[bateji]

Hi

Undelete is probably not the right word for this but my goal is to restore a functioning HICAS on my R32 GTR.
I am assuming that all I need is the rack and the piping that goes to the hydraulic control module.

Either I am the first person to write about this on the internet or I am not that good with searches but 100% of my search results come back with how to remove the HICAS. Has anyone done this?

So any help with tips and even parts will be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[TAZZMAXX]

I think I might have all the parts on a subframe I have at work but would need to check on Monday to see if it is all still present. Whereabouts are you based?

 

[bateji]

St Helens, Merseyside. I have checked and everything under the bonnet that is HICAS related is still there. I am 99% sure. Tomorrow I will jack the car up so I can see what is missing.

 

[tarmac terror]

WOW....

A 'how to refit HICAS' thread. Ain't seen one of these before!



I'm guessing you're a bit mental.....??

:chuckle:



TT

 

[bateji]

Hi TT,
My previous Skyline (R33) had HICAS fitted and I like it. The delete kit that is in the car still uses the tie rods and ball joints of the original system so I have had to replace them anyway.
Why would that be a bad idea?

Z

 

[tarmac terror]

Hi TT,
My previous Skyline (R33) had HICAS fitted and I like it. The delete kit that is in the car still uses the tie rods and ball joints of the original system so I have had to replace them anyway.
Why would that be a bad idea?

Z

If you like HICAS then go for it!! Personally, I'd just buy the Driftworks HICAS delete kit and fit that. It's a much better design than most of the other kits out there which retain the tie rod and ball joint. Would have preferred that to the far more expensive Midori kit I bought!!!!


TT

 

[Irvine]

if the whole system had an overhaul and some kind of "updated controller" would that not be the ideal thing to do instead of just ripping it all out because the standard set up SOMETIMES tries to kill people.

neil

 

[bateji]

Hi Neil,

I am not sure how you can overhaul it. The R33s had the electric HICAS which was fitted to save weight but the operation is still the same. I can't believe Nissan will use the system for nearly 20 years if it "tries to kill people".
yes, a lot of people are complaining about it but if you keep it in tip top condition. I think it is magic. My R33 was the first car I drove with HICAS and used to scare the shit out of me if I went around a bend a bit quicker but after a while I got used to it.
Drifters hate it because it does corrections when one is not expected. After all stability systems are exactly what kills a slide.
Same as the front rack, if the rods and ends are not in good condition, it will act sloppy.

So there it is, my opinion on HICAS.

Z

 

[Irvine]

very true, if the suspension is not in tip top condition ie, bushings, rods the system will detect the play as driver input and correct it causing the car to move around on its own.

its always a case of someone lowering their car and now replacing other parts to compensate causing problems.

there must be some sort of circuitry upgrades, controllers or retrofits from newer Nissan models that can bring the system in line with an overhauled/updated suspension giving new life to the car.

neil

 

[tarmac terror]

Remember that the R32 HICAS is hydraulic and not electric!!

Also, I doubt that any 'modern controller' exists for HICAS. New controllers are available for 4WD but I 've never seen anything remotely similar for HICAS.

Does your R32 have a KPH-MPH converter fitted??? Seems that this causes issues also.

I could understand if your car HAD HICAS and you wanted to renew the parts and bring them back to OEM condition. As yours already has a delete kit fitted, personally I'd forget about reinstalling one.

Again though, your car, your choice!!


TT

 

[bateji]

TT, my car is in KPH and I will keep it that way unless the authorities force me to change that.
And I get your point. What is the point of spending the extra money? I want to see how much it will cost me and then decide whether to go ahead with it.
Thanks
Z

 

[TAZZMAXX]

I've got the rack and the hoses to the front of the sub-frame but I'd need to check if they have ends on or have just been cut off (hoses, that is).

 

[FRRACER]

Lol this thread is funny! I'm all for the factory hicas. If people bother to learn how it works and understand how to drive a car with hicas then you wouldn't have half the issues.

I'm sure you can easily source the parts you need as most people panic and junk the hicas and replace it with those kits that corrode in a few months.

 

[bateji]

I've got the rack and the hoses to the front of the sub-frame but I'd need to check if they have ends on or have just been cut off (hoses, that is).

Can you please confirm and recommend someone to fit it. Might be something I can do on the driveway but I keep having nightmares about drowning in hydraulic fluid.

Anyone know how that system is bled?

 

[tarmac terror]

Lol this thread is funny! I'm all for the factory hicas. If people bother to learn how it works and understand how to drive a car with hicas then you wouldn't have half the issues.

I'm sure you can easily source the parts you need as most people panic and junk the hicas and replace it with those kits that corrode in a few months.

Firstly, it's well known that (for various reasons) the HICAS system can be very temperamental and unstable. There are countless threads on here over the years where folks have had (some rather nasty) accidents when HICAS decides to do something strange. It's not ALL about driver education on the system.......

Secondly, I presume your second paragraph refers to Driftworks items...?? As I have said before, you can say all you want about DW stuff but their HICAS delete kit is WAY better in design than some of the big name branded items. My Greddy front tension rods for example, started to corrode within a month!!!! Not great!!



TT

 

[dA_RoB]

If the hicas was removed properly, Yo will not only need the rear cylinder, but the valve which is mounted in the back of the car, 2 hard lines which go from the back to the front, the big valve in the front which is located under the intake manifold and probably the lines to the pump if they are cut to make a loop or something.
In worst case (for this undertaking), the previous owner changed the hydraulics pump to a r33 gt-r one which has only one exit port, so you will need this as well.

Doing this is a personal preference. Someone already wrote it but i will still repeat it.
The system is old and unreliable. In one case I was playing with the car and wanted to test some stuff and during this, the car went sideways (intended) which I managed to get control of, however, due to the slow hicas process, in a matter of an eye blink the car was standing in the complete opposite way even though it was stable and under control. There was no way on earth I could avoid this as it went very quickly and was not expected at all.
I would like to try and use the system from the R34 which I heard works flawlessly and it's lighter due to it being electric and not having the lines and oil run from the front to the back and reverse, but the car without hicas is working perfectly so I will leave it as is. There are far more important modifications to get it to handle even better than it does, so why should I bother.

Cheers,
RoB