hi, new to the group, and am having trouble with my power steering... the light kept coming on, but if i turned it on and off, the light would go off.

 

but went out shopping the other day and the light refused to go off and the power steering was very stiff as you would expect..

 

called the rac guy, and he spent 2 hours on the car, before saying he thinks the pump has gone, so tows me home.

 

gets home gets all the shopping out of the car, then decide its parked too far from the curb, starts her up and the light goes off, so i shout to the rac guy, who cannot believe it..

 

next day i try the car again and the light is back on.. so i remove the battery to get to the reservoir, and find not much oil in, so top it up hoping that would solve it but no.

 

cannot see any leaks, so what could it be..

 

thanks for any help you can give me... 

Do you do a lot of short journeys? How old is the battery? What year is the car? 

As the pump is electric, your symptoms can indicate a failing battery, and/or a fault in the charging system. Do you have a multimeter to look at  some voltages?

hi yes i took the battery off and gave it a overnight charge, voltage was around 13.8 volts... plus when the rac guy turned up he put on a booster box to make sure the voltage was ok.

 

but he did say the voltage was low, around 11 volts when he checked it.. you could have a valid point, maybe the battery is on its way out, will get a new one, then at least that is ruled out..

 

thank you..

 

Hang on a sec! No point in replacing the battery if there's a fault with the charging system, you'll soon have a second dead battery and be no further forward. 

Really need to measure the voltage across the battery terminals before and after starting the engine. That information can go a long way to working out whether the charging system is at fault or not.

 

Does the battery light come on when you turn the ignition switch to the position before the one that turns the engine over?

Could you please answer my previous four questions?, information is key to solving these problems.

Edited 21 July, 20187 yr by Wino

yes some short journeys,  car is a 2011, no idea how old the battery is only got the car last year.. and no the battery light does not come on..

 

The battery light should illuminate when you turn the key to the 'ignition on' position, so that indicates a fault.  On the mk1 platform that was usually caused by a broken wire close to a connector pair on a bracket in front of the gearbox, not sure how similar it is on a mk2.

If you have a look at this thread, there's a link with some pictures showing where this connector pair is (on a mk1 anyway):

Here's a direct link to the thread with the pictures, look about halfway down the page for a sequence showing a green Polo.

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/287467-load-signal-alternator-cable/

 

Edited 21 July, 20187 yr by Wino

just checked and the battery light does come on..

OK, that's good.

Do you have a multimeter, or do you have a friend with one?

yes i have one somewhere

Measure voltage at the battery terminals, before and after starting the car up, preferably with a cold engine.

right done it.. its a old multi meter with a needle, but from what i saw, it was just over 10 volts without the engine running and around 14 volts with the engine running..

Ok. Time for a new battery.

yip, cheers for your help bro, its cheered me up a bit, knowing its the battery, fingers crossed...

If when the engines running there is 14v, why would that be the steering pump problem ?

31 minutes ago, aubrey said:

If when the engines running there is 14v, why would that be the steering pump problem ?

Because at low rpm the alternator cannot deliver much current. At high rates of turn of the steering wheel, the PAS pump can take tens of amps, so that 14V will rapidly droop down to battery volts; which as we've seen, is not a lot.

Usually, the battery would be able to buffer these short-term loads; but not when it is near death.

That makes sense.

well have put a brand new battery on, and the steering is still the same, not working 

i am just asking but you referred to the fluid as oil... I guess you are just saying oil other then power steering fluid. 

If you actually put oil in, it may be the wrong stuff. I believe power steering fluid is hydraulic fluid, rather then lubricant so it might be worth clarifying what you put in to start with! Clutching at straws here I know, but also, I think the type of fluid is quite specific too. I would certainly check prior to slipping in any old power steering fluid. 

 

Additionally, although the fluid must be minimum or above, it should also not go above the max mark, either. The manual is very specific about that. 

Could it need resetting via diagnostics?

On 23/07/2018 at 10:38, mrgf said:

i am just asking but you referred to the fluid as oil... I guess you are just saying oil other then power steering fluid. 

If you actually put oil in, it may be the wrong stuff. I believe power steering fluid is hydraulic fluid, rather then lubricant so it might be worth clarifying what you put in to start with! Clutching at straws here I know, but also, I think the type of fluid is quite specific too. I would certainly check prior to slipping in any old power steering fluid. 

 

Additionally, although the fluid must be minimum or above, it should also not go above the max mark, either. The manual is very specific about that. 

yes i used the correct hydraulic oil, and did not over fill it....

On 23/07/2018 at 13:21, xman said:

Could it need resetting via diagnostics?

i had guy come out and reset everything, and then it worked ok, then the next day the light was back on, and no power steering... he is taking the car tuesday, and i have asked him to check the steering angle sensor first..

got it fixed it was the power steering pump 

 

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the repair and was it a dealership or local guy? Its handy for others to know these things!

the dealership wanted £900 for the pump and £200 for fitting so £1100   got it done locally  by a mechanic/auto electrician for £645..

 

hope that helps people...