Technical Red steering wheel light

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Technical Red steering wheel light

My panda 100hp will put the PAS light on if i haven't driven it for a month or two, but only ever the once on the first start, then it goes away never to return unless leave it parked for a while again. I've never worried about it myself, just one of them foibles of the car in my experience.
Further to which if there really is a problem with the torque sensor you do have issues with the PAS, we've had a mk2 punto that was totally fine but if you turned the steering all the way to full lock it would sometime put the PAS light on and the PAS wouldnt work until you turned the car off/on again, always the same error of torque sensor. I replaced the torque sensor and it never happened again. And on that train of thought, in the panda if i do leave it and the light comes on it usually goes straight out again if i turn the wheel all the way to full lock - Italian weirdness at its finest :shrug: although i've not had it come up in a long long time and the car does sit for a week or so quite regularly.

So without reading the whole thread back again i suspect there is very probably nothing wrong with yours if you don't use the car all that often - fiat and garages seem to tell you that replacing the torque sensor means a whole column but it doesn't - you can source a torque sensor on its own, no too difficult to change but do have to take the column off to do it and needs calibrating after (MultiEcuScan can do it).

Battery wise, it should last at least 5-6 years in my experience, might be a parasitic draw somewhere perhaps. You can test it with a multimeter quite easily, put the meter in DC current, disconnect the earth from the battery and put one side of the meter on the earth lead and the other on the battery -ve terminal and read the current draw - there will be some but it should be negligible, if there is current you can then start pulling fuses one by one and seeing what circuit is drawing a current, a dirty and poor connection on a circuit thats permanently live with cause a higher current and drain the battery. Again that mk2 punto had this and it turned out to be the switch panel on the dash, it had clearly got water or something on it and i just wiped it all clean and fault disappeared.

he did comment on the wiring under the bonnet, and we have had rain recently, so I am wondering if water is getting somewhere, or is damp, and this is causing a gremlin? This has happened all too often now for there actually to be somethign wrong with the PAS as this is a problem I have had for a number of years. Obviously, I will use common sense and I notice ANY issues with the steering then it will be off the garage and, possibly ultimately the garage in the sky as I cannot justify spending £££ on a car that I am changing next year.
 
When you say "wiring under the bonnet" did you mean the wires just under the windscreen? It looks unsightly but is unlikely to cause damage to the wires. I doubt that is causing this problem. That said, they can be cleaned and re wrapped though be careful taking off the black plastic cover and putting it back on.

The cover has three reach screws but the cover itself has to slide down and forwards away from the screen. This release the white plastic clips that hold the top edge in place. These clips are brittle and not cheap to replace.
 
When you say "wiring under the bonnet" did you mean the wires just under the windscreen? It looks unsightly but is unlikely to cause damage to the wires. I doubt that is causing this problem. That said, they can be cleaned and re wrapped though be careful taking off the black plastic cover and putting it back on.

The cover has three reach screws but the cover itself has to slide down and forwards away from the screen. This release the white plastic clips that hold the top edge in place. These clips are brittle and not cheap to replace.

Those are the wires, I've often looked at them but have left well alone as I don't want to cause any issues.
 
This was the report from this morning.
 

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time for a summery correct me if I am wrong (I usually am)

one winter the steering fail on cold mornings or if the car had stood, which struggle on until summer when it was fine

the following winter again it started to fail on colder days and had a battery changed

it then hasn't failed until now.
 
time for a summery correct me if I am wrong (I usually am)

one winter the steering fail on cold mornings or if the car had stood, which struggle on until summer when it was fine

the following winter again it started to fail on colder days and had a battery changed

it then hasn't failed until now.

Pretty much, it’s almost like my car has winter depression as literally every time around this time of year the issue happens. Last time it happened was in December 20, so it’s been 10 months. I am actually wondering whether changing the battery last year did anything, or whether it was just that they cleared the fault?? No issue when driving home from work. Light came on about five minutes into journey, but no noticeable changes with steering, and light went off about 3 minutes later just before I parked.
 
This was the report from this morning.

looked at this a few times can't make sense of it really

I just use a multi meter when measuring my car


for example a working 1.2 dynamic with the doors locked is 800 ma and drops down to 39 ma after around 30 seconds

a 1.1 active is slightly lower


but .2A or 200mA doesn't correlate to my cars. To low for the initial draw and too High for after 30 seconds.


the difference might be due to different testing methods.
 
Does seem high, if it's accurate.

i was also concerned about the initial battery voltage


should be pretty much bang on 12.6V fully charged and fairly new. 12.3V either isn't charging correctly or already starting to age. Unless the measurements are wrong or they have already run a discharge test


my alternators on both cars at idle never went below 14.1 no matter what the load.


everything looks close but a bit out. But is that the way its tested


parasitic draw isnt just connect up. You have to wait for the body computer to shut down.
 
certainly is a strange report they have given, voltage before and after load test but not what the voltage drop was with load which is surely the whole point, it doesnt really matter if a battery shows 12-13v before and after a load test the crucial but of info is what was the voltage with load on it :rolleyes:

0.2A drain does seem high but as above we don't really know if thats before or after body modules have shutdown :shrug:

Overall though I think it generally shows the battery is okay, not tip top but okay, I certainly wouldn't replace a battery going from that report.

C1002 code iirc means its the position rather than the torque sensing part thats being finicky, perhaps the sensor just has a dodgy spot as it turns. Its been so long since I was messing with that punto I can't remember all the ins and outs of each code but I'm pretty sure c1002 is steering wheel position and the PAS will just keep working and the weight of it goes into a standard setting, they obviously give you less assist as you go faster and you might find that its lighter than it should be when the lights on.
As previously stated I'd not worry about it myself but sods law states this will go away and you won't see it for ages and then it'll come on on the way for a MOT lol, thats the voice of experience that is :bang:
 
I'd not worry about it myself but sods law states this will go away and you won't see it for ages and then it'll come on on the way for a MOT lol, thats the voice of experience that is

That's my experience also. An irregular, seemingly random fault which puts the red warning light on, sometimes but not always accompanied by a loss of power assistance, with no specific repeatable probable cause. I've had it happen when starting from cold on an icy winter's morning, and I've had it happen in summer when pulling off a slip road after 100 miles on the motorway at steady cruise.

Almost always resets after a restart; but just once or twice has been more persistent; in those cases, putting the battery on charge usually sorts things, even though the perfectly good nearly new battery is already almost fully charged. I've also found that in the more unusual cases of it recurring shortly after clearing, momentary selection of city mode can break the cycle and get things back to normal. Maybe the increased current helps restore a dubious electrical connection; who knows?

And yes, I've had the light come on about 1/4 mile from the MOT station at testing time; fortunately after restarting it then stayed off for the test, and for about six months afterwards.

I suspect changing the torque sensor and recalibrating would fix this permanently, but tbh it doesn't happen frequently enough for it to be worth the hassle.

It seems to be a common fault on the Panda. If the OP is planning on only keeping the car until next spring, then personally I'd just live with it.
 
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tbh if I had the PAS actually turning off when the light came on I think thats a good time to be replacing it, its potentially really dangerous if it stops working at the wrong moment.

Having done it once i can tell you theres a few different sensors, they have a different coloured sheath over the wiring and thats how you tell them apart - when i did the punto a few years back it had one you couldnt buy a replacement sensor for but the difference between them was the spline pattern in the middle - i just went to the scrapyard and pulled the housing for the sensor off a different punto with the correct type, stuck new sensor in that and put it on the punto.

Your looking at about hour or so to swap bits over, and can calibrate yourself with MES (y)
 
12.3V equals 30% discharged at the start of the test

Surly if you dive to the garage it should be 100 % charge

After all it bounces back quickly after the alternator been pushing 14v through it


Every car I have ever owned in the last 30 years measures 12.6v if left to rest overnight give or take .02V but have never tested a gel type

Left to stand for a few hours from fully charged shouldn’t read 12.3v
 
That's my experience also. An irregular, seemingly random fault which puts the red warning light on, sometimes but not always accompanied by a loss of power assistance, with no specific repeatable probable cause. I've had it happen when starting from cold on an icy winter's morning, and I've had it happen in summer when pulling off a slip road after 100 miles on the motorway at steady cruise.

Almost always resets after a restart; but just once or twice has been more persistent; in those cases, putting the battery on charge usually sorts things, even though the perfectly good nearly new battery is already almost fully charged. I've also found that in the more unusual cases of it recurring shortly after clearing, momentary selection of city mode can break the cycle and get things back to normal. Maybe the increased current helps restore a dubious electrical connection; who knows?

And yes, I've had the light come on about 1/4 mile from the MOT station at testing time; fortunately after restarting it then stayed off for the test, and for about six months afterwards.

I suspect changing the torque sensor and recalibrating would fix this permanently, but tbh it doesn't happen frequently enough for it to be worth the hassle.

It seems to be a common fault on the Panda. If the OP is planning on only keeping the car until next spring, then personally I'd just live with it.

correct (y)


more than one has be fixed by charging the battery overnight

Flicking the city mode on and off is a new one to me. Simple to test and costs nothing.

more than one has been fixed by reseating the torque sensor connector. I would definitely do this before ever changing a torque sensor.

I would add. More than one has be fixed by raising the revs above 2K rpm and turning the steering wheel full lock to full lock a few times. Kinder to the tyres if you do this on grass or gravel.

The battery you already know


Its not just a Panda problem. I have had the same on a Vauxhall Corsa and Mercedes A class.
 
12.3V equals 30% discharged at the start of the test

Surly if you dive to the garage it should be 100 % charge

After all it bounces back quickly after the alternator been pushing 14v through it


Every car I have ever owned in the last 30 years measures 12.6v if left to rest overnight give or take .02V but have never tested a gel type

Left to stand for a few hours from fully charged shouldn’t read 12.3v

Lead acid batteries ALL do this. Gel and AGM are just newer tweaks but the chemistry is the same the volt-drops are the same. AGM hold the active powders into the plates so the battery lasts longer. Gels are non spill.
 
I have had numerous issues with this light, particularly at this time of the year. But have NEVER had ANY issues with the steering of the car.

It is worth pointing out that when battery was tested, it had only been sat idle for a couple of hours after my drive to work.

Do we think this is just a blip and just live with it, as I have never had any issues steering, and this light really is the bane of my life. Causes no end of anxiety for me worrying about the car! Light has not come on last 2 days, and car feels fine. Of course, the moment I notice ANY changes with the car steering, then it will be going to the garage to be looked at. But I can't help but think that this is just a gremlin with this particular car.
 
It sounds like you have a poor connection. Garage costs for things like this can get silly high because they have to feel around and check everything.

There is nothing to stop you taking odd internal trims panels and checking the cable connectors yourself. Remove the connector check for signs of green corrosion. If all is OK put it back. Some have strange clips so ask on here as someone will know how they work. Doing this reseat the connector often solving the problem.

There is also a big relay in the engine bay fuse box. I had an unknown problem last years swapping relays around solved it or rather the fault went away. I have no idea what the fault was but suspect the relay contest were not gripping as they should be.

As said before, a cheap voltmeter you can see while driving will tell you if low system volts are triggering the faults.

Last of all. You DO NOT lose steering when the motor trips out. The steering gets heavy but the car is usable. My wife's Panda had this for a while. The voltmeter showed her issue was caused by a weak alternator.
 
I have had numerous issues with this light, particularly at this time of the year. But have NEVER had ANY issues with the steering of the car.

It is worth pointing out that when battery was tested, it had only been sat idle for a couple of hours after my drive to work.

Do we think this is just a blip and just live with it, as I have never had any issues steering, and this light really is the bane of my life. Causes no end of anxiety for me worrying about the car! Light has not come on last 2 days, and car feels fine. Of course, the moment I notice ANY changes with the car steering, then it will be going to the garage to be looked at. But I can't help but think that this is just a gremlin with this particular car.

a battery voltage of 12.29 Volts after a drive and then a couple of hours of rest is not correct in my book


what I cant tell you is it an error in the way it was tested.
 
My wife's car is a 57 plate 1.2 with about 70K miles. The alternator wasn't charging properly and to be fair did eventually throw the charge warning light. But the low output went on for ages before I got it sussed.

Replacement fitted and all has been well ever since. It's a booger to fit by the way. Removing a dog-bone bolt allowed me to wedge the engine forwards by 1/2" giving just enough space to reach the top mounting bolt.

I have also replaced the 2007 100HP alternator (after 120K miles). It cost £100 brand new complete with pulley. The old alternator has a cracked casing and a month after removal is seized up. You Tube was very handy for finding a way to get at everything.
 
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