kmor panda
Member
The fix to the EPS power steering is easy....
What causes the power steering to fail (go heavy, red light on dash, resettable by switching off the car and restarting) is the travel range overlocking and speed of the steering, also the incorrect centre point (see active return). If any part of this is not set correctly, the EPS will over lock on one direction.
What you will notice is when you are travelling straight, you are holding the steering wheel to correct the centre position, as if you let it go, the car will veer off to the left or right although the car is supposedly tracked correctly. This is due to the autocentering of the EPS module. Driving like this causes the EPS to constantly be under load, and overworking the battery and the alternator. The battery / alternator fails, and a new battery / alternator temporily fixes the EPS problem. Note, the EPS is protected with a 70 amp fuse, so its load can go up to that level. Acording to another manual I read, it has a 75 amp load.
This is due to the function that Delphi, the EPS manufacturer, refers to as 'active return', where
1- This is correctable by first, ensuring that the steering wheel is on the shaft in the correct position - there is an arrow on the boss of the steering wheel that is supposed to line up with the mark on the steering shaft. If it is correct, do not remove the centre nut.
2 - Rotate the outer shaft and the motor etc either clockwise or counter clockwise to centre the outside shaft in line with the inner shaft. This is done by adding a number of washers to one of the nuts between the metal plate that holds the motor and shaft onto the frame of the car. I have found that the exact angle of the outer steering shaft can shift over time as the metal can bend. Also, if the car is in any form of shunt, force can be put on this metal bracket via the steering wheel, and bend same slightly. That is all that is needed to move the exact centre point of the outer shaft in relation to the inner shaft.
3 - Check and replace the tie rod ends. They work out at £30 roughly for the pair, and any wear in the ball joints / tapered shaft can cause play, which the EPS module tries to compensate for. (Side effect of active return) Replacement of these require just the basics of tools, but need tracking done afterwards.
4 - Finally, get the steering aligned, but tell the person who is aligning the steering, to do it with the engine running - ie with power being fed to the power steering system. The first step in tracking a car is to centre the steering wheel. The EPS system does this, but forcing it to centre without power creates play in the joining shaft between the steered section and the powered section, and if the EPS does not 'see' the steering wheel is centred, it will try to do it while driving, thus overworking the relevant electrical systems (battery / alternator).
I was suffering with the EPS failing, and was looking at replacing the complete module with a £300-£700 reconditioned unit, but after checking the tracking and play, found slight play in the track rod end ball joints and tapered shaft, so replaced them, put three washers between the plate and the car frame, right hand side, tracked the car and have the EPS now working perfectly. Also, the MPG has increased as the load on the battery / alternator has also been reduced.
What causes the power steering to fail (go heavy, red light on dash, resettable by switching off the car and restarting) is the travel range overlocking and speed of the steering, also the incorrect centre point (see active return). If any part of this is not set correctly, the EPS will over lock on one direction.
What you will notice is when you are travelling straight, you are holding the steering wheel to correct the centre position, as if you let it go, the car will veer off to the left or right although the car is supposedly tracked correctly. This is due to the autocentering of the EPS module. Driving like this causes the EPS to constantly be under load, and overworking the battery and the alternator. The battery / alternator fails, and a new battery / alternator temporily fixes the EPS problem. Note, the EPS is protected with a 70 amp fuse, so its load can go up to that level. Acording to another manual I read, it has a 75 amp load.
This is due to the function that Delphi, the EPS manufacturer, refers to as 'active return', where
- "The return stage refers to the realignment function normally produced by the geometry of the front section of the vehicle when the steering is released after a steering manoeuvre.
- This function is designed to make this realignment faster, causing the servo motor to intervene and assist the normal geometry effect.
1- This is correctable by first, ensuring that the steering wheel is on the shaft in the correct position - there is an arrow on the boss of the steering wheel that is supposed to line up with the mark on the steering shaft. If it is correct, do not remove the centre nut.
2 - Rotate the outer shaft and the motor etc either clockwise or counter clockwise to centre the outside shaft in line with the inner shaft. This is done by adding a number of washers to one of the nuts between the metal plate that holds the motor and shaft onto the frame of the car. I have found that the exact angle of the outer steering shaft can shift over time as the metal can bend. Also, if the car is in any form of shunt, force can be put on this metal bracket via the steering wheel, and bend same slightly. That is all that is needed to move the exact centre point of the outer shaft in relation to the inner shaft.
3 - Check and replace the tie rod ends. They work out at £30 roughly for the pair, and any wear in the ball joints / tapered shaft can cause play, which the EPS module tries to compensate for. (Side effect of active return) Replacement of these require just the basics of tools, but need tracking done afterwards.
4 - Finally, get the steering aligned, but tell the person who is aligning the steering, to do it with the engine running - ie with power being fed to the power steering system. The first step in tracking a car is to centre the steering wheel. The EPS system does this, but forcing it to centre without power creates play in the joining shaft between the steered section and the powered section, and if the EPS does not 'see' the steering wheel is centred, it will try to do it while driving, thus overworking the relevant electrical systems (battery / alternator).
I was suffering with the EPS failing, and was looking at replacing the complete module with a £300-£700 reconditioned unit, but after checking the tracking and play, found slight play in the track rod end ball joints and tapered shaft, so replaced them, put three washers between the plate and the car frame, right hand side, tracked the car and have the EPS now working perfectly. Also, the MPG has increased as the load on the battery / alternator has also been reduced.
