Hi, my wife's 2017 500 steers fine under 20mph with City power steering working fine but get up to 40 plus and the steering becomes heavy and sticky - wherever you set the wheel it stays in that position. TYre pressures fine but that shouldnt affect the self centering. Driving at 50 mph is a white knuckle ride. Diagnostics revealed no electrical fault so its mechanical. Im now wondering about pot holes affecting the castor as it wont self centre?... My mechanic thinks intermediate steering column UV joint wear, but that should create some play in steering which there isnt. Anyone had a similar problem?
Technical steering mystery
- Thread starter Tio66
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Technical steering mystery
Try new engine earth strap probably needs one anyway if not done, how old is the battery? Turn off city mode( which automatically turns off at speed ). Have the tracking checked?
At 7 years old, parts of the front suspension are considered worn
If you come off the roundabout and let go of the steering wheel, does it spin back?
Have you checked the tyres, how old are they and are the the same type
At 7 years old, parts of the front suspension are considered worn
If you come off the roundabout and let go of the steering wheel, does it spin back?
Have you checked the tyres, how old are they and are the the same type
How exactly are you doing the diagnostics?
Generic code readers are often unable to read EPAS faults.
At least 95% of steering faults are electrical, and the vast majority of those are the result of either a poor battery or a poor earth.
Checking the integrity of the main earthing points and cables, and ensuring the battery is fully charged, are two things you can easily try for very little cost.
Occasionally an electrical torque sensor in the steering motor fails, but mechanical column &/or rack faults are as rare as hen's teeth.
How many miles has the car done?
Our 500c is a 2013 model, and it's done 83k miles- it has the same issue. I've tried a few things, lubricated the steering column joints etc, and also jacked the front of the car up- the steering is still stiff even with the ignition off and the front wheels in the air. My suspicion is it's the steering rack. The problem is a new one is big money, even a pattern part is expensive, so I've decided to go with a second hand one off a low mileage car. I'll let you know how it goes.
Our 500c is a 2013 model, and it's done 83k miles- it has the same issue. I've tried a few things, lubricated the steering column joints etc, and also jacked the front of the car up- the steering is still stiff even with the ignition off and the front wheels in the air. My suspicion is it's the steering rack. The problem is a new one is big money, even a pattern part is expensive, so I've decided to go with a second hand one off a low mileage car. I'll let you know how it goes.
Did you disconnect the track rod ends when testing? To rule out parts of the suspension
I'd also advise swapping the front and rear tyres around especially if the front are very worn
But you'd hope the tyres would have been checked by the garage
But you'd hope the tyres would have been checked by the garage
That's a good point. I haven't, but I'll check before I take it all apart.
Thanks for all your responses. I read another post where a guy believes it to be the front suspension top mounts, worn by the constant battering from our rough roads. Sounds the most plausible to me. Am awaiting a quote. Tyres are fine and if there were any wear to the steering rack I feel there would be play in the steering but there isnt.
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Top mounts worn causes tyre wear as the camber is thrown off. Or clonking. Check your electric ower steering first or risk wasting money.
So as a bit of an update to this- I had the car apart last week. Took the track rod ends off the hubs both sides and the friction remained. If I disconnected the uj at the bottom of the steering column the friction lessened but was still there (when turning the wheel). Once the uj was undone if I tried to slide the steering rack from side to side (with the track rod ends still disconnected) it was initially really stiff, but once moving felt okay ISH. I compared it to the second hand one I bought and that did feel more free, although not as smooth as other cars I've got (admittedly they are lighter cars, and they don't have power steering).
As the rack was only £30 I decided it wouldn't hurt to fit it, so I did. The car is better, but definitely still not right, so it looks like it's something to do with the power steering assembly I think, although I'm going to take it apart on Friday and see what I can make of it all.
Any ideas gratefully received.
Glad I wasn't paying the garage bill to trace this!
As the rack was only £30 I decided it wouldn't hurt to fit it, so I did. The car is better, but definitely still not right, so it looks like it's something to do with the power steering assembly I think, although I'm going to take it apart on Friday and see what I can make of it all.
Any ideas gratefully received.
Glad I wasn't paying the garage bill to trace this!
Had our first ever warning light come on today, Power steering, we were sitting waiting to pull out( stationary hands on wheel ) of the estate having driven the car only 30 mins earlier and out of the blue the car beeps and says check power steering, and of course no assistance, once I dropped my son off I tried turning off and back on, no issues all normal back home? I don't have MES, will keep you posted
Battery 12.3v engine off 13.95v running
Battery 12.3v engine off 13.95v running
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Derbyfella
Established member
Any update on this please? We had replaced the stock steels with 15” alloys, but wife was complaining of a skipping feeling and it noticeably didn’t want to return to centre. Had tracking done (front only as that’s all that was required for the 500 which improved the feel of skippyness somewhat and replaced the drop links. All tires were new. She’s still not happy with it.. I’ve not driven it enough to suggest that it’s not resolved but just in case wondering you had had a resolution to your issue.
Tirepressures Ok?
Offset (ET) ok?
gr J
Offset (ET) ok?
gr J
Derbyfella
Established member
Interesting - i think ive checked tyre pressures previously and all ok. (not in the last week orso)
Drove it today and didnt feel like there was a problem there
Would standard fiat alloys have a different offset to the standard steels - enough to impact the drive
