Punto (Mk2/2b) Advice needed! Punto has no power steering installed!

[bluesteel]

Happy New year all! sorry I'm late to the party but after months lurking on the fourm as a guest I thought it was about time i joined so hello!

I have recently purchased my first punto not knowing a thing about them up until a few months back and have been slowly doing a few odd jobs using the forums guides but now need some advice!

I have discovered that my car does not have any power steering at all. I knew steering was a problem and have only discovered where the PAS motor is supposed to go and it is plainly not there!

I have also found that the steering column could have been replaced with a mechanical steering rack unless of course my punto has never had power steering? there are obvious signs that the steering wheel area has been fiddled with as the cover is not flush.

In the engine bay there is definitley a PAS fuse still in place and apon switching on my hazards I have noticed that the steering and city mode light's have been disabled. The centre console also has no city button to add to more confusion.

My guess is that the steering rack must have been profesionally retrofitted then the console was modified to have no city button when the PAS originally died, however that is merely speculation.

so my question is would getting power steering in this car be a viable option or would it be deemed to expensive to refit? Would love your thoughts!

Edit: Just realised it would help if you knew what punto it is I have ! its a Mk2A 1.2 8 valve!

 

[judderbar]

Happy New year all! sorry I'm late to the party but after months lurking on the fourm as a guest I thought it was about time i joined so hello!

I have recently purchased my first punto not knowing a thing about them up until a few months back and have been slowly doing a few odd jobs using the forums guides but now need some advice!

I have discovered that my car does not have any power steering at all. I knew steering was a problem and have only discovered where the PAS motor is supposed to go and it is plainly not there!

I have also found that the steering column could have been replaced with a mechanical steering rack unless of course my punto has never had power steering? there are obvious signs that the steering wheel area has been fiddled with as the cover is not flush.

In the engine bay there is definitley a PAS fuse still in place and apon switching on my hazards I have noticed that the steering and city mode light's have been disabled. The centre console also has no city button to add to more confusion.

My guess is that the steering rack must have been profesionally retrofitted then the console was modified to have no city button when the PAS originally died, however that is merely speculation.

so my question is would getting power steering in this car be a viable option or would it be deemed to expensive to refit? Would love your thoughts!

Edit: Just realised it would help if you knew what punto it is I have ! its a Mk2A 1.2 8 valve!

If you can drive normally then you must have a manual steering rack installed. It will get expensive if you can no longer refit an original power steering rack to the existing subframe. Some really good pictures of the steering rack and how it is fitted will help.

Getting all of the parts could cost you hundreds.

 

[bluesteel]

If you can drive normally then you must have a manual steering rack installed. It will get expensive if you can no longer refit an original power steering rack to the existing subframe. Some really good pictures of the steering rack and how it is fitted will help.

Getting all of the parts could cost you hundreds.

Thank you for the input! I will try to get pictures up soon, just wanted closure really was not even aware that MK2s had optional power steering as I thought they came as standard.

There is definitely a fuse in the fuse box that the Haynes manual tells me is a PAS fuse and a compartment for a motor. Having had a look at the ePER it says the parts i need will cost about £700 which is almost double what i paid for the car!

got an MOT in March if the car becomes too costly to maintain as it also has an oil leak I may as well buy a MK2 B!

 

[digger58]

In the engine bay there is definitley a PAS fuse still in place and apon switching on my hazards I have noticed that the steering and city mode light's have been disabled. The centre console also has no city button to add to more confusion.

Is there actually a fuse in it or just the space for a fuse?, There wont be a separate fusebox just for PAS. Lots of blank fuse spaces on most to allow for extras. Same with the city button, How would switching on the hazards activate the steering light? Do you mean that there is no space for button or that it is blanked off? Maybe it was not a standard fitting for your car! To go to all the bother of taking it out and replacing it with a manual one is probably more than repairing the PAS if it was ever there. I don't know if all had it as standard, maybe someone here can check your chassis no. Again if they all had PAS where did a manual steering come from?

 

[bluesteel]

In the engine bay there is definitley a PAS fuse still in place and apon switching on my hazards I have noticed that the steering and city mode light's have been disabled. The centre console also has no city button to add to more confusion.

Is there actually a fuse in it or just the space for a fuse?, There wont be a separate fusebox just for PAS. Lots of blank fuse spaces on most to allow for extras. Same with the city button, How would switching on the hazards activate the steering light? Do you mean that there is no space for button or that it is blanked off? Maybe it was not a standard fitting for your car! To go to all the bother of taking it out and replacing it with a manual one is probably more than repairing the PAS if it was ever there. I don't know if all had it as standard, maybe someone here can check your chassis no. Again if they all had PAS where did a manual steering come from?

Thanks for the input, as previously said i'm pretty clueless, judging from what you have said i guess switching on hazards wouldn't illuminate the steering light or city mode light then, Silly me!

I have added pictures of my fuse box and as much as i could of my steering column without physically removing the steering cover.

According to the Haynes manual the power steering fuse is the third from the left on the top (dark blues fuse)

I have also noticed the center console is a slightly different color than the rest of the buttons so it isn't flush with the rest of the decor hopefully the picture will emphasize this.

 

[Eklipze3k]

Hi and welcome to the forum

From what I know in the early days of the Mk2 PAS was an option on Actives, and only came as standard or Dynamic or higher. Given that the console section where the CITY button should be is definitely factory made, I'd suggest that your car came from the factory without PAS. Bear in mind that your car will probably be knocking on 17 yrs old now, and those different sections of the console will have been manufactured at different times using different plastics so will have been affected differently by UV.

Hope that helps

ps. If you want to retrofit PAS, I'd suggest it'd be easier to look for a car with PAS already fitted and just change vehicles.