Technical HELP my Power Steering Light is ON! - Start here!

Currently reading:
Technical HELP my Power Steering Light is ON! - Start here!

a1ant

-~Moderator~-
Staff member
Joined
May 30, 2006
Messages
5,266
Points
1,317
Location
UK
Hi,

This information is provided as a rough GUIDE only. The Power Steering sytem on your car is a safety critical component, and if you are not confident on how to diagnose or repair it, please leave it to a professional.
If your red power steering warning light is illuminated on the dash, and/or your EPS is in-operative, then there are a number of issues that could be causing your problem.

For safety's sake, the first place to start should be to have the car hooked up to diagnostics equipment and to have the codes read. This will point you in the right direction as to what the fault may be. You may get a code such a C1005- Torque Sensor. Low voltages codes may also be stored along with VSS faults etc.

The power Steering on all Mk2 and 2B Puntos is Electric (EPS) rather than hydraulic, and as such it is sensitive to voltage drops.

A good basic starting point with EPS failures is to check the condition of the battery. Although you can get a rough guide of a batteries health with a multimeter, its best to have the battery properly tested. Many motor factors/ garages will carry out this service for you for free. They should also test the output of the alternator at the same time.

The next step would be to check the condition of the battery connections and cables, as well as the alternator connections. Loose or dirty connections or corroded cables can cause high resistance and as such trigger the EPS warning light.

Apart from the above regarding weak battery/alternator and or loose or damaged cables, there are a couple of other main faults that are seen regularly.

For cars manufactured before 2003, the motors (rev049) are prone to failure. More specifically the joints on the relays inside the motor. There is a guide on how to check and re-solder the relays on this early style motor. Alternatively, the motor can simply be replaced with another motor of the same type.

For cars manufactured after 2003, the motor (rev03A) was improved and the relays were removed, so the motor itself is less prone to failure.

On all models (2a nd 2b) another common failure is the torque sensors. This is located within the column itself and should it fail, the whole column will require replacement.

If your EPS is erratic or feels vague or you experience sudden unexpected movements in the steering, then do NOT drive the vehicle. The EPS is a safety critical component, and if you do not feel confident in diagnosing or repairing the fault, then please seek the advice of a suitable qualified technician.

Also, please make sure you search the Punto mk2/2b section using the search function at the top right, as there are MANY threads on this fairly common problem, and its highly likely your problem has already been answered in one of these threads.

A few useful guides....

Punto Mk2 Power Steering

Replacing EPS column Part 1

Replacing EPS column Part 2

Basic Battery and Alternator tests

Re-soldering EPS motor relays
(rev049 motors only)

Alan
 
Last edited:
hi mate mine sometimes comes on , when ive been away with work for a week and I come back its usually on! basically because its electric steering when the car has been left for a while the voltage in the battery is low so it doesn't send enough power to the steering which puts the light on and sometimes your steering is dodgey ... speaking from experience!! just drive it for a while if that is the case !! -
 
hi mate mine sometimes comes on , when ive been away with work for a week and I come back its usually on! basically because its electric steering when the car has been left for a while the voltage in the battery is low so it doesn't send enough power to the steering which puts the light on and sometimes your steering is dodgey ... speaking from experience!! just drive it for a while if that is the case !! -

The battery provides extra boost when alternator demand is at the MAX
If the altnernator isn't upto scratch or a resistive lead then they can contribute to the problem

Ziggy
 
Hey, I just got a Punto, again, a 53 plate, 1.2 8v, (97k miles, no history!) and I just had a new battery, (and a new clutch!), but I've only really been driving the car a few days now (since Friday), but I just had my pas cut out (light came on) when leaving work today. I turned the car off n on again and now it seems fine.
Steering is light, but not weird or anything. But I don't have time to get it to a garage cos I gotta drive from Cornwall to Shrewsbury tomorrow at 7am, and back the same day! (500 miles!) Should I just try n drive it as normal, or take the pas fuse out n drive without any pas so I don't swerve anywhere if it cuts out again?
Thanks!
 
Hi guys my power steering has been fine the last few months I parked up in a small space turning steering wheel a lot to get in space it was on City mode and turned cR off went to pick something up came back out started car up again and now the power steering light is on and heavy steering I put diagnostic on it and it's not showing any thing
On fault codes any ideas please
 
Hi there I have a fiat Punto active sport 8v 04 plate my power steering stop every now and again can anyone tell me what it is and how to fix it also the red light on the dash comes on aswell
 
Just to let you guys know I fixed my power steering now bought 2 new relays off eBay for £8 and it was a bit of a fiddly job about an hours work replacing them but now working even better then before steering light goes off when started so happy now
 
I would get your battery tested at a garage to see if it is ok also check connections to battery and earth straps in engine bay first
 
I have the same problem . I charge the battery and it is ok light goes out until the battery needs charging again.
 
Maybe this is a one off maybe not but it's been ten weeks since I 'repaired' the p/s and not a peep so I feel a bit more confident about attaching to a sticky.
About June last the steering started tripping out intermittently. It would generally reset with a restart and I put it down to battery charge as we were using it a lot less than usual. By September it was dead all the time, red light on all the time in spite of us reverting to the usual driving amount.
I suspected the relays and removed the motor, spun the spindle a few times and reconnected it in my hand. The motor worked fine for a few seconds until I imagine it came up to a software limit. I reopened the plugs and saw that the red wire pin in the power plug was dirty and cleaned it with contact cleaner and the signal plug while I was at it.
Since then it's been fine.
Hope this helps someone.
 
howeya ,almost exact same thing happened to me about one hour ago!!! just reveresing in driveway and steering went all heavy and light came on !!! im gutted
 
Anyone know if you can get steering repaired or replaced in Sussex!! Have found a power steering man in Bristol but wondered if anyone more local ???
 
Can get a reconditioned steering rack fitted with lifetime guarantee for £250 !! Just wondered if anyone more local could do it for that !!
 
<p>Same probleme here. I've changed the steering engine and the computer and after 2 weeks the light turned on again and the steering is solid. Sometimes it disapears for about 2 days and after that it dies again. I'm out of ideas... It could be the steering colomn sensor? Should I take the car to a tester? Sometimes after I restart the engine a few times the error diasapears... I've checked the battery and it charges well. Please help me with a suggestion. Thank you.</p>
 
Last edited:
There are a couple of power steering specialists on ebay who will send you a new steering column or they will fit it if you go to them. I found one in Bristol??
 
Hi Flisko

Why you think that !! I have a 2b model 2006 last of the old shape, been advised relays in column go bad !! Changing a motor would be easier but advised this was a problem on earlier models!!
Can anyone confirm if this is correct ??
Many thanks in advance for any info .
 
Back
Top