Steering Lock bypass - elegant solution

alcheng

is your Z is the early production of the 2011???

my post is base on my personal experience on my own 2011 370z, and source from this forum.


1) Couple years ago I tried to remove the ESCL fuse, spent 25-30mins to finally open the fuse box that contain the ESCL-fuse, then I found out the fuse is "missing"...!!!! I double check the picture post in the forum and make sure I didn't miss anything and I ensure the slot which the ESCL-fuse should be there is actually empty.

I did some search online and eventually....



2) ATTENTION!! 2009-2010 owners with steering lock/wont start issues



Therefore, my own 2011 370z shows me no ESCL in it, and source in this forum shows there's no ESCL on the 370z from 03/2011....



now.... can you remove that trump and "like" my post???

Z_ealot

Correct sir, my previous 2011 with a production date of june 2011 did not have a steering lock.

Threadlocker

I removed my fuse one day during my lunch break before I went for some BBQ. It must've taken me 5 min to dig it out and get on with my life.

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Not the alpha male, go ask someone else.

alcheng

personally I suggest removing the fuse since you don't need to cut anything, and meanwhile you don't need to add anything.

plus, you can always put the fuse back if... someday.... you are out of your mind and want to play Russian roulette....

gurneyeagle

My 2011 Z (built in March 2011) did not have the steering lock. I do think some early production 2011 builds did have it.

All that being said, I'm baffled as to why someone would spend $60 to accomplish what could be done by simply pulling a fuse. Why introduce another component into an already compromised system?

I wonder if the OP actually does have a lock mechanism on his car.

This whole thread reads like something out of the Corvette C7 forum.

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Waiting on the Z35! SOLD - 2011 Gun Metallic Touring 7AT w Sports Pkg & Nav, Nismo Bumper and Rims, RC Grille, RC Brake Ducts, H&R Spacers, Painted Door Hdls, GTR Start Button, Nav By-Pass, EVO R Fog Light, CF Ducktail, CF Interior Trim

SouthArk370Z

Probably for the same reason I will pay my favorite body shop to R&R interior panels - it's worth spending a few bucks to avoid the aggravation and broken tabs.
It's a convenience and convenience ain't cheap (check out the prices at any convenience store).

Would I recommend the harness to someone who is capable of pulling the IPDM and then the fuse? No. Would I recommend it to someone who has never worked on a car before (or just doesn't want to)? Yes.

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Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub
Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

JARblue

You are both right. I have an early 2011 build. With ESCL

We purchased in March 2011, so it was obviously built earlier - probably one of the last runs for US models before they removed the ESCL entirely.

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Rocxtar

2009 Z here, I had mine for almost 3 years and I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that didn't have an issue. That being said I went ahead and pull the fuse before it happened. The forum has very good information, even pictures of this process.

I guess not everyone has the same comfort level when doing certain things. Maybe buying the harness and going that route fell more on his comfort level.

I would had at least giving the fuse a try first, and if it was too much of an inconvenience then going another route, but the fuse method is fairly simple ( and I am in now way a mechanical person).

nis350

I imagine the easiest step is to cut that one wire under the dash. You can also attach a couple of plugs on each end of the cut wire in case you want to reconnect them for whatever reason.

kenchan

it is

and da reason why threads like dis pisses me off is because of all da free work we did to find a free solution is taken advantage by some faker who is capitalizing from our efforts.. and some naive newb goes out and buyz dem? WTF x2

JARblue

Unfortunately a good capitalist economy relies on knowledgeable consumers ... which seem to be in very short supply these days

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SouthArk370Z

Personally, I think anyone that would spend any money on disabling the ESCL is being silly. But that doesn't make them wrong. There's more than one way to skin a cat.
I think pulling the fuse is the best option. Does that make the wire-cutters wrong? (No.)

How are we being taken advantage of? The harness is an improvement on the cut-the-wire method (no permanent mods made) and requires less disassembly of the car than pulling the fuse. For some people, this is a better option.

By all reports I've seen, the harness works so how is the seller a "faker"?

The OP looked at his options and decided that the harness was his best bet. Doesn't sound like he was being naive; he just decided that the solution that worked best for you was not the best for his circumstances. Personally, I would have used to $50 to pay someone to remove the fuse - but it ain't my car or money.

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Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub
Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

Trips

We're done here

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