HOW TO: Fix and clear ABS/TCS/VSA errors and lights caused by misaligned steering components

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• Created a brand new post about this so that people don't have to go digging too far into other threads to find my original comment on this.
• This post was inspired by my issues with the VSA Code 27-1 (Steering Angle Sensor Failure) original thread by shind3.
• Warning #1 - Do this at your own risk. If you aren't careful, you could make things worse.
• Warning #2 - You must have a Honda HDS/HIM device and software in order to perform these steps.
• Warning #3 - You car must have a decent alignment in order for everything to work correctly.
• Warning #4 - Always disconnect the battery when plugging or unplugging the airbag!!!

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Major Step 1

1. Point the front wheels perfectly straight forward, turn the car off, and disconnect battery.
2. Then remove the steering wheel + airbag+ clockspring.
3. Tape the clockspring so it doesn't move or rotate at all.
4. Set the airbag and clockspring off to the side until the very end.
5. Reconnect battery and turn the ignition all the way on but do not start the car.
6. Go to Major Step 2.

Major Step 2 (Checking steering rack centered position)

1. Once again, make sure the front wheels perfectly pointed straight forward.
2. Connect your car to your computer with the Honda HDS/HIM software.
3. Go into the ABS/TCS/VSA menu and open the sensors page to view the live data of the sensors.
4. Looking for "Steering Angle" and take note of the current value.
5. If the current value is anything other than 0 degrees:
   1. Turn the car off and remove the steering wheel.
   2. Rotate the blue notched ring at least five full rotations in any direction.
   3. Make sure that the rectangle notches on the blue notched ring are at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions when you're done rotating. This is critical.
   4. Turn the key back on, and Honda HDS should reconnect quickly.
   5. Continue repeating the above substeps 1-4 until the steering angle sensor reads 0 degrees. This could take upwards of 10 times.
6. Continue to step 7 below this line when the steering angle sensor reads 0 degrees and the front wheels are perfectly pointed straight forward.
7. With the key turned on, rotate the steering wheel all the way to the left. Hold the steering wheel tightly as far left as it will go, and record the value you see in Honda HDS. It should be somewhere between -360 and -500.
8. Now the other way, rotate the steering wheel all the way to the right. Hold the steering wheel tightly as far right as it will go, and record the value you see in Honda HDS. It should be somewhere between 360 and 500.
9. Compare the two numbers. They should be the same numbers, but one is negative and the other is positive.
   1. Good example: if the left turn value is -420 and the right turn value is 420, then you're good!
      1. (More good examples are -400 and 400 or -386 and 386)
   2. Bad example: if the left turn value is -380 and the right turn value is 460, then you're NOT GOOD.
      1. (More bad examples are -390 and 410 or -415 and 430)
   3. The specific numbers themselves don't matter, as long as they are the left negative value is the same as the right positive value.
10. Go to Major Step 3 if the left negative value and right positive value ARE NOT matching each other. See bad examples above.
11. Go to Major Step 4 if the left negative value and right positive value ARE matching each other. See good examples above.

Major Step 3 (Centering the steering rack with your wheels and the steering angle sensor)

1. So your steering rack isn't centered with your wheels and the steering angle sensor. Time to fix it.
2. Time for some math, using your left turn value and right turn value from above, find the exact middle point value between both of them by adding the two numbers together.
   1. For example, if your left turn value is -380 and your right turn value is 460, then -380 + 460 = 80. Your middle point value is positive 80 degrees.
3. CUT your middle point value in half to get the final adjustment value.
   1. Using the example above, half of 80 = 40 degrees.
4. Turn the steering wheel so that the steering angle sensor in Honda HDS/HIM is showing your final adjustment value.
   1. Using the example above, Honda HDS/HIM should be showing 40 degrees.
5. Now perform the steering angle reset procedure by doing the following:
   1. Turn the car off and remove the steering wheel.
   2. Rotate the blue notched ring at least five full rotations in any direction.
   3. Make sure that the rectangle notches on the blue notched ring are at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions when you're done rotating. This is critical.
   4. Turn the key back on, and Honda HDS should reconnect quickly.
   5. Continue repeating the above substeps 1-4 until the steering angle sensor reads 0 degrees. This could take upwards of 10 times.
6. When the steering angle reset is done, recheck your full left and full right steering angle positions.
   1. They should be the same numbers, but one is negative and the other is positive.
   2. Using the example above, we corrected -380 and 460 by adjusting it 40 degrees to the left, so now the full left value should be -420 and the full right value should be 420.
7. If this doesn't work the first time, you should be getting closer. Repeat the process until the full left negative value and full right positive value are a matching pair.
8. Put the steering wheel back on, and rotate until the steering angle value in Honda HDS/HIM is showing 0 degrees.
9. At this point your steering rack is fully centered to 0 degrees when your front wheels and steering angle sensor are perfectly centered and set to 0 degrees.
10. Remove steering wheel and look for the notch on the spline of your steering shaft.
    1. If the steering shaft notch IS NOT pointing perfectly straight up then go to Major Step 4.
    2. If the steering shaft notch IS pointing perfectly straight up then go to Major Step 5.

Major Step 4 (Centering the steering shaft and steering wheel with the steering rack)

1. The steering shaft notch IS NOT pointing perfectly straight up with the steering rack centered, and that needs to be fixed.
2. Make sure the wheels are still perfectly straight forward and the steering angle sensor still reads 0 degrees.
3. Jack the car up in the front, and unbolt the steering joint so that the steering shaft and steering rack are disconnected from each other.
4. Get back in the car and rotate the steering shaft with your fingers until the the steering shaft notch is pointing perfectly straight up.
   1. Do not let the steering angle sensor (blue notched ring) move out of the 0 degree position while doing this.
5. Slide the clockspring back onto the steering shaft and it should easily click and fit onto the steering angle sensor (blue notched ring) if it is still at 0 degrees.
6. With all pieces (notches/arrows/etc) pointing straight up, slide the steering wheel (perfectly straight up) onto the steering shaft, perfectly aligned with everything else.
   1. There are holes on the back of the steering wheel that fit directly onto the clockspring's aligning stubs.
7. Reconnect the steering joint/shaft/rack with the new spline position, and bolt it back together.
8. By this point, this is what you should end up with:
   1. The steering wheel is perfectly straight
   2. The steering shaft notch is perfectly facing up
   3. The clockspring should be perfectly straight and clicked onto the steering angle sensor
   4. The steering angle sensor is 0 degrees
   5. The steering rack is perfectly centered
   6. The front wheels are perfectly pointed straight forward
9. If all of the above 1-6 is true, proceed to Major Step 5.

Major Step 5 (Finalizing everything and clearing the errors)

1. EVERYTHING by this point is perfectly aligned, centered, etc.
2. Go into the ABS/TCS/VSA menu in Honda HDS/HIM, and clear the DTC's.
3. The 27-1 Code (Steering Angle Sensor Failure) WILL come back even after clearing the DTC's.
4. Go drive the car around for a few miles, and make sure that you try to keep the steering wheel as straight as possible during most of the drive.
5. Go back home and turn the car off for 15 minutes, and then turn it back on and go drive again. It requires two cycles to clear this error.
6. At this point, all ABS/TCS/VSA codes that were caused by this issue should be cleared in less than a mile!

If there are any other errors remaining, then something else is causing your issue; such as a broken clockspring. Check the DTC's in Honda HDS/HIM.

 

Good morning I'm stuck at major step 2 step 5 I turned the blue ring more than 50 times and in positions at each end of rotation at 3 o'clock - 9 o'clock impossible to fall to 0 degrees. I arrived at -6 degrees.do you know what it could come from? I doubt: tired sensorabnormally worn tiresgeo ukI am writing to you from France with Google translation.

 

Maybe try a different number of rotations when you're spinning the blue ring. Instead of 5 full rotations, try 6 or 7 or 8.

The only requirement is that the rectangle notches on the blue notched ring are at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions when you're done rotating.

 

Good morning
I bought a new steering sensor, and I managed to set it to zero degrees at 9 a.m. - 3 a.m. -484 +484

the wheels are straight, everything is well aligned. However, after carrying out the last steps, the light still remains on.

unlike you I have 2 error codes 27-01 And 81.01 abs unit control failures. Possible that my problem comes from this code

 

Take a look at Major Step 5. Once you have fixed everything, you have to clear the DTC's and then go drive the car. The only way to permanently clear the light is to perform those steps.