Power steering readings. Do you seeanything strange?

[dm222]

I personally think you have had a sizeable amount of air in the system ( judging by the amount of air bubbles in one of your earlier reservoir pics). This in turn has damaged your pump.

Personally to protect your own sanity, as I very nearly lost mine.... Either get it to a vw independent specialist, not dealer or sell it. Orrrr depending how much it's worth and has annoyed you take it somewhere remote and have a play with a box of matches ( joke.....)

Good luck

 

The oil level didn't even drop, it was at the maximum and the level maintained so there was air inside but not that much.

I had an accident 2 years ago, I crashed the car at the side that the pump is, don't know if that could be the cause of anything.

First pump burned only 8000KM after that and the car had before 109000KM without any steering problems.

[dm222]

Changed the pressure lines,

Change the G250 sensor.

 

Hardness is the same tought....

The continuous hissle on full lock stopped and the steering is making less noise overall.

 

It was my last hope  :p

Edited 19 December, 2015 by dm222

[dm222]

I personally think you have had a sizeable amount of air in the system ( judging by the amount of air bubbles in one of your earlier reservoir pics). This in turn has damaged your pump.

Personally to protect your own sanity, as I very nearly lost mine.... Either get it to a vw independent specialist, not dealer or sell it. Orrrr depending how much it's worth and has annoyed you take it somewhere remote and have a play with a box of matches ( joke.....)

Good luck

how much time did you need to bleed the system?

[chris-H]

The good guys at shark did it whilst it was with them for tuning mods. All they did was basically the procedure in the link I gave you.

I'd had a new pump fitted the day before I drove to Mansfield, around 150 miles from my home. By the time I arrived at Mansfield I had virtually lost all steering assistance, assuming the new pump had died. They did the bleeding procedure and it has been fine ever since.

[chris-H]

You know you can change the power steering setting in vcds? Lighter or harder...

[dm222]

You know you can change the power steering setting in vcds? Lighter or harder...

 

The diference in the noise after changing the lines is overwhelming so it was not lost work. I was six hours at a self service garage to change the lines, it was very difficult but I'm very happy with the results for now.

Yes I know I will play a little with that, but I'm a little afraid to put it lighter since when I was comparing with Wino logs my pump was already drawing much more amperage.

Edited 20 December, 2015 by dm222

[chris-H]

Good luck, I have my fingers crossed for you!

[dm222]

Good luck, I have my fingers crossed for you!

 

No, the more lighter I put the steering the more noticeable are the variations... And it stays most of the time heavier...

Edited 5 January, 2016 by dm222

[dm222]

It's like the steering is always at the same strenght no matter the speed. Could the pump be not receiving the speed? Would that cause an error?

 

PS: I'm sure I'm using the correct coding, it's the coding the original pump had.

Edited 6 January, 2016 by dm222

[dm222]

Is someone still reading this thread? 

 

Found something, that wire seems to have some problem, could this cause problems to the steering?

 

Edited 7 January, 2016 by dm222

[dm222]

A little summary for those who didn't the saw thread from the biggining:

 

The problem:

 

- Steering is harder than normal and it has variations, it's hard and then lighter.

- It seems to get worse when hot but sometimes it is totally aleatory.

- From times to times the steering gets lighter and pleasing to drive, I believe this is the normal beaviour.

 

So far I did:

 

- Bleed the system multiple times.

- Replaced the G250 sensor.

- Changed the fluid multiple times (OEM G004000M2),

- Changed positive battery cable.

- Changed main connector into the pump (terminal 30).

- Changed fusebox above the battery.

- Changed hydraulic lines from the pump to the rack.

- Changed the non return valve.

- Changed battery twice

- Changed the cable from the steering sensor from the pump to the rack.

 

Some facts:

 

- Burned two pumps in the last year (January / July).

- Second pumo had the same behaviour and I'm almost sure the first one too. I thought it was normal but now I know it's not.

- Checked alternator, it varies from 13,5V when fully warm to 14,3V when cold.

- Earth wires seem fine.

- There are no errors with VCDS.

- Battery seems fine (VARTA 60Ah) with only 6 months, 12,65V after 3 hours turned off. I believe it's enough to a 1.4 16V engine.

- The pump coding is the correct one.

- I had a frontal accident two years ago at the pump location, but I don't know if that affected the steering because I only had the car for 1 week at the time, at the time I don't know if there was a difference I owned it for a short time before that. Fisrt pump burned 8000KM after this event, second pump 3000KM after the second pump was fitted. I'm trying to find pics  :( It was like this one: http://s12.postimg.org/z4o6uroa5/te9yta8e_1.jpg At the time nothing related to the steering was replaced.

- Don't know if this is relevant but the car also had a new starter 2 years ago.

- Belt tensioner and alternator belt were replaced 1,5 years ago.

- Don't know if this is important but first pump had cracks on the reservoir, probably as result of the accident. http://s7.postimg.org/60magf6jv/IMG_20150118_140514.jpg

- Brake discs were warped and were replaced last July, it caused the steering to shake. Could it cause damage?

- When I was bleeding the system with and front whells raised and engine turned off I notice steering gets progressible harder after a few locks to lock. It is also harder before reaching full lock. Normal? Rack? Something else?

Edited 7 January, 2016 by dm222

[chris-H]

Search the forum on how to read the power steering setting in vcds and post it here. I had to change mine myself as it was set for an ibiza of some sort.

[dm222]

Search the forum on how to read the power steering setting in vcds and post it here. I had to change mine myself as it was set for an ibiza of some sort.

Mine has the correct coding. It has the same coding as the original pump. It is something else.

Edited 7 January, 2016 by dm222

[Breezy_Pete]

In the 'frontal accident' was there any impact between either of the front wheels and anything else (other vehicle, kerb)? 

I'm trying to understand if there has been any extreme force on the rack that might have damaged the main seal between the piston and the outer tube.

 

The dark grey bits at the top and bottom of the 'piston' part above, obviously all the way round in reality.

If that were slightly damaged, it might become leaky when the PAS fluid gets hotter and less viscous, leading to less hydraulic assistance?

[dm222]

In the 'frontal accident' was there any impact between either of the front wheels and anything else (other vehicle, kerb)? 

I'm trying to understand if there has been any extreme force on the rack that might have damaged the main seal between the piston and the outer tube.

 

The dark grey bits at the top and bottom of the 'piston' part above, obviously all the way round in reality.

If that were slightly damaged, it might become leaky when the PAS fluid gets hotter and less viscous, leading to less hydraulic assistance?

 

 

Yes there was maybe some impact on the whell at that time, I believe the whell housing was replaced. It didn't touch directly the other car though, only if some damaged parts went against the tire. October 2013

 

 

And so many things to mention I forgot something very important:

- At least one time there was an impact on the wheel, I touched a sidewalk with the front whell at something like 30KM/H or 20MPH (the other wheel). No apparent damage was done at the time. September 2014. Steering is not misaligned, it goes OK in straight line.

 

Edited 7 January, 2016 by dm222

[Breezy_Pete]

Take some refrigerated bottled water with you one day when you are doing a journey long enough to expect trouble.  When the steering goes from OK, to not-so-good, squirt the cold water at the PAS rack in that area where the piston is. See if the cooling changes anything? If it made the steering go back to being OK, briefly, that might support the idea that rack hydraulics is relevant. Logging pump currents before /after this would be interesting also.

[dm222]

I will replace the rack, it is all I have left.

[dm222]

There is one more cm one side than the other here.

Would this make a difference?

 

[dm222]

I've find out there is something to check the alternator load.

Engine -> measure block 053

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5pgma4HYX7dU0k3VTJ0dUppcWc/view?usp=sharing

 

Maybe useful to someone.

[dm222]

Yesterday I did:

 - Replaced engine earth wire for a used one, now voltage drop is only 0,05V maximum. I wasn't expecting it to solve anything, just something I was planing to do since at some point in the beginning of this thread I measure 0,31V voltage drop.

 

This weekend I will do:

- Remove bumper, check power steering wiring.

- Clean power steering earth connection.

- Replace connector that was replaced at the dealer to an used one with ticker wires: https://d3inagkmqs1m6q.cloudfront.net/1517/media-photos/cp035585-power-steering-motor-wiring-plug-pigtail-connector-06-08-audi-a3-1k0-971-955.jpg

 

 

Just one question, as seen at the image above, the left one is the earth? From what I can see at my pump it is. Just want to confirm that.

[poiuytre111]

Never having changed the pump myself - this may be a dumb question but are the hydraulic connections to the pump correct or might they have been crossed/reversed when the bump was repaired ?   I have driven a fair distance with the main fuse removed to be sure the pump wasn't being put under undue stress when I knew I had a dodgy angle sensor - might be interesting to try driving like this to see if the rack feels uniform in its action to left and to right. Need strong biceps at parking speeds though.

[Breezy_Pete]

I would expect the earth to be the brown wire, and 12V to be red, but your connector photo seems to have them in the opposite positions to how they are on my car?

 

 

 

Good work fixing your main engine earth wire, I was doing the same at lunchtime today.

With heated rear window and headlights on, I was measuring nearly 0.5V drop between the ends. This seems to have got worse rapidly over the last few weeks  . Now, like you, with same loads, 0.03V or something, much better for battery health. 

 

I did some MB53 logs, and was getting higher V numbers and lower load %s, but I would expect that because your steering pump is presumably still pulling higher currents, and pulling down all your voltages and making the alternator work harder. Will post some details later.  Link to log, morning and evening commutes.

Edited 12 January, 2016 by Wino

[dm222]

I would expect the earth to be the brown wire, and 12V to be red, but your connector photo seems to have them in the opposite positions to how they are on my car?

 

 

 

Good work fixing your main engine earth wire, I was doing the same at lunchtime today.

With heated rear window and headlights on, I was measuring nearly 0.5V drop between the ends. This seems to have got worse rapidly over the last few weeks  . Now, like you, with same loads, 0.03V or something, much better for battery health. 

 

I did some MB53 logs, and was getting higher V numbers and lower load %s, but I would expect that because your steering pump is presumably still pulling higher currents, and pulling down all your voltages and making the alternator work harder. Will post some details later. 

 

Good luck with the earth wire, when I bought the battery positive clamp wire that one came included so I replaced

 

 

The colors, that's what confused me... In the car the left is the earth wire, I was starting to think the dealer confused them but from what I see in your pic is just my new connector that has them crossed.

Maybe because my logs were made with engine warm, but I always seem to get lower voltages, I also have an used alternator wire here so maybe I will replace it too since from what I've seen that location in front of the starter was slightly hit by the accident since the support of that wires was bent. (where the alternator load wire is, that's why I was checking the alternator load).

[dm222]

Never having changed the pump myself - this may be a dumb question but are the hydraulic connections to the pump correct or might they have been crossed/reversed when the bump was repaired ?   I have driven a fair distance with the main fuse removed to be sure the pump wasn't being put under undue stress when I knew I had a dodgy angle sensor - might be interesting to try driving like this to see if the rack feels uniform in its action to left and to right. Need strong biceps at parking speeds though.

 

That is what I was afraid of but seems not after seeing wino pump

[Breezy_Pete]

I have put a link to my logs in my last post now. This evening's journey started with a warm engine because I popped out on an errand at about 3pm.  I think that's why the terminal 30 voltage isn't even higher.  Straight after the earth wire was replaced (new 40mm²  wire) I was getting nearly the same 14.5V at alternator output post (and local earth) and across the battery terminals, with everything cold.