Hi,

I took my Fiat Panda 2004 (1.2) for the annual test today and they told me that the servo light is coming up and is showing signs that it may have a faulty or not work at all. Now I know for sure it works, but I've been having this problem that it turns on and off randomly, sometimes working for days and other days it's constantly on. Having such bad luck it turned on during the test, only a 20m drive from the parking lot to the testing area. It all started while I was trying to find an issue with the car burning too much fuel, turns out it was an O2 sensor. After fixing that, now the servo is having this issue. Now the car has an electrical servo and I've read online that if the sensor is faulty the whole steering system has to be changed. Is it worth fixing? Is there a way to check what's causing the issue? I can't bother going to a mechanic because of the costs and the value of the car. Besides I've fixed everything else without a mechanic.

The steering automatically locks, sometimes steers fast to the left and is very hard to steer in any direction. Before it turns on it randomly shakes a bit and steers very little to the left. If I turn the car off and let it rest for a while the light goes away. No faulty codes are given on the computer. I've had the MAP sensor, the O2 sensor and the throttle body changed recently, all because of ignorant mechanics. Having issues trusting anyone atm and school starts in two weeks and the car is only eligible for drive for another month.

Best thing is read the code. The free version of multiecuscan can do this with the correct cable.



It could be the torque sensor with the vibrating steering wheel.

The othe systems sound like battery/earth type faults


Without diagnosing it you could throw money at parts you don't need.


The error codes for the steering will give you a yes/no to which parts to change unlike the engine codes which can be a bit vauge

May just need a new battery. Low voltage will cause lots of errors with the steering. A short journey to the test station will have taken some power from the battery to start the car, but not had enough time to put it back.

I suspect the steeringtorquesensor. Pretty doable DIYjob. You have to recalibrate with MES or Examiner.

gr J

portland_bill said:

May just need a new battery. Low voltage will cause lots of errors with the steering. A short journey to the test station will have taken some power from the battery to start the car, but not had enough time to put it back.

Click to expand...

I suspected this as well, but I've tested the battery with a multimeter, it doesn't show any sign of weakness. I think it's 14.7V when the car is turned on and somewhat lower when off. How can I make sure that the battery is the issue? Is there a way to test?

A3jeroen said:

I suspect the steeringtorquesensor. Pretty doable DIYjob. You have to recalibrate with MES or Examiner.

This is what I'm afraid of. If it's the torque sensor, do I have to change the shaft as well? How will I know it's the sensor if my code reader isn't giving me a code? A light should pop a code up shouldn't it? It doesn't on my car. What's MES or Examiner? Never heard of it before.

gr J

Click to expand...

MES is multiecuscan

With the correct cable it can connect to the steering module

It will give an error logged of power or torque sensor or both.

Not sure if you need the full version. I only need to read and reset the airbag and the free version was enough.

Steerings doesn't vibrate. And code reader doesn't give a code.

koalar said:

MES is multiecuscan

With the correct cable it can connect to the steering module

It will give an error logged of power or torque sensor or both.

Not sure if you need the full version. I only need to read and reset the airbag and the free version was enough.

Click to expand...

So I can calibrate the torque using MES? Would it help to recalibrate the old torque sensor before buying a new one?

Rezgar said:

So I can calibrate the torque using MES? Would it help to recalibrate the old torque sensor before buying a new one?

Click to expand...

Read the code if its the torque sensor its likely to be fault but yes it can be recalibrated with multiecuscan

Many thanks, I have a 6$ OBDII scanner from Ebay but that doesn't seem to do the work. I'll try to get one from a friend that has a cable.

http://www.scantool-direct.co.uk/user/products/multiplexed-kkl-vag-com-cable-with-pin-switching-multiecuscan-compatible-121-p[2].jpg


Something like this which switches pin 9


Or


A set of adaptors for a standard KKL cable


https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/614iJyCcepL._SX355_.jpg



The Elm type will not work.

Rezgar said:

I suspected this as well, but I've tested the battery with a multimeter, it doesn't show any sign of weakness. I think it's 14.7V when the car is turned on and somewhat lower when off. How can I make sure that the battery is the issue? Is there a way to test?

Click to expand...

Battery will show 14.7 with engine running, as that is the alternator charging voltage.
With engine off, battery should read at least 12.75v. Then when cranking, it should not drop below about 9.5v. It is the cranking voltage that will show whether the battery is ok.
When driving, the battery provides the power for the steering, and the alternator recharges it. A weak battery will give steering problems.
How old is the battery?

Rezgar said:

Many thanks, I have a 6$ OBDII scanner from Ebay but that doesn't seem to do the work. I'll try to get one from a friend that has a cable.

Click to expand...

OBD is a standard for power units. The legislation did not extend to other vehicle systems, so manufacturers write their own languages to keep vehicles in the dealers. A standard OBD reader will not see steering problems. MES will.

koalar said:

http://www.scantool-direct.co.uk/user/products/multiplexed-kkl-vag-com-cable-with-pin-switching-multiecuscan-compatible-121-p[2].jpg


Something like this which switches pin 9


Or


A set of adaptors for a standard KKL cable


https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/614iJyCcepL._SX355_.jpg



The Elm type will not work.

Click to expand...

I have one of those, from that company. Never managed to get it to communicate with mine, or any other vehicle.
I use an ELM (from scantool, as above) plus a set of coloured adaptor cables for the body and steering systems. Do a search for MES and find the threads with links to suitable cables.

Yes you'll need the green adapter and full version of MES. Standard OBDreader will probably only get into the engine ECU.
USE search in my replies. Somewhere is a step by step short How-To.
You don't have to replace the whole shaft. Just the sensor.
But make sure you need a new sensor and make sure you buy the correct one.

gr J

My friend has a CDP plus from Autocom that I plugged in to test the servo. For some reason multiecuscan doesn't recognize it on my Fiat Panda. So I tested it with the software that came with the CDP. It gave me a C1002 (intermittent) code along with another bunch of codes that I cannot remember at this moment. I removed the codes in hope that they do not come back. If they do, it's a good indication that the thing is faulty. The reason I suspect the sensor is not faulty is because this happened when I changed my O2 sensor, and that's too much of a coincidence. Isn't C1002 the torque sensor? However I recalibrated the car, reset the ECU hoping for some change and I'll take it for the anual test in hope that the light doesn't turn on again.

I noticed that the steering was tough to the right and loose to the left before calibrating, another indication of faulty sensor? After the calibration it is now steering fine to both sides.

C1002 is the steeringsensor. Hopefully recalibrating fixed it.

gr J

Rezgar said:

I noticed that the steering was tough to the right and loose to the left before calibrating, another indication of faulty sensor? After the calibration it is now steering fine to both sides.

Click to expand...

Well, you've found the cause of the problem, and fixed it for a while at least.

I hope it stays fixed, but if it doesn't, replacing the torque sensor and recalibrating should sort it permanently for not much money if you do it all yourself.

Another Panda is saved! Yay!!

I'm not so optimistic about it since most Pandas get their torque sensor replaced sooner or later, seems like mine has done its time as well. But after replacing so many parts it seems like a pain to replace another.

So I took it for the test today, it didn't pass because of the weak handbrake, I tried fixing it by tightening the handbrake. It was originally 9 clicks but I tightened it down to 5 clicks. Still didn't pass, so I opened the brake drum and it seems that the inside of the brake drum and the outside of the brake shoes are uneven. You can see clear clines along the drum and the shoes. The lines aren't deep, they're raised. Maybe dirt or small rocks were stuck inside? Gotta find a way to remove it or maybe I have to buy new ones...Wasted so much money on this car...

The steering seems to be fine however, thank God. It needed a calibration, the first time I did it it was pulling to the right, the second time neutralised it.

Old cars that have been run cheap will have worn out parts.

Brakes wear. It's what they do. Abrupt, I agree but that's the fact of it.

Cost is about £55 for the axle set of drums and pads. Plus £17 for a pair of slave cylinders. You might as well get new springs as well.

Change the lot and be done with it.