Evening/ morning folks.
I have recently purchased a very neglected 56 plate 5d Grande Punto 1.2 dynamic/ AC model with 72000 on the clock.

The car had been sitting for a couple of months before i came and rescued it.
I was told that the car had a few issues and I am making my way through them one by one. The last fault is the PAS warning message. To give a bit of background I'll list whats been done up until now.

Fun so far:
Flat battery (Bosch S4 002 470A 52Ah)
Charged via Optimate 5. Tested after 5 days and found it at 12.87v

Starter motor stuffed.
Replaced and tested (after next fix) now working great.

Grounds checked
Cleaned all grounds. Replaced complete ground wire as the 'T' to the body ground was broken after removal.

Fully serviced + HT leads.

Few other bits and bobs sorted.

The car now runs lovely and quiet apart from the loud BEEP on start up followed by 'power steering fault check handbook' message.

Battery voltage is around 14.4 with the car running. All fuses seem fine.
Plug in diag is not giving up any codes.
Took the instrument covers off to expose the PAS motor and found it has already been replaced with a Fiat 51892279 part around 2011 according to the DOM on it. I checked the connections on it with the battery disconnected and found nothing untoward going on.
Voltage at the PAS motor end is around 14.4 and drops to about 14.2 when i turn the steering wheel slowly. Steering does not feel overly heavy although I've not managed to get out on a proper road test due to insurance and tax.
City mode doesn't seem to make any difference to steering feel and similar slight voltage drops occur at the motor.

Just wondering if there is anything else I can try before forking out £240 on a recon PAS motor? Toying with slinging on a new battery for the sake of it but is there anything else that could be causing this issue?

Apologies for a long winded first thread but any help would be massively appreciated!

All the best
Lewis

Hi Lewis

Im afraid they are GREEDY for power

So you need a good alternator..
The battery..50/50... it can just throttle back too much power
Can you borrow a good one from a working car ?


Ok.. youve done some great work

2 hints:

Let the dash do its self.test before cranking motor... that is load off the steering


PAS will need communication with the Body Computer... so an Engine reader wont see it

Where are you based?

There is a register of members with the correct kit 'multiECUScan' aka MES


Charlie : near the M4

Thank you so much for your reply Charlie. Top man
Euros do a rather meaty Lion 027 battery that should fit. It kicks 480CCA and holds 60AH. I may just get this on for peace of mind to be honest, especially after the existing was fully drained.

I forgot to mention that the fault will sound just after the car has gone through checks with ignition on, before start up, as well as rushed start up with engine running.

I'm from Egham, Surrey.
Assuming the MES extracts codes to hone in on the issue, would you say that is it likely the unit will need a swap out regardless of what MES comes back with? I know it would be a bit of a guess to say but a more often than not is good enough for me to get a recon in. Not that I am trying to chuck money at it. It's just I may keep this car and bin my old tatty Citroen.

Thanks again for your help Charlie :slayer:

You are very welcome

My money is on a poor electrical supply..

Hey there.
Right, the new battery is a snug fit but shes in. Gave it another go but shes still playing funny buggers unfortunately. Happy that its now got a strong battery none the less.

Made a couple other checks such as:
Fuse box removed and checked for moisture. Dry as a bone and connections seem clean.
Cleaned all live terminals that i could get at.

Had a quick chat with previous owner and he's certain that the issue only happened after the AA recovery tried to get him going again. AA man diagnosed starter motor and gave him a bump start in the finish. It was then that the pas warning came up and he said it didn't feel right driving it home
The car hadn't been anywhere since it was driven home that day.

Anyways, I double checked the warning light sequence.
Key in - quarter turn - system check - BEEP warning as all other lights go out apart from PAS light - key into start position - engine fires up - warning stays on. Exact sequence with city mode on. No difference to city mode being off.

City mode button lights up ok and I'm sure that I can hear a relay clicking when switched.

During system check, voltage at the pas motor drops only slightly. When the engine starts, the steering definitely gets some sort assistance (feels normal). City mode feels no different and voltage when turning the wheel slowly reacts the same too.

Where do you think i should go from here? Is there anything that I've missed?

One other thing is the PAS part number comes up with Fiat Punto Evo 2009 onwards part. I assume that they are compatible parts as it has been working up until now but I'm not sure on what way to go about getting a recon unit?


Thanks again for your help Charlie. Really grateful

Seems like your on the ball and know your way around mechanical things.

I had a pas problem but got lucky,using a second hand part thats still going strong a few years later.

I matched the numbers. There's a breakers,on ebay that is very knowledgeable,and friendly.I highly recommemd him.
I'll post a link.

There's two guides on here,the second is much easier.

.http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mdlcarparts2012?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754

lewp said:

Thank you so much for your reply Charlie. Top man
Euros do a rather meaty Lion 027 battery that should fit. It kicks 480CCA and holds 60AH. I may just get this on for peace of mind to be honest, especially after the existing was fully drained.

I forgot to mention that the fault will sound just after the car has gone through checks with ignition on, before start up, as well as rushed start up with engine running.

I'm from Egham, Surrey.
Assuming the MES extracts codes to hone in on the issue, would you say that is it likely the unit will need a swap out regardless of what MES comes back with? I know it would be a bit of a guess to say but a more often than not is good enough for me to get a recon in. Not that I am trying to chuck money at it. It's just I may keep this car and bin my old tatty Citroen.

Thanks again for your help Charlie :slayer:

Click to expand...

Dont even bother with any lion brand battries they are utter trash

chris3234 said:

Dont even bother with any lion brand battries they are utter trash

Click to expand...

Good for fire starting..at altitude.. though

All sorted chaps!
First of all I want to say thank you for your help everyone. In the finish I got a used unit from the bay. After a few swear word combos, shes in. Not a bad job to be honest.

Shame to hear that Lion batteries are pants. Will keep an eye out for deals on Yuasa or something

All the best.
Thanks again
Lewis

lewp said:

All sorted chaps!
First of all I want to say thank you for your help everyone. In the finish I got a used unit from the bay. After a few swear word combos, shes in. Not a bad job to be honest.

Shame to hear that Lion batteries are pants. Will keep an eye out for deals on Yuasa or something

All the best.
Thanks again
Lewis

Click to expand...

Take it back to ECP and tell them your having 'problems' with it...offer to pay for any difference..

All done and new one in today! ECP were good. Thanks again chaps!