Driving Force Pro Pedal Problems

[01ferrari-fan]

as far as i know, the wheel has a 1 year warranty in the states.
your reciept from amazon would be your proof of purchase. [you'd need to fax it to logi to get a replacement, so you'd need to change the date to less than a year ago]

but, i'd open the pedals, and look at which pots you have: plastic or metal , then do the fix.

i glues my plastic ones in place + it seems to have done the trick.

i'm prolly gonna still get logi to replace them, they don't normally require you to return the old ones, so i'll keep them as spares 💡

 

[Steve57]

Hi just looking for some advice, my DFP was suffering from the problem of the throttle dropping down by 15% or so, ( pedals have the large metal pots inside ) it reset ok a few times but was getting worse, so i followed the advice here and decided to solder the wires to the tags for a permenent fix. Upon reasembly of course its not going at all now . On power on the DFP wheel goes thru calibration seemingly ok, but when you enter a race there is no throttle or brake , and the steering doesnt work either. I have checked for dry joints and continuity to the pot tabs and all the soldering seems ok. It seems as though it can only go together one way, eg the pot stem sitting in the pedals centered, and the locating lugs on the pots fitting into the recces on the base. The only thing I can think of is I might have killed the pots, by either to much heat applied while soldering, or i did use contact cleaner spray on the pots. When i check the pots with an ohmmeter i dont seem so see any difference in resistance, seems like they are open circuit, im no electronics wiz , but the centre pin should be the sweeper pin and with the multimeter set on 20k ohms it still reads like an open circiut , am i doing something wrong? ( yes obviously ) any ides on what a good pot should read on the pins with a ohmmeter. Ive had the pedals apart 4 times now , it all seems to go back together nicely, im just running out of ideas .

In the cold light of day, on closer inspection it is indeed the pots that are the problem, seem the tabs that contact the pcb of the pot have lifted enough to cause the problem. Seems the tab are press fitted to the little pot pcb as whe i squeeze it together with pliers it registers ok, looks like im looking for 2 new replacement pots now. Im not sure why this has happened , perhaps i applied to much heat when soldering the wires to the tags, oohh well at least its fixable.

 

[Ikari_San]

Agh! Why did you bother doing all that? It would've been easier to just stick the wires and pots in place with an adhesive putty (I used blu-tac). The parts just need to be kept still from moving around.

Also, if anyone's interested in tightening their pedals to make them firmer and more realistic (especially the brake), just stick some double-sided mounting tape in the groove where the spring sits in the pedal base cover. Then cover it with grease so the spring doesnt stick to it when it makes contact with it.

Now I've got to do some surgery on my wheel as it is starting to sound really loud and rough

 

[grant1587]

Hey guys. i bought a DFP the day GT4 game out. but after just 2 weeks mine started to loose full throttle. i put up with it for about a week, then i returned it. the store didnt have anymore in stock, so they said once they get one in they would ring me. Now ive got it, so i guess it would be the latest shipment from Logitech? i could i tell if its a new model without opening the box? because im thinking of selling it unopened as ive pretty much finished the game and would prefer anything close to the $300 i payed for it.

 

[Ikari_San]

Open the box and look at the sticker on the bag containing the manual and warranty cards. If it says REVA01, it's old (probably has the plastic pots), if its REVB00 then it has metal pots which still have problem, if it's anything above REVB00 (like REVB01 for example) then it might contain the newest (and possibly fixed) pedal set.

Unfortunately the number doesnt appear anywhere except inside the box.

 

[grant1587]

I just opened the box, it had REV:B00, so i guess ill sell it on ebay as unused. do u guys think a new steering wheel will be released for the ps3 and gt5?

 

[cruiser789]

A new delivery of DFP has arrived at EB games Adelaide, does anyone know if this is still the same batch as before ie B00 ??
I just hope Logitech have fixed the pedal problem for good

 

[Ikari_San]

Awesome! Thanks for that info, I'll be getting one soon hopefully.

Sorry I can't answer your question, when I get mine I'll let you know.

 

[cruiser789]

I Picked up my replacement wheel yesterday
Rev B00, the guy at EB didn't know anything about whether the problems had been fixed with this delivery of stock.
Anyway got it home and plugged it in and all works OK!

 

[Ikari_San]

agh, "revB00"

That's disappointing...oh well, there really is nothing we can do about it. At least they are easy to fix yourself if they start acting up (which they probably will...mine took 7 days before the brake started flickering on by itself).

 

[Ikari_San]

Apparently there is a REVC, as MotZodd has said. Dang it. Is there a chance EB flogged off one of their "returns" on you, or was it definitely brand new (don't be fooled by the plastic tape seal - my Driving Force wheel was sealed but was clearly USED when I opened it)?

 

[Elj]

I'm thinking about changing my old Driving Force for the Pro, but before I want to now something.

I'm living in Canada, so my only question is, does anyone knows if Logitech in Canada send you a new DFP if you call them to change it ?

I've had some problems with the DF in GT3, but it's a year and a half old now and no problems at all with GT4, and I play a lot. It's been abused many times and never complaining, but I don't want to spend 250 bucks on a piece of crap.

Thanks guys

 

[Ikari_San]

I'm thinking about changing my old Driving Force for the Pro, but before I want to now something.

I'm living in Canada, so my only question is, does anyone knows if Logitech in Canada send you a new DFP if you call them to change it ?

I've had some problems with the DF in GT3, but it's a year and a half old now and no problems at all with GT4, and I play a lot. It's been abused many times and never complaining, but I don't want to spend 250 bucks on a piece of crap.

Thanks guys

I recently upgraded from the DF to the DFP (the difference is HUGE), but you must be prepared to perform the pedal fix yourself because most chances are your pedals will develop the fault even with the latest revised unit. It is easy to fix though, all you need is a screwdriver and same tape. If you're thinking of exchanging the pedals for a new set it won't help since there isn't a newer fixed version of the pedals available, so they will just re-send you the same potentially-faulty crap. As for warranty support in Canada, you would have to call Logitech over there and ask how it works, whether they have spare stock etc. Logitech does seem to have a policy of replacing not repairing, so the turn-around time should be quick provided they have stock. I'm pretty sure the DFP comes with a 2 year warranty in all countries.

 

[MotZodd]

as far as i know, the wheel has a 1 year warranty in the states.
your reciept from amazon would be your proof of purchase. [you'd need to fax it to logi to get a replacement, so you'd need to change the date to less than a year ago]

i'm prolly gonna still get logi to replace them, they don't normally require you to return the old ones, so i'll keep them as spares 💡

my NewEgg Invoice off of there site was enough proof of purchase.

i too let logi replace my old one and sent me a new one NOT requireing me to return the old one.

if i can just find a way to fix my old one i'd be set for some head to head racing!! 💡

 

[MotZodd]

Apparently there is a REVC, as MotZodd has said. Dang it. Is there a chance EB flogged off one of their "returns" on you, or was it definitely brand new (don't be fooled by the plastic tape seal - my Driving Force wheel was sealed but was clearly USED when I opened it)?

to clarify, i've 'read it somewhere' that REVC was "coming" or was out.

that's why in my other post i said it was urban legend to me.

 

[Ikari_San]

ah, ok

What's wrong with your other DFP though? Your'e so lucky to get a new one without having to return the old one, if that was the case here I would have 2 of them, that would've been so awesome!

 

[MotZodd]

ah, ok

What's wrong with your other DFP though? Your'e so lucky to get a new one without having to return the old one, if that was the case here I would have 2 of them, that would've been so awesome!

Mine just stopped callibrating correctly. i had a vid up on yousendit.com of it not working right. i think it's a blown fuse but i can't find it.

after jumping through a bunch of hoops they sent me another one. and umm err didn't tell me to send the other one back so, i ahh didn't! oops! LOL

 

[FuryX21]

So much for great Logitech customer support.

I just called them a few minutes ago and once I gave their rep my serial number, he informed me that my warranty had expired in October of last year. I bought my wheel off of an online site in December, a refurbished one for $55 (damn good deal). Like others, I had no problems with it until a few months later.

Since my warranty had expired and I didn't have my receipt, the rep informed me that they would be unable to replace mine and gave me another number to call that might be able to help me. I called that number and told the rep what my deal was and they basically told me "screw you." They informed me that I could not buy the pedals buy itself and that I would have to buy the whole set if I wanted something new. Where are all of you getting extra pedal sets from?

So now my only option is to do the surgery, which I may get around to tonight. Needless to say I am very nervous because I am afraid of messing something up and not getting it to work ever again, and I'm not paying $100 for another set. Wish me luck.

 

[Ikari_San]

I don't think any of us are getting extra pedal sets from anywhere.

You'll be right with the fix, the whole thing is just 2 potentiometers. If you still get problems after doing the fix, just make sure the potentiometers and its wires are secured down.

 

[FuryX21]

Well its been 1 week after opening up my pedals. Here are my results:

When I first opened them up, I was surprised to find grease all over the place. There was literally grease everywhere! I have the older model with the white plastic pots. It became immediately apparent that there really was no kind of mechanism to hold anything in place and that I would have to be very delicate when trying to do what I needed to do. The first thing I tried to do was tape the wires to the plastic floor, but the tape I had was really weak and there really wasn't enough wire in the middle to do it. After unsuccessfully trying to pull more wire into the base, I decided to leave that alone and pay attention to the pots.

It should be said that the pots, one for the gas and one for the brake, are supposed to fit in a small black groove (there should be a small, black "ball" [looks like the top of a flagpole] to help it fit). The problem is that its a lot more hard than it needs to be to actually keep it down there, as it comes out very easily. You have to be extremely delicate and precise with your movements. The pot for the brake pedal seemed fairly secure but the pot for the gas pedal was just out of control. I tried taping this too down but, once again, my cheap tape failed me

At this point I began to get frustrated because I couldn't get anything where I needed it to be. When I first read through this post, I had heard about how hard it would be to put the base back on and that you had to use your feet if you didn't have another helper. I don't know how you guys were able to use your feet to keep everything in place while putting the base back on, because I sure couldn't. When I tried to put it back together, I couldn't get the base to fit back on because the top of the springs (actually not springs at all, more like the metal clamps that go on the ends of a dumbell to keep weights in place during a benchpress) were too high. I tried adjusting the position of the pedals, but this only made the pot come back out of its groove.

By this point I thought I would never get my pedals to work again. But then, miraculously, as if some magic wand had been waved, everything managed to stay in place as I tried to put the base back on. Once I got it in place I hurried to screw in the middle screw to ensure that nothing moved around. Then the moment of truth. I plugged it in to my CPU and went to controller properties. The gas pedal works perfect. No stuck throttle, no non-full throttle. The brake pedal, however, was ever so slightly off a little bit. It read as about 5% depressed, but went to full brake pressure without problem. I tried it on my PC racing game and it worked fine, then on GT4 last night. Works perfect, and the partial braking isn't showing up. To tell the truth, I didn't think it'd have any chance of working.

I guess for mine I just needed to have the pots in their designated place. I was able to pull just a small amount of wiring into the base, but I definitely wasn't able to tape it down. I'm just grateful that I was able to fix my PS2 and DFP both in 1 weeks time w/o having to spend a dime. I would highly, highly recommend that if you want to to try this procedure that you get a helping hand to help hold everything in place.

 

[Ikari_San]

hm, that's strange, in the REVB00 pedal set they are really easy to put back together, you just have to hold the base at an angle so the pedals are in the up position and the top fits right on. It sounds a bit harder to fix the REVA sets, as you just described.

Today my replacement set of DFP pedals started playing up (brakes flicker on by themselves when pumping the gas), so I did the same fix as with my other set and they are working normally now.

Seems the main problem with the REVB00 sets is the pots can touch eachother. When pumping the pedals on and off many times in a row I noticed they definitely touched a little bit, this would definitely cause some interference of the signal that is coming out of them.

A bit of adhesive putty in between stopped this from happening, and also keeps the pots in place.

 

[LibertyRX]

Ive had to unscrew the pedals at least 5 times now. The first time i fixed it, it was working perfectly. Then a few weeks later it played up again and ever since then it gets worse and worse. I just had to fix it today again and within an hour it stuffed up. Ive tried sticky tape to fix it (it came unstuck), superglue (it came unstuck) and finnaly ive now got a massive ball of blue tack which is not going to come unstuck but the pedals still dont work.

just curious is anyone having as much trouble as me with this issue? its getting to a point where its just to frustrating to even bother with it. Im really angry at logitech for doing nothing about the problem.

 

[Ikari_San]

I've done the fix twice on one set and once on a different set, all of the times it fixed it for good. Are you putting blu-tac between the pots? If not, definitely try that.

What's happening with your pedals, just the brakes coming on by themselves or anything else? Might be worth re-setting the pots if they are behaving really strangely (like max brakes/gas coming on by themself and staying on, pedals re-calibrating all the time etc.).

I'm guessing the screw threads on your pedals are getting shredded by now as well

I too am angry at logitech, please consult my signature.

DFP = Defective F$@#ing Pedals!

or maybe just Defective Foot Pedals for the less brazen

 

[r34jse]

the simple anser to your problems is just bye a williams f1 wheel there just as good andd the have some new cool functions on them.

 

[LibertyRX]

Thx for the help i didnt actually think about it being a pot problem, i reckon thats it.

I was thinking about it today and i actually do thrash the thing a fair bit i usually pretend theres a clutch pedal and slam my foot down on the thing making a pretty loud noise and i also pretend im using heal-toe. Especially in a rally race i bang it so hard. I guess ill go easy on it from now on and just use it normally

The pedal problem on mine is the acceleration just doesnt work sometimes. Ive never had any problem with the brakes just the accelarator. I guess the accelaration pot is screwing up.

My screws arnt getting too shredded but i reckon i should apply for a factory job at logitech im getting so good at pulling it apart and putting it back together again.

Thx again for your help

 

[Ikari_San]

Yeah, I'm pretty hard on my pedals too. They can take it, I mean the setup inside is very simple and can easily tolerate it. If anything is getting strained it's the pedal face, plastic arms of the pedals and springs, not the pots, the pots just sit in there and swivel, there's no pressure on them.

You said your accelerator sometimes doesn't work at all. It might be a loose connection of the wires to the pot. You can safely assume that the accelerator potentiometer IS rotating because there's no way they can't rotate in there (unless they're unplugged from the pedal itself, highly dubious). The bumping of the pots against eachother could cause a brief interruption of the signal, so I guess that's a possibility, but loose wires sounds more plausible.

 

[LibertyRX]

I had a look at it today after it stopped working again and the connection to the the accelarator pot is really loose and i guess its snapped. Its the black thing that joins onto the pots. I have no idea how to fix it.

But awesome news is a friend of mine bought a ps2 and dfp steering wheel just before gt4 came out and when it finally did come out he bought a car (in real life) and had no money left for gt4 so hes never used it. He said i can have it for $50 so things are looking pretty good. However if logitech had made quality pedals i wouldnt need to pay an extra $50!!! but im happy with 2 steering wheels it will be good for multiplayer sessions.

 

[McLaren]

To the user on the 1st page, I can't use your technique. Instead of 2 bronze parts, I have 2 small white wire connectors.

I may call Logitech for help now.
EDIT: Went ahead and tried it anyway. Now I made it so my brake doesn't respond at all. Getting ready to have another look at it.

 

[FuryX21]

Well its been 3 weeks since I performed the "fix" and I am sad to report that what I have done did not permanently fix my problems. About a week ago I noticed that my gas pedal began to act up, and this has continued throughout the week. The thing is, my brake pedal seems to work perfectly fine (or maybe thats because I don't press the brakes as much as I press the gas). The problem with my gas pedal isn't very serious however. Its mainly an issue of fluctuating throttle levels. One second it can be at full throttle and the next it can be moving up and down between 100% full and 80% full. I have yet to experience any of the lag problems or the "no-throttle" problems I had before. Again, its not that serious and I can't really notice it as far as performance-wise, but this will be quite a problem when I start doing races where I am flat-out on the throttle for very long periods of time.

My guess is that the accelarator pot came loose again (wouldn't surprise me). I want to open my pedals back up but I'm scared that I won't be able to get it back together again. I'm sure its not an issue of the gas and brake pots touching each other since they were pretty far apart on my model. What is blue-tac and where can I get some from?

 

[MotZodd]

my guess is that people are other throwing the pots. i've read here that peopl "build up" the contact where the pedal arm hits the pedal box. doing so never lets the pedal travel further than the pot is designed to go.