Technical Fiat panda power steering warning light, battery/black box cause?

[Sophie725]

My daughters 09 fiat panda had the steering wheel warning light come on then steering was very hard to move wheel but after she stopped engine and I drove the car the light was off and steering was very light. I’ve looked at previous posts on here and I see battery could be a reason but just wondered if it’s a coincidence or has contributed to the problem that my daughter had a black box installed on car to the battery yesterday? Garage can’t get car in till next week and obviously for her safety I don’t want her driving it but she’s just passed her test and has waited a long time for this moment! Should I take a chance and get a new battery?
Any advice would be gratefully received

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi

If all was good until the black box was fitted.. then I wouldnt blame the battery

On your panda the fuseboard near the Drivers knee might well hold the plug point for the Blackbox

Its often plugged into the OBD diagnostic port that is also behind that panel

 

[s130]

I don't know how these modern insurance black box devices work but I suspect by one or even both of these methods:

1) fully GPS logging distances, speeds, routes (as in town, country, motorway .....
2) CAN Bus / vehicle network based

1) probably requires just a simple battery / switched power connection and antenna
2) will require connection into the vehicles CAN Bus / other comms lines as a simple plug into the EOBD diagnostic connector is not going to satisfy insurance company requirements as it can just be pulled.

Any addition connection into any modern vehicle's networks that are not made via a manufacturer dedicated socket/interface connection point is going to require cutting/splicing/piggy backing onto/into existing wires and is potentially fraught with all sorts of problems. e.g. doggy connections, incorrect line termination resistances etc.

Like @varesecrazy suggests it is probably not a battery problem but more likely related to the black box fitting.

You can try putting the battery on a charger for a full charge and see if that improves matters, but you will still probably need a voltmeter to see/monitor the battery voltage when the electric power steering is operated. These steering motors DO take a lot of current and a weak battery, bad connections etc. can cause problems.

 

[varesecrazy]

@Sophie725

Did you get to the bottom of this?

 

[Sophie725]

Thank you for reply’s I have attached photo to show black box which is arrow 1 and arrow 2 is showing connected to negative terminal on battery(I don’t believe it’s attached to anything else but not 100% sure)
I took a gamble and got a new battery, old battery tested at 85% which I was told was fine but have read that isn’t always a reliable indication of battery health and strength when in use with everything turned on, I could be wrong but seeing as all other options seemed more complex and expensive I started with cheapest option!
Touch wood so far everything has been perfect with car and no longer shows the warning light and the steering has been absolutely fine. So fingers crossed the issue is fixed but will update should that change, thank you again.

 

[koalar]

Looks to me as if it was connected to the battery without disturbing anything else via two new nuts circled in red

The other wires are feed to the diagnostic port

If it starts to get worse as we get colder nights coming up shortly I would suspect the battery

If it’s only failed once it’s going to be impossible to pin down and might just be a glitch

 

[varesecrazy]

@Sophie725

hi,
Good to hear it has been working well now


With winter approaching a New Battery was probably the best solution...as any worries about your daughter getting stranded should now be gone.


Being a Panda..
Look into checking the 'duckbills'

It might save a lot of grief as the car goes through the winter

 

[Lorna87]

My Panda is notorious for throwing this warning light - every winter. It did it once at the end of Oct, and then nothing until this morning. I had tried to warn it off by taking my car for some slightly longer journeys of late to ensure that the battery was as charged as possible, but unfortunately efforts were in vain as that pesky light appeared this morning. I have to admin I am a bit blasé about it as it happens EVERY year; there is nothing wrong with the steering, so I am tempted to just stay local and ignore it. I suspect it is a battery or alternator issue as the car is now 11 years old and has +70K on the clock.

 

[koalar]

Sorry to hear it’s back


Unbolt these negative leads and clean the surfaces with a green scouring pad and smear a little petroleum jell and put back

 

[DaveMcT]

You should check the current draw from that black box and of course the car itself with the box disconnected.

Alternators are generally VERY reliable. However, corrosion of the stator core will crack the casing, reducing charge efficiency and eventually the rotor will seize. Get under the car with a flashlight and mirror. Cracks in the casing are obvious.

 

[rmjbn1]

Unbolt these negative leads and clean the surfaces with a green scouring pad and smear a little petroleum jell and put back

I agree, I'd be focusing on the negative terminal & earth strap now.
Two years ago my battery was struggling to start the car in winter, so I assumed it was dying.
Cleaned the negative terminal and the earth strap connection to the body, and the same battery has been fine since, even after sitting for over a week in freezing temperatures this winter.
If cleaning doesn't help, my next step would be to replace the earth strap, they can deteriorate with age. Cheap and worth doing anyway.