Hi all,

I have a 2001 Fiat punto Mk2 1.2 petrol 8v 60hp manual.

Power steering light is on and the steering is heavy. Have tried changing fuses etc no improvement.

Taken to a local mechanic who (after leaving it with him for a couple of days) has told that it needs a new power steering motor. But he then added that it might also be the module which is at fault (which I assume means the ECU).
So he wants to buy and fit a new power steering motor, but has warned me that the problem could still be the module and if so then that would then need to be changed also.

So, ultimately he's trying to say that he cannot test the module without fitting a new motor, but this doesn't make sense to me. Surely if the module was faulty then that would cause the current power steering motor not to work even if it were fine itself? It seems a really weird and expensive way to test if the module is faulty.
Is there an easier way to test if the module is faulty without having to buy and fit a new power steering motor first?

Thanks,

Mark

Hi.

Look in the GUIDES

THIS problem has been encountered for 15 years ..

Lots of info on here

Hi there,

Thanks for the reply, however Ive looked in the guides and I cannot find an answer to my specific question which is:

"Is there an easier way to test if the module is faulty without having to buy and fit a new power steering motor first?"

Any advice would be much appreciated.


Thank you,

Mark

First, spend no money.

If battery is getting weak, due to age, first symptom is often failing power steering due to its high current demand.

The main battery cables, usually the earth, corrode internally, creating a high resistance, and again the power steering highlights this first.

There are lots of threads on these issues, in both Punto and Panda sections, very common.

If the power steering is dead, a complete unit, from Western Power Steering https://www.fiatforum.com/western-power-steering/ includes motor, ECU and torque/position sensor, and a lifetime guarantee.

Diagnose first, then spend on the right fix. To diagnose properly may need a dedicated Fiat diagnostic program like MES. Standard ODBII readers will not read the steering.

portland_bill said:

First, spend no money.

If battery is getting weak, due to age, first symptom is often failing power steering due to its high current demand.

The main battery cables, usually the earth, corrode internally, creating a high resistance, and again the power steering highlights this first.

There are lots of threads on these issues, in both Punto and Panda sections, very common.

If the power steering is dead, a complete unit, from Western Power Steering https://www.fiatforum.com/western-power-steering/ includes motor, ECU and torque/position sensor, and a lifetime guarantee.

Diagnose first, then spend on the right fix. To diagnose properly may need a dedicated Fiat diagnostic program like MES. Standard ODBII readers will not read the steering.

Click to expand...

That's really good advice, thank you.
One more point to add, just before this power steering problem, I was having intermittent headlight (dipped beam) problems, with the lights not coming on, then just one of them and then both etc. Would this (coupled with the subsequent power steering problem) also indicate that a weak battery is the issue?

Thanks again,

Mark

Hi again Mark.

Sounds like power supply.. or earthing..issues.

The main power corcuit relies on the chunky black earth from battery negative...these break down internally.

Alternators are just an electric motor.. quite possible they are worn..
Brushes wear over time

1st step.. check battery voltage with motor off.. then on.

Should be 12v off
rising to 14v thanks to alternator spinning

varesecrazy said:

Hi again Mark.

Sounds like power supply.. or earthing..issues.

The main power corcuit relies on the chunky black earth from battery negative...these break down internally.

Alternators are just an electric motor.. quite possible they are worn..
Brushes wear over time

1st step.. check battery voltage with motor off.. then on.

Should be 12v off
rising to 14v thanks to alternator spinning

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, I will try and get the battery checked, I guess I can just use a standard multi-meter to check that?

Another thing has now happened, the oil light comes on after driving for a few minutes.

So now I have:

1. Intermittent main beam headlights
2. Power steering light on and steering very heavy.
3. Oil light on.

Does this all point to a weak battery?

Thanks again,

Mark

Gozoguy said:

So now I have:

1. Intermittent main beam headlights
2. Power steering light on and steering very heavy.
3. Oil light on.

Does this all point to a weak battery?

Thanks again,

Mark

Click to expand...

The Power Steering issue could be a weak battery, intermittant headlights sounds more electrical wiring. As varesecrazy said, check the earthing straps. If I remember rightly there is one under the battery tray that goes to the gearbox. Unbolt it, clean it up and put it back on, clean the battery terminals as well.

I would say the oil light could either be the oil pressure sensor or low oil.

Saying all that I had a wierd problem with my 06 Mk2B, it would start but not idle until you'd had your foot on the throttle for about 5 seconds. Also the trip computer would zero out after every journey. After a while of all this happening the battery refused to hold charge, I popped in a new battery and surprisingly it resolved both of those issues!
If the battery hasn't been changed in over 3 years I'd say spend the £50ish on a new one, as the weather is getting colder it'll be money well spent.

Specifically with regards to the steering problems, without taking the column off and hooking it up to a test bench you will not find out if it is the motor controller or the motor itself, if it's never had a replacement column/motor then I would say the whole lot needs replacing. It is easily doable at home with a reasonable toolkit. I did my daughter's one in her 02 1.2 8v on the drive.
A garage will charge you at least 2 hours labour, possibly up to 4 to replace it.

I bought my column from BBA-Reman, they're on Ebay and charge £120 for a refurbished column. You will have to ship your old one back to them afterwards, they do provide return postage. I found them excellent to deal with.
Here is a link to a column:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Pun...r-Service-with-Lifetime-Warranty/401509617299

You will need to take the lower steering column shroud off to take a look at the sticker on the motor / ECU to ensure you get the right part.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Okay so had a garage run a diagnostic check on it and they result came back that it is the Power Steering motor. So I want to order a new motor and get it fitted, but the garage said that it even though diagnostic reported that it was the motor, it could also be the ECU that is causing the motor to report an error. So, I was thinking to try a new motor as a first step, if its not that then also get hold of an ECU and fit that as well. Is this sensible? Or does the ECU/Motor have to be bought together to ensure compatibility?

Worth checking these:
https://translate.google.hu/transla.../09/16/az-elektromos-szervo-lehetseges-hibai/

Your version of steering motor has two relays, which usualy happen to be faulty. Sometimes it only needs resoldering, as the solderings "wear out".
Sometimes you need to replace (by soldering) the two relays in the motor.

If you choose to replace the motor, you need one with same product code, so there will be no compatibility issues.
You should check your suspension rubber mountings, if they are worn, that can have bad influence on your power steering. So the mountings should be the first to check and repair/replace. Then get your wheels aligned properly. After that, you can repair your steering motor. After that, make sure your power steering is also properly aligned and calibrated. This can be done with a laptop and proper interface.

kido resuri said:

Worth checking these:
https://translate.google.hu/transla.../09/16/az-elektromos-szervo-lehetseges-hibai/

Click to expand...

Thank you for all this, very helpful.

Just one point, I was reading the link you sent: https://translate.google.hu/transla.../09/16/az-elektromos-szervo-lehetseges-hibai/

In the post it says:

"It will be hard to turn the wheel, maybe even harder than having a servo. The worst thing about going on the road is terribly dangerous, just think about what would happen if, for example, overtaking was stopped during overtaking. Better not think about it."

I didnt totally understand, but is this trying to say that without the power steering motor working then the car is very dangerous to drive (i.e the steering can stop working completely?). I have been driving the car, and its difficult to park of course, but once the car is moving it seems fine, just heavier than with the power steering.

So, is it actually dangerous/risky to drive without the power steering?

Thanks again,

Mark

There is a phase/type of failure where the power steering suddenly stops working while driving the car. In this case, it is dangerous, as it might happen in a situation where you can't handle the loss of power steering and it may lead to an accident. This is only if the power steering sometimes stops working, but sometimes work.

If you now permanently have no power steering, than it is not dangerous, only unconfortable as you need more man-power to turn the wheels. But no sudden change in the need of power.

kido resuri said:

If you now permanently have no power steering, than it is not dangerous, only unconfortable as you need more man-power to turn the wheels. But no sudden change in the need of power.

Click to expand...

I think there is a dangerous problem if you drive without Punto power steering. When driving at speed there is no problem but when you turn off the main road into a side road and are moving slowly and have to avoid another car or a pedestrian, the amount of force required to turn the wheel can be completely overwhelming in terms of what you expect. Of course it depends on how strong you are but if you are not used to thinking in terms of being strong to drive your car it will be overwhelming in that moment of time and you will not be able to move the wheel as you are expecting. For example even if you have the arm power if you are not using hand power to grip the wheel your arms will overpower your hands. These are things you dont normally have to consider so when it is all going wrong quickly the brain cannot respond because you just dont have the training to handle the situation.

Sure, if you are used to the help of the EPS, then it is very hard to turn the steering wheel without it. But there is version of Punto mk2 without EPS, so if you bought a car without EPS or non-working EPS, then it is possible that you can handle the hard steering. In this case, it's not dangerous. But if you are used to it, it can be dangerous.

The long and short of it: get your EPS fixed.

EPS equipped cars have higher gearing as the power can cope. Non-assisted cars have lower gearing so the driver can cope. An EPS car with non-working assistance will be significantly heavier than a non-assisted car.

Hope you have sorted this by now, I have just had similar problem but with the 2b I changed the motor & ecu together with a reconditioned unit which has warranty.
I don't recommend trying to diagnose which is at fault for the simple reason if you replace one of the parts & it cures the problem the other part could still fail in near future & you will have double the labour to pay.