power steering unit is installed on an ATV, it has looser steering than when it didn’t have power steering. This is completely normal.
Also, ATVs use the blue speed sensor wire. This will take away some of the voltage to the power steering unit as the speed increases to reduce the chance of over steering or over correction.
If you found a problem with your wiring, plugs, ECU power, or torque sensor that you can’t fix, what are you supposed to do now? Give us a call at 855-274-3427. Our technical support team is available Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET and Saturday 9:00 AM to 2:00PM ET to answer any questions. They can help you with the next steps of troubleshooting so you can quit thinking about your parts and start thinking about your next ride.
29 Comments
Would it be ok to run little white wire to my fuse box.
Hey Richard! You can run it to the fuse box as long as you connect it to a key-on wire or fuse. Thanks for checking in with us!
I have had the EZ power steering fitted to my MGB GT V8 and whilst it works well as an aid to heavy steering at low speed the steering no longer self centres. The fitter tells me this is normal but I have my doubts as it makes the car a little twitchy at speed and the wheel has to be held quite firmly at all times. Is this Normal or is something not quite right as i suspect. Help required
Hey Michael, if I’m understanding correctly, you feel it’s touchy at high speeds. The universal kit has the transmission speed sensor, but you would have to figure out where that wire would need to go. It should not self center. Feel free to give us a call at 855-743-3427 for any help!
I’m fitting this superatv power steering to my Formula 500, where do I attach the white activation wire
Hey Diane! You should be able to attach this wire to any key-on power source. Thanks for reading!
I’m trying to get a hold of superatv for my power steering problem on my Polaris ranger. It stop working n I did all the test to diagnose it and everything came back good but the system is still not working need help the number is disconnected to talk to any representative all the ohms and the testing came back properly the light blinks on and off when I unplug the motor when I plug the motor in a blinks once and shuts off does not blink againA phone number to talk to a representative would be nice to get some better results thanks again been a customer for 8 to 10 years now
Hey CJ! I’m sorry for the trouble. Shoot an email over to our warranty department and we can try to get you squared away. You’ll need to make sure you have your order number available, and let them know the details of the trouble you’re having. It’s warranty@superatv.com. We’ll be glad to help get things taken care of for you. Thank you for the continued support!
Can i jump the motor somehow to see if it works and if so how?
Thanks for tuning in with us! Check out the section labeled “Checking OHMs on the Motor” for instruction on this.
I have super atv power steering on a 07 rhino steering is strong you can turn all the way right whip it to left it will keep turning with no contact on wheel till it is turned full right
Just finished installing the 400w universal unit in my 1952 Chevy sedan, must say it’s amazing how smooth this unit works ! Made the frame brackets and u joints to the rack and pinion and steering column. The installation was a good 12 hr. Job but will worth the time and money investment. I had previously installed a after market front end assy, with a manual rack and was way hard to turn when standing still with this unit it is a pleasure to drive now. I highly recommend this addition.
That’s awesome to hear. Thanks for the support and feedback, Bill!
hi last august i got your kit for a 2019 polaris sportsman 850 was working very good and then i heard a bussing noise from the power steering and then it stop but still out and i get 5v on the green and orange wires!!!!
Hey Daniel. It could be a few different things. It could be caused by your Sportsman’s battery if it’s dying and outputting less than 12.8 V on the white, key-on wire while the power is on without the engine running. Or the solenoid could have gone bad. The good news is that if you bought it last year, you should still be covered by our warranty. If you can’t get it working again, give us a call: 855-743-3427. Thanks for reading!
batt. ok at 12.7 when this happend at first i could hear a buzzing noise from the power steering for 20 sec. about as soon as i would put the ing. on and on the 4 wires i get 5v on the green and orange but nothing on the white and black!!!!!!
12.7 V is borderline, so that could be your issue. It really wants 12.8 or more. Make sure you don’t have any other accessories drawing too much power, like hand warmers (even if they’re off, they can eat up too much voltage). If you can, try checking it with a newer battery and see if it works then. If it does work with a newer battery, then you just need to replace your battery. If it doesn’t work with a newer battery, then it’s your ECU, and you need to give us a call at 855-743-3427 to get it replaced.
I have this system on a CFMoto CF500AU and EPS has an error code 32
just following your checks as no other info out there on these chinese ATVs
i have power in to ECU but no power to motor, i pulled motor out and works connected to battery
torque sensor shows 5 volts when plugged in but nothing unpluged as per you instructions, also the white / black to ground ok
and 0-4.0 when trying to turn steering ok
thinking ECU is bad
Hey Paul, your white key-on wire should get a minimum of 12.8 V with the key on, but not the ignition. If you’re not getting 12.8, it could indicate either a bad ECU or a dying battery. If you’re saying that your CFMoto’s battery is good, then it’s mostly likely the ECU.
You can give us a call at 855-743-3427, and we can help you out. EZ Steer carries 3-year warranty, so hopefully we can get you up and running without too much trouble.
I have an EZ Steer system on a JD Gator 825i that is not working. It was installed prior to my purchase. The red indicator light is flashing 2 longer lights followed by a slight pause and then a short flash. All the connections seem to be good and the battery is new. Any suggestions for diagnosis? Thank you.
Hey Rick. That error points to the torque sensor, which is part of the motor. Either the torque sensor itself is bad, or the ECU isn’t communicating with the torque sensor properly. The best case scenario would be a loose connection between the motor and the ECU. Follow the steps above under the “Checking Your Torque Sensor” section. Odds are you’ll need to replace either your ECU or motor. Give us a call with your results at 855-743-3427 and we can get you taken care of.
Good afternoon
We have the ez steer system on our micro sprint. The problem we are having is that it randomly shuts off while racing. If you cycle the toggle switch From off to on it will start working again. Another car owner with the same system on their Micro Sprint said they have had the same issue. Any suggestions?
Hey Matt. Sorry for the delay getting back to you. Micro sprints usually lack the charging system that side by sides have, so the power steering ends up shutting off after the battery gets to an insufficient voltage. The thing most people do is install a switch so they can power the system right before a race and shut it off right after.
Hopefully that helps!
Hi , I have a 2013 can am maverick that I have had the electronic power steering on. When turning you can notice one side turns further than the other. And while driving down the road it drifts left and right finding yourself constantly chasing the steering. When jacked up you can push on either wheel and it will turn about 3” before the other one begins to turn with the other. It’s the same from both sides.
Hey Chad, that doesn’t sound like a power steering problem. Even if the motor were going bad or had a lot of slop, you wouldn’t be able to push one wheel 3″ before the other starts moving. It sounds like your alignment’s off and you’ve probably got some parts wearing out. Check your bushings, wheel bearings, tie rod ends, and your rack. Any or all of those could be causing all that play. Hopefully you get it sorted out. Thanks for reading!
new install binds and motor mount bounces in two positions when turning wheels.
guidance please.
Hey Steve, loosen up everything and realign your shaft and motor. Get everything lined up perfectly and then tighten it down. That should get you riding smooth. Thanks for the question!
I have a 2014 Can-Am Maverick Max 1000 r I recently washed it and after that my power steering stopped working. I went through all the Diagnostics and found the red and black wire coming from the torque sensor is reading zero. Can I just replace the torque sensor or do you have anything else I should diagnose first?
Hey Brandon, you can’t replace the torque sensor alone, unfortunately. You’d have to replace the whole motor. But usually, when a torque sensor alone goes bad, your wheels automatically move all the way to the left or right. So you could have a bad motor on your hands, but that almost never happens. Give us a call at 855-743-3427 so we can go over your issue in more detail to make sure we get you fixed up the right way.