hi there all in this forum. I was wondering if anyone can help me identify what is wrong with my 09 plate Fiat 500 Lounge, the power steering warning light came on today and the steering went really stiff and hard to turn. Later on the light has not come on and steering okay, can anyone help me in diagnosing the problem. I have the mechanic coming tomorrow but do not want to be fobbed off. Thanks, Julie
500 Power Steering Fault light issue
- Thread starter jueyrose
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500 Power Steering Fault light issue
Hi Julie welcome ,1st thing to check is the battery this can throw up a few faults if not holding its charge ,or nearing the end of its life ,or if the black earth lead to the battery is loose its a starting point ,others will be along with advice for you 
Battery battery battery battery!
ahmett
Prominent member
My guess is that the most common warranty claims for the Fiat 500 involve replacing the battery or at least trying to get Fiat to replace it = )
Having seen the tag below the thread, perhaps it is worth mentioning that the 500 power steering is electric (basically an electric motor clamped around the steering column). There is no fluid in the system- do not be tricked into paying for a "pump".
EVERY year around the first proper cold snap there are a few posts on here about this exact issue (I posted last year about mine) and it is invariably the battery.
EVERY year around the first proper cold snap there are a few posts on here about this exact issue (I posted last year about mine) and it is invariably the battery.
Craikeybaby
New member
This happened to ours when it was about 25 months old. Took it to the Fiat dealer who said the power steering module needed to be re flashed. Annoyingly this wasn't covered by the warranty. It has been fine since though, even when the battery was bad.
I believe there was an update to decrease the voltage at which the power steering module trips the fault light- that could be what you had done. Odd it wasn't done under warranty.
Please explain ......
In principle, once the engine is running, the battery is superfluous. The alternator supplies the power and the battery is recharged by it.
Basically, current flows out of the battery to start the engine, and from then on, current flows back into the battery.
Therefore, how can the battery be a problem to the power steering?
Surely, you could take the battery out of circuit once the engine is running and the PS would work fine.
Correct or not?
Mick.
In principle, once the engine is running, the battery is superfluous. The alternator supplies the power and the battery is recharged by it.
Basically, current flows out of the battery to start the engine, and from then on, current flows back into the battery.
Therefore, how can the battery be a problem to the power steering?
Surely, you could take the battery out of circuit once the engine is running and the PS would work fine.
Correct or not?
Mick.
The voltage check is done when the power steering control module first powers on, ie. before the alternator is running. The fault indication then stays latched on until the ignition is switched off.
Hence why in my case the indication was intermittent during mildly cold weather and then came on more and more regularly as the temperatures dropped.
This also explains Julie's problem- slightly flakey battery dropped off overnight and in the cold weather in the morning, then once the temperature rose a little over the course of the day (and after a drive?) the voltage recovered enough to not trip the fault.
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Ah,
That makes sense.
Thanks,
Mick
That makes sense.
Thanks,
Mick
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Also remember that if you're one of those people who like to spin the wheel from lock to lock really quickly several times to get in and out of tight spaces, the electric motor gets hot and the overheat protection cuts in (more so in City mode). this effectively turns off the motor and puts on the warning light. According to the hand book its still safe to drive and will re-engage once cooled sufficiently (although I suspect not until the engine has been re-started).
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Here you are straight out of the hand book. Sounds like this may have been the problem.
"IMPORTANT During parking manoeuvres requiring alot of steering, the steering may become harder;this is normal and is due to the intervention of the system to protect the electric steering motor from overheating so no intervention is required. When thevehicle is used again later on, the power steeringwill work normally".
"IMPORTANT During parking manoeuvres requiring alot of steering, the steering may become harder;this is normal and is due to the intervention of the system to protect the electric steering motor from overheating so no intervention is required. When thevehicle is used again later on, the power steeringwill work normally".
You took the words out of Metallica's mouth
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/metallica/battery.html
(try reading it with electrical storage facility in mind, rather than what the author intended - hilarious!
)
I wonder if the op got the issue sorted it would be nice to know
Overwhelming majority points to battey.
Overwhelming majority points to battey
.
