Power Steering Woes

[Cheggers]

Mrs_Cheggs Pug 307 seems to have developed a strange intermittant problem with the Power Steering.

 

Earlier today, all of a sudden, the power steering stopped working, meaning I needed arms like Popeyes to get the thing around a corner. As soon as I switched the engine off & restarted, the power steering was fine. Apparently it's just done exactly the same thing again.

 

I've checked the fluid level and all appears OK.

 

The Pug uses an electrically powered pump, so I'm thinking it's a problem with either the relay or the pump itself. Given the "now you see it, now you don't" nature of the problem, it "feels" electrical, but I fear it will be a bastard to diagnose.

 

I'm thinking of changing the relay first (as it's the cheaper component), then the pump if the problem's still there.

 

Any further advice/ words of wisdom??

 

Many thanks.

[r.welfare]

I'd check somewhere like the French Car Forum first. Skoda Fabias - which have the same kind of EPAS setup - are famed for this, although they tend to put up a warning light (which the 307 may not have, of course) first.

 

The yaw sensor is usually at fault on the Skodas, and given it's on/off nature I'd be doubtful it is the pump.

[meggersdog]

Check the connections first.On a Saxo the pump is under the bumper so all kinds of road debris can find it's way in and around the terminals.

[trigger]

Mrs Triggers Micra done the same thing a few months ago, Luckily after turning it of and restarting it the fault cleared and hasn't done it since.

 

It's was the electric motor inside the steering column in her Micra that was having a funny 5 minutes, I read on the web that it's over £1000 to fix as well!

[Richard]

It could be something completely random. A bad connection on our C5's brake lights killed the suspension, for reasons I still can't fathom.

[Pete-M]

Get it plugged in and interrogated. Any half decent garage nowadays has OBD software that should be able to pinpoint the fault.

[oldford]

These hydro-electric PAS systems can draw upto 60 Amps, so the battery and charging system need to be upto it. OBD won't touch that as it is only the engine control unit that has to be OBD comaptible, you'll need to find someone with specific Peugeot diagnosis equipment.

 

I have found with the Fabias that the sensor plays up, it doesn't register the column angular velocity as it should do and then the pump doesn't know that assistance is required. A check of the measuring block values using VW specific software usually shows this up, if you know what you are looking for. I saw one drawing 20 Amps the other day without even moving the steering wheel, which the ECU thought was normal as the warning light wasn't on.

 

These systems are crap, expensive components, reliance on the health of the electrical system which affects their reliability and small cars are virtually impossible to steer when they fail.

[pogweasel]

Could it be that your alternator is about to die??

 

The Astra I had with ePAS did this, then later that day came the battery light of doom.

[dieselnutjob]

I have Peugeot Planet 2000 software (which is what the main dealers have) which will tell you if there are any error codes and what they mean.

You would need to visit me in London area though.