The electric power steering on my 2002 corsa is intermittently failing. Family owned from new and just six thousand eight hundred miles on the clock, the car had a new rack under warranty 18 months ago with 4000 miles on the clock. It spent a year off the road before my dad passed it onto my daughter when he had to stop driving.
Now just as my daughter is to take her test in the car in two days time the power steering fails intermittently whilst in heavy use, eg part way round a three point turn. The problem is worse if you do several thee points or other manouvres in succession. On driving away it soon recovers. When it fails it loses total power assistance in both directions of the wheel. It shows itself first by stiffening up at full lock but then fails completely. As soon as you drive away it seems to recover.
Does anybody know what may be causing this and does anybody know if Vauxhall are likely to be sympathetic or will I have to stand the cost now the warranty has expired (in July).
All advice gratefully received
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2 things to check first (maybe you've already checked), assuming it's electrically assisted hydraulic power steering (as on the Astra) check the fluid level and the pump belt tension. After that it may be worth checking all electrical connections, in particular earthing points.
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I've read about this before- IIRC its a design fault to stop the motor from overheating and isn't common to just your car. Apparently if you ease off the lock a bit it should be fine.
Oh, and its a fully electric system so theres no pulleys/fluids to check.
Ben
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Oh, and its a fully electric system so theres no pulleys/fluids to check.
Not strictly true. Yes, there is no pulley/belt, but the system still uses fluid and as with all PAS systems they're hydraulically powered. On my Dad's 51 reg Astra the PAS fluid reservior is at the back of the engine bay on the bulkhead, and on my 53 reg Vectra the PAS fluid resiervior is below the headlight in the offside wing area. No idea where the reservior is in the Corsa, and both the manuals for the Astra and Vectra give no information away about checking the levels. I imagine the same for the Corsa. Advises getting the dealer to do it.
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DD, it is a fully electric system, there is *only* an electric motor, providing steering torque assistance, halfway down the column.
There isn't much that can be done to the system, beyond checking it with Tech 2. I would check all the relevant connectors and earths very carefully.
If you ask nicely, your Vauxhall dealer should be able to print you off the relevant page of the wiring diagram, which lists all the relevant connectors and earths.
When you get to full lock, it is possible that you are asking the motor to deliver maximum assistance torque, requiring it to draw a large current. Any high resistance connections may cause trouble under such conditions.
Number_Cruncher
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NC, so what's the reservior for on my Vectra and my Dad's Astra for then?
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Ah, that's a different system Dave.
On Astras et al, the power steering is hydraulic, but is driven by an electric motor instead of by a belt from the engine. So the reservoir you can see is for hydraulic steering fluid.
On newer Corsas, the power steering is purely electrical. The steering rack itself is not assisted because all of the assistance is added to the column, there's an electric motor just under the dash/instruments.
Number_Cruncher
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NC, Oh I see.
You'd have thought Vauxhall would fit the same PAS system throughout the whole range - well ok, maybe not ;o)
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I agree about having different systems - it seems a bit odd.
The idea of electrical assistance that only draws power from the engine when it is actually providing assistance is one that appeals to me though.
Number_Cruncher
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Exactly the same as the Renault system. May even be the same motor...?
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so long as it isnt the one fitted to punto"s
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I think that this is the Lucas-TRW EPAS system (with a torque element in the column and two optical encoder wheels). They are not terribly robust and have rather a 'dead' feel to them.
Vauxhall dealer is really the only route with this one. It sounds like a problem with the motor drive circuitry. If you had the car dealer serviced from new they may take pity and sort it out under goodwill. I think a lot of Corsas had this problem.
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Thanks to all for your help.
Took the car to the main dealers today- they say- as Corsa driver suggested- that it is a safety cut out to protect the motor from overheating.
Personally I would have thought there was a greater safety issue if the power steering fails unexpectedly and without warning.
They also told me that if there was a fault a light on the dash would illuminate. Their advice was to turn the steering slowly when manouvreing, and said that driving school cars have a different electro / hydraulic power steering system.
What puzzles me is that sometimes I can wizz the steering repeatedly from lock to lock without a problem, and at other times half way through a three point turn it packs up.
Dealer stuck to his story and remained unmoved- no point bringing it in for a check - they are supposed to do it. Now where have I heard that before????
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Well the dealers correct about the light on the dash- its the one thats just got the letters EPS on it.
I do find it hard to believe though that learner cars have a different system on them.
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I can imagine a problem if you are continually loading the motor (i.e. lots and lots of low-speed manouvering) - but for the occasional 3-point turn I would be sceptical about this being 'normal'. I also doubt there is a different system for driving school cars.
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i agree with aprilia it should be able to complete a normal 3 point turn,i would suggest you circumnavigate your local dealer and speak direct to vauxhall miss out the parked up bit though.
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In reply to Aprilia:
Not TRW on the Corsa ;-)
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Check the front tyre pressures, if they're low that'll make the steering heavier and add to the overheating of the steering motor.
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