HICAS...Need to 'Rectify'...advice

[jaques]

Hey guys, if any guru's out there can help...
Recently got a yellow sticker..had first inspection..Failed of course.
Here are the six points to rectify

-exhaust clearance too low ( needs raising by 15mm)
-Battery non compliant (need hose to vent battery gases)
-Rear indicators flash white (need amber bulb in clear tail lights)
-Permit for guages (twin guage pod on pillar..they want a permit)
-Remove fog lights ( spotties on front bar, even tho not connected, they want them removed..easy, but annoying!)
-LAst of all...HICAS has been locked off with HICAS lock kit.
They spat the dummy..saying i need engineering certificates for that as it is not standard, or i can return it to stock ie: get HICAS enabled.

So overall, all easy/cheap stuff the rectify...however, the car came with the HICAS rear wheel steering lock kit when i purchased the car 3 years ago ( btw its an R33-GTST 95).

How easy is it to get HICAS re-activated?? is it as simple as removing the locking bar, and plugging the wires back in??
Im assuming I can just go to an importer and ask them to do it..noone really knows much about All Wheel Steering systems...

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Nismo33]

My guess would be yeah remove locking kit and plug the wires back in and it should work. I am no expert though!

[R3N]

wouldnt it be as simple as looking online for how-tos on locking HICAS, then simply reverse engineer?

[Lonewolf]

just remove the obvious lock parts
they're not going to be able to tell if HICAS is actually operating

[jaques]

Lonewolf...yeah thats what i was thinking, theres no way they can tell. They guy did take it for a drive, but there no chance of him figuring it out.
The guy had no idea what was going on when he saw the lock out bar!
He had to call another guy, who called another guy....and came to the conclusion that they didnt like it :P

He took my car for a drive from the pits ( he actually thrashed it a little..i could hear him :P)..and his comment was...'drives well, no problems..however your blow off valve it very loud"

I then informed him its a stock plumb back valve!! he continued to tell me i was lying and it is definately not standard..just goes to show that the gimp had no idea what he was talking about!

yeah, so Ill try make it appear standard and functional

Thanks :)

[Skitzo]

most of the guys at the pits are nobs. My car was sittign for 2 hours so was cold. Inspector goes to take it for a drive, turns out of inspection centre, smashs limiter in first then second down the street. Didnt have a BOV at all but was told to quiten it down even though i told him it doesnt have one.

Bloke that passed me was top shelf though. Didnt even inspect the engine bay. Just checked lights and steering underneath. Then a drive. I had a BOV on it but had previously loosened a hose clamp on cooler piping. When dude was finished writing down engine number ad shit and said i could close the bonnet, i pulled piping up so there was a gap. No boost for him and no BOV.

[jaques]

Yeah for sure! I was behind a lady, putting a van over the pits, for a local charity. It was a newish van, with wheelchair ramp thingo, for disability charity. the bus actually had two people in wheel chairs siitin in the back. The old lady was a volunteer...and the inspector was so f@cking rude to her...he roled his eyes at her, coz she missed something on her paperwork, swore and stormed off, slaming his door to his office. He came out when she had the form filled out correctly..Old lady is obviously tryin to do sumin decent for charity, and some greasy pit monkey c@nt with a power trip treats her like shit..

I was next in line after her..and i was naturally doomed from the start ahhah. Its clearly just luck of the draw which inspector you get.

Yeah, the inspector def hit the limiter in my car as wel, luckily myn was warmed up. Hopefully i get a decent guy 2nd time round.

Anyone with dodgy pit experiences, post ur stories...interesting to read :)

[EYEH8HSV]

dogs

[jaques]

I went thru Warwick pits, anyone have any opinions on Warwick?
Im not surprised the inspectors are always pissed off, they have to work in a bit of a shithole..stuck in concrete pit all day hahah.

I wouldnt like to think how hard it would be to get a highly mod'd import over the pits. Myn is close to stock, and its hard enough! :P

[SimonR32]

warwick are known for being stupidly harsh on imports...

i would recommend east perth or welshpool

in terms on hicas, how did they know it was locked?!? was the dash light on? if it was i would just suggest removing the bulb behind the dash

[jaques]

May try welshpool next time then.Thanks for that.
They noticed the hicas lock from undercar inspection.
As you prob know, they get you to pull over the pit, and rock the steering wheel left to right until they stay stop. He inspected the front steering setup and didnt query anything.

then he moved to the rear and asked me to rock the wheel again..Then called me down into the pit to explain the rear setup. I claimed ignorance and stated that I have no idea and it was like this when i purchased it, and that i havent touched it since compliancing. I had my hicas dash light disconnected when i brought the car.

So yeah, he didnt see any dash light, he just saw the rear setup..what tipped him off wat, he saw the old hicas wiring bunched up, and cable tied above the lock bar, obviously disconnected.

I honestly forgot i even had it disconnected before goin to the pits, slipped my mind ay, but i would of failed regardless due to height..

[ovaxitd]

try welshpool.... tell them why its there... aka send you into kerbs... they will be cool with that as its safer.... hicas is so unpredictable.....i have found you need to convince them... then if your belivable then your ok haha

[jaques]

Yeah true..however i dont like my chances of gettin an inspector who is willing to be convinced :P its a gamble. If i get denied, I'll be back to square one.haha. Ill try reactivate it/make it look functional.
But I may go to welshpool regadless, as most people seem to give it good reviews.

Also, ive never driven a skyline with Hicas enabled..Im curious to know how different it handles. All my mates have theres still enabled, but its hard to feel it as a passenger.

[Drift_R32]

ive been to welspool.
havnt had TOO many problems there.
there is one though a young guy is a fukn ass hat.
he spent like an hour on a BRAND FUKN NEW mercedes van was halfway in the engine bay with a torch, i mean come on. im sure mercedes arent doing the dodge with their brand new cars. cable ties instead of engine mounts etc etc.

and about the HICAS...
my mate had a r32 and his was alittle fauly used to move him across lanes at about 90kmph. exlpain how thats safe.

[beatle]

if you need a new system, my mate has one taking up space on his shelf

[jaques]

Too easy! thanks mate. Im having my zaust done on sat morning, so we'l get it on the hoist and have a look at what we can do with it. If it looks like il need to wack in a new system, Ill be contacting you for sure :P

Im hoping its a matter of jst ripping the bar out, plugin it in..they wont know..

Thanks, Ill let ya know asap

[Mistikal]

Had to take the girlfriend's VR Commodore over the Welshpool pits a few weeks ago, and the guy I got was absolutely tops. Very honest and fair. The things he didn't pass it on where genuine (ride height and strut brace smacking the throttle body linkage), no bullshit excuses or stupid conditions.

The guy infront of me, who got a wanker of an examiner, was absolutely reamed - he already had 2 yellows on the screen, and copped another one... mind you, the car is FAR from anywhere even close to legal (bundy ute with a 5-poster and other stupid shit).

andy

[jaques]

Spoken to bulk mecanics and tuners...they all rekon i would of got the biggest f@ckhead inspector for them to pick up shit like this...fair enough, its not a factory feature..however anyone who knows anythings about skylines/or has driven one....would know that the car is safer, more predictable and overall...improved with hicas removed!!
I havent really had a good look under the car yet, but im hoping all they did when installing the lock kit, is unplug the wires and put in the bar. If they removed all the lines, solenoid, powersteering shit...then its guna be veeeeery expensive..But i think all i need is the factory rack. WA suspensions will put it in and ballance it for $110.. so, 'beatle' im hoping you can still hook me up! :P