hi guys, this is what just happened on my RX8 an hour ago..

it has been raining all day today n i decided that it would be a good idea to have some 'dounts' since its easier to do dounts when it rains and also tyres wear less...

i switched of DSC (not completely) and had a few dounts.. they were not bad i supposed.. then i turned the DSC completely off and turned on the A/C as the car had become quite stuffy. After 1 more donut or 2 i had made, the power steering WAS GONE!! no power steering at all when my 8 was stopped though there's no problem turning the steering wheel around easily even when my 8 moved just like a turtle... got off car and checked all tyres.. no problems at all since it was raining....

I switched off the car n waited for about 3 mins.. switched it back on again but the problem was still there.. waited for another 3mins with the engine running.. no luck still.... everything was normal EXCEPT for 'no power steering when the car is completely stopped'

nothing i could do but left the place with tons of disappointment n worries... After about 10mins drive when i was on the way home, i stopped at a traffic light, tried to turn the steering wheel around and things were just BACK TO NORMAL!!!!! OMG, what was bloody going on??? Do u guys have any idea? esp for Taka,, i know ur an expert doing donuts! (I guess what i read from this site was true..) Pls help! this is a great worry to me....

 

I suggest switching from Krispy Kremes to Dunkin' Donuts. That should fix the steering.

 

Did you get the steering warning light? its a little steering wheel with a ! next to it?

Sometimes with agressive driving (donuts, slidse, drifts, ect) you can confuse the ECU and the power assist on the steering will stop. Since its electic and not hydraulic. One simple way to re-calibrate it is to turn the wheel from lock to lock (complete right to complete left and then center it. Should work out.

I think the problem is that the car knows its moving, but your giving it strage steering input vs when you drive the car around on roads, so it gets confused as to how much the full range of steering is, so its basicaly limiting the range its adding power assist.

This steering rack is electronic assist, so it gives more or less assistance vs you speed and input....once again the super-complex ECU at work.

 

have a check done of the sensor near the radiator and the harness for it. there have been some issues with it in the states and there is now a harness extension available to move the sensor to a different location.