Technical Electronic Power Steering Fault

[Rich]

Still haven't checked the tension of the auxillary belt yet, but here's something interesting.

Was driving it yesterday (mine's with no brakes so I'm using the 5dr), and my sister and I went shopping (to 3 different places). Came home, and I pulled up on the drive and turned off. She went in to dump the shopping, so I turned the engine on (I remember I was holding the steering wheel) and . . .

BEEP BEEP BEEP; Electronic Power Steering Fault

Damn! So I tried turning the engine/ignition on and off - nothing. Then, for some reason, with the ignition off I moved the car back ever so slightly (the drive is slightly uphill inclined), turned the ignition on; NO fault!! Tried to repeat the test and holding the steering wheel, but I can't get the fault to return.

Would moving the car back cause the system error to clear or was it sheer circumstance and coincidence?

 

[Rich]

Development . . .

I can now make the fault occur when I want. If I park on my drive, switch all off and on (no matter how many times), the fault won't be on. However, if with the ignition off, I move the car back (the drive points uphill so letting the handbrake off for a second will do) and move the wheel to the left, stop the car, and swtich on, I get the fault.

With the fault on, the usual way to clear it is to repeat the process, although today that wasn't working, so I unplugged the main shunt line to the Body Computer, switched the ignition on (had a torrent of faults, and quite rightly too), but I heard the EPAS unit get power and the power relay click. Plugged the Body Computer line in again, switch on, fault cleared.

Now I'm confuzzled. Techs, any ideas? Fancy sending a query to FIAT Technical?

 

[Argonought]

With the fault on, the usual way to clear it is to repeat the process, although today that wasn't working, so I unplugged the main shunt line to the Body Computer, switched the ignition on (had a torrent of faults, and quite rightly too), but I heard the EPAS unit get power and the power relay click. Plugged the Body Computer line in again, switch on, fault cleared.

So how far down your driveway did you roll it back before giving up

Sounds a bit of a pain if you've got to reset the BC when it goes :bang:

 

[Rich]

Not too far, the 5dr has parking sensors anyway (as mine will soon, woo!!!)

 

[Ihatemyfiat]

Development . . .

I can now make the fault occur when I want. If I park on my drive, switch all off and on (no matter how many times), the fault won't be on. However, if with the ignition off, I move the car back (the drive points uphill so letting the handbrake off for a second will do) and move the wheel to the left, stop the car, and swtich on, I get the fault.

With the fault on, the usual way to clear it is to repeat the process, although today that wasn't working, so I unplugged the main shunt line to the Body Computer, switched the ignition on (had a torrent of faults, and quite rightly too), but I heard the EPAS unit get power and the power relay click. Plugged the Body Computer line in again, switch on, fault cleared.

Now I'm confuzzled. Techs, any ideas? Fancy sending a query to FIAT Technical?

O.K - Ive tried everything else I can find in the forum on this subject - this has to be worth a try before I get the local witch doctor to do some voodoo on it.
One question. Where is the shuntline to body computer?

 

[T14086]

Development . . .

I can now make the fault occur when I want. If I park on my drive, switch all off and on (no matter how many times), the fault won't be on. However, if with the ignition off, I move the car back (the drive points uphill so letting the handbrake off for a second will do) and move the wheel to the left, stop the car, and swtich on, I get the fault.

With the fault on, the usual way to clear it is to repeat the process, although today that wasn't working, so I unplugged the main shunt line to the Body Computer, switched the ignition on (had a torrent of faults, and quite rightly too), but I heard the EPAS unit get power and the power relay click. Plugged the Body Computer line in again, switch on, fault cleared.

Now I'm confuzzled. Techs, any ideas? Fancy sending a query to FIAT Technical?

Aint gonna read back through this whole thread again but have you tried a ignition switch Rroope?

 

[Rich]

Ignition switch??

Fitted the new Earth cable, car starts so much easier - fault remains though!

 

[Argonought]

Had an odd one on mine today.

Pulled out of a parked position a bit quicker than normal (wheels already turned sharply) and as I entered the traffic flow realized I'd got an error beep and lost all power steering Decided I'd be forced to drive to next parking location in order to do a restart. I was all over the road for a bit and then what do you know but the power steering suddenly corrected itself

Didn't know it could recover like that

 

[T14086]

common........always keep a few spare in te roll cab

If this goes down (orange ignition supply wire) even for split second it will produce error/fault like yours,this goes to main relay in battery fusebox which could also be problem area.

 

[Rich]

Lol, a few spare? There £65 each! If there's any going . . .

 

[T14086]

You just change the contact plate on back of switch (not the whole barrel part etc) takes 2 mins.

 

[Rich]

You just change the contact plate on back of switch (not the whole barrel part etc) takes 2 mins.

Any part numbers or idiot tips? I could change them between Stilo's of course . . . So the barrel doesn't have to actually come out?

 

[T14086]

No just carefully prise of the back contact plate after removing the 2 connectors.

 

[Rich]

Will give it a go bright and early tomorrow

 

[T14086]

switch has 2 retaining lugs(tags) on them but they are not the ones on outside of switch (you will see what I mean after you remove lower cowling) but are 90 degrees either side of these.I use a sharp pick to remove switch contact section.

 

[Rich]

Well I've removed the outer piece of plastic (it "seals it in" if that makes sense) but I can't get the switch out - what am I doing wrong?

 

[T14086]

Well I've removed the outer piece of plastic (it "seals it in" if that makes sense) but I can't get the switch out - what am I doing wrong?

....its the very back part you need that the wire connectors (2) plug into.

 

[Rich]

Yeah got it in the end - snapped a lug on each one D) but the outer trim keeps it all in snug.

Seemed to work, but decided to tempt fate. Went on a road that was uphill, stopped the car, waited 10 seconds, ignition on - no fault. Turned ignition off, rolled the car back (let handbrake off, as done previously), stopped car, handbrake on, ignition on - BEEP BEEP BEEP!

 

[Deckchair5]

I could be talking nonsense here as elec power steering isn't my bag but, as you're driving yourself ragged looking for clues, aren't you inducing the power steering warning by letting the car roll with engine off? The power steering module is permanently live, fed directly by the battery and so are parts of the body computer systems. So, even with ignition off, the car senses it's moving from ABS sensors etc and it senses steering wheel movement and there's no power steering (Gasp! Shock!) so "Bing! Hey you! Power steering warning" which you see when you turn the ignition on and give power to the dashboard. Then a couple of starts, fault isn't there, hunky dorey= takes warning off

I think Alex receives similar warnings when he rolls his Stilo out of the garage with the engine off, ABS warnings and suchlike. Not surprised, car shouldn't be moving with engine off so it gets worried

Now as regards your earlier posts of steering wanrings then the low battery you had then will certainly fire off the steering warnings as there wasn't enough power to turn it on. Different ballgame

Further thoughts, as regards Eproms recorded fault, if this is the real cause of the problem, then it may be possible to change steering node from donor and proxi in?

 

[Rich]

Hey Decks

Well yeah, I see your point, but due to the nature of this fault, it can go for days with no problems, and then leave my family stranded miles from home. Doing this "trick" with my Stilo has never caused a fault, hence my point of reference.

Yeah I could get a donor ECU, but it's all incorporated into the column (in fact there is a riveted plate on top of it), so I might just as well replace the column. The point being that, if we do spend in excess of £300 for a scrapped part (or £800 for a fitted original), and the fault reappears, we want to ensure that we could have solved it first.