Hi all,

 

Over the last couple of days, the yellow power steering light has begun to remain illuminated when the ignition is engaged (rather than going out after a few seconds like the glow-plug light), although once the engine has been started, it tends to go out after a few seconds, or when the vehicle starts moving.  If I cycle the ignition at the end of a journey (i.e. switch the car off, take the key out, count to 20, and engage the ignition but don’t start the car), so far, the light goes off when it should.

 

I’ve done a fault scan with a hand-held scanner, and it’s coming up with “01309 - Power Steering Control Module (J500): No Communication” (unfortunately, I don’t have VCDS, so I can’t get any more detailed information).  Ross-Tech’s wiki points the finger at either a bad connection, the pump, or steering rack, although Tech1e’s post also points towards battery issues.

 

I’ve done the following preliminary checking (this was cut short by the weather over the weekend):

• Charged the battery for ~4 hours (it’s mostly used for a ~10-mile commute, so obviously the battery is taking a bit of a hammering at this time of year) - this has made no difference.  The battery is the car’s second battery (>5 years old, although I can’t remember exactly), but seems in good health – no problems starting in cold weather, no flickering lights when steering, etc. 
• The PAS fluid reservoir has enough fluid (in the middle of the acceptable range).
• I did a visual inspection of the wiring loom under the battery – there’s no obvious signs of breaks, rubbing, or pooling of water.
• Checked fuse 7, and the fuses on top of the battery
• Checked that the battery light comes on and goes off when engaging the ignition

 

Does anyone have any ideas on anything I should check to come to a diagnosis?  From reading other threads, I should probably check:

• Alternator charge lead (specifically the plug above the gearbox)
• Battery charging voltage should be 14-14.5v
• Battery earth leads
• Connections on the PAS pump (is there an easy way to do this, as I don’t really want to take the bumper off? I have front fog lights ...)
• Connections to PAS angle sensor (not 100% sure where to find it – I think it’s a “car on ramps job”?)
• See if I can swap the battery with one from another car

 

Any input gratefully received! :)

Angle sensor is in the steering rack.

 

Battery charging is usually the prime suspect, be certain your battery is healthy and charging normally before doing anything else.

Thanks for the super-speedy replies, guys!

 

@TMB Thanks for the pic - very helpful!

 

@sepulchrave - that's the line I was thinking (or perhaps hoping given the cost of the other options!).  I'll see if I can get the battery tested properly later in the week.

 

Interestingly, the PAS light was going out normally today...

 

 

On 28/01/2020 at 19:08, martinch said:

 

 

 

Interestingly, the PAS light was going out normally today...

 

 

Had the weather warmed up a bit?

@peter3197 To be honest, not really.  It might have been a little warmer today and earlier in the week, but I hard a nice thick crust of ice on the windscreen yesterday morning (2C).  It has been lighter on the way home, so I've not been having the lights on when coming home from work - I'm wondering if giving the battery a charge combined with less than 100% of my driving being with the lights on might have tipped it back over the edge?

Yes, PAS is a major current drain and the ECU shuts it down automatically when the voltage drops below preset limits, I suspect you need to fully charge the battery to prevent this happening again.

It's worth checking out the charging voltage across the battery as well, just to make sure the alternator is doing what it should.

@sepulchrave & @peter3197: cheers.  My job for (hopefully) tomorrow evening or failing that the weekend is to check the charging voltage & have the battery checked (I've been meaning to do it one evening after work, but things keep getting in the way - doh).  

 

Thanks again

Hi all,

 

Just a quick update to say that I gave the battery a long trickle charge over the weekend (1st/2nd Feb), and it's been behaving since, so I guess chalk it up to a combination of time of the year (cold starting temperatures), short journeys with the headlights and AC on, and an ageing battery.

 

Thanks for the help!