Hello,

      I have an intermittent power steering loss and a yellow steering wheel symbol illuminated in the dash. I have checked the fluid level, I have plugged in a reader but this show's no fault codes found. I would be grateful for any advice. Many thanks

Your code reader can't communicate with the PAS ECU, there will be codes if the lamp is lit.

In the meantime check the big strip fuse on top of the battery for signs of cracking.

Hi Sepulchrave, thanks for your advice, is there a specific reader for skoda

Hi the big top fuze was cracked, replaced no change, yellow light on with ignition on, goes out whilst cranking then when engine starts the yellow light comes back on immediately

As mentioned, the PAS ECU has stored a fault code which may clear if you disconnect the battery for a few minutes before trying again.

Thanks again, I will give that a try

Hi Sepulchrave, I have disconnected the battery no change, yellow light still on, any more advice would be appreciated

The most likely cure will be replacement of the entire pump assembly, it's a sealed unit and cannot be repaired, a faulty angle sensor would not put the warning lamp on until the steering is moved, it also would not produce intermittent symptoms and in any event the pump would run continuously in reduced assistance mode.

 

You can try a secondhand pump but these are getting pretty old now and it may not last long.

Rather extreme to replace the pump when the fault, the cracked fuse has already been resolved and all it now needs is the fault code clearing.

2 hours ago, jd03 said:

 I have disconnected the battery no change, yellow light still on, any more advice would be appreciated

Have you actually driven it at all?

45 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Rather extreme to replace the pump when the fault, the cracked fuse has already been resolved and all it now needs is the fault code clearing.

 

If you read a little further up, the OP disco'd the battery which would normally reset the ECU, also the fault remains intermittent AFTER replacing the fuse which suggests that the pump unit has failed.

 

Perhaps you can suggest another solution?

Only in fantasyland does disconnecting the battery remove safety related fault codes like ABS, Airbags, TCS, Power steering etc.

 

I read the thread and nowhere did I see that the intermittent fault remains after the fuse was replaced, perhaps I am wrong, the cracked fuse could definitely cause the intermittent problems and the fault code which will need to be removed with VCDS or a suitable fault code reader, that was and is my suggestion, not another solution but the solution.

1 minute ago, J.R. said:

Only in fantasyland does disconnecting the battery remove safety related fault codes like ABS, Airbags, TCS, Power steering etc.

 

I read the thread and nowhere did I see that the intermittent fault remains after the fuse was replaced, perhaps I am wrong, the cracked fuse could definitely cause the intermittent problems and the fault code which will need to be removed with VCDS or a suitable fault code reader, that was and is my suggestion, not another solution but the solution.

 

Except I have direct experience of this problem and ended up replacing the pump with a secondhand unit which resolved the issue permanently.

 

If the OP is saying that the steering fault is fixed but the lamp remains lit then there must be an additional underlying fault, caused either by the sensor or the pump unit since there are no other components in the PAS system.

I appreciate your direct experience which I dont have, however my relevant experience is with safety related fault codes (which may well have been generated by no safety related faults) and I believe that the fault code will remain until it is deleted, the cracked fuse is a very plausible reason for the code being generated, the fault code will probably be intermittent communication with the control module

 

If it returns immediately or after a while then there is clearly some fault remaining.

 

I was concerned that the OP would spend a huge amount of money instructing a garage to replace a perfectly good power steering unit, they would do a scan & delete the fault code first, if they were less than honest they might replace the power steering anyway having ordered the part or even just clean the old one and claim to have replaced it.

 

Checking the fault code must always be the first step.

41 minutes ago, J.R. said:

I appreciate your direct experience which I dont have, however my relevant experience is with safety related fault codes (which may well have been generated by no safety related faults) and I believe that the fault code will remain until it is deleted, the cracked fuse is a very plausible reason for the code being generated, the fault code will probably be intermittent communication with the control module

 

If it returns immediately or after a while then there is clearly some fault remaining.

 

I was concerned that the OP would spend a huge amount of money instructing a garage to replace a perfectly good power steering unit, they would do a scan & delete the fault code first, if they were less than honest they might replace the power steering anyway having ordered the part or even just clean the old one and claim to have replaced it.

 

Checking the fault code must always be the first step.

 

In most cases where the pump is faulty it is the PAS ECU itself which has failed and it is the failure to respond to the instrument ECU request for status via the CAN bus which sets the flag for the warning lamp on the dash. So the chances are that it will not be possible to communicate with the PAS system which is an incredibly simple piece of equipment, basically just a brushless DC motor speed controller regulated by the output from a hall effect sensor, the fuse probably cracked due to heat damage caused by a malfunctioning pump unit.

Edited 19 June, 20205 yr by sepulchrave

If overloaded fuses fuse (melt) hence the name.

 

The cracking of the fusible links on VAG is well documented for causing problems with heavy current items like electric PAS and is probably a fatigue failure due to vibration acceterated or initiated by corrosion but thats simply my speculation.

 

You clearly have first hand relevant experience and I am not saying your daignosis is not correct but the OP has not said that the fault remains after replacing the fuse, only the fault code. So I maintain that in the first instance he should have the code read and removed and to keep a close eye on things.

OP actually says 'yellow light on', so current fault 'believed' to exist by the PAS module, or the system as a whole relating to the PAS module. 

 

But as I mentioned earlier, if the car hasn't been driven, or at least the steering waggled about a bit whilst engine running, I'm not convinced the PAS module would necessarily have 'realised' it was fixed.

 

This scenario has certainly happened to me with an ABS fault. Cracked fuse replaced, but fault light remains on until the car has gone a few yards and ABS module has realised that it is now able to do its job. Then the light goes out, and stays out.

Edited 19 June, 20205 yr by Wino

Hi all,

   Thank you for your suggestions, the current situation is; the fuse was cracked not melted but replaced. I have disconnected the battery, the yellow steering symbol was intermittent but now stays on all the time. All the while the tester I borrowed could not see any fault codes, surely if I have a warning symbol it should display a code?

Any advice appreciated

Have you driven it? Or is this just with car stationary on the driveway?

 

Yes, if a fault light is on, there's a stored code somewhere.  Whereabouts are you?

Hi wino, 

       Thanks for your reply,

Yes I have driven a couple of times, light on constantly and no power steering, I'm in South Wales

HI All . I have had  the same problem 👎 intermittent loss of  PAS  (heavy steering) with the yellow warning light on . I can park the car up for a few hours or the next day (rest my arms and shoulders lol) start the car with no warning light on and steering working perfectly  🤯

I give up, I'm not saying it's the pump because that might be expensive and I'm tired of the constant arguments.

 

But it's the pump*

 

*mike drop

I've checked the large fuse on top of the battery - ok , the 5 amp fuse under the dash thats ok  - Checked The power steering fluid level that's all ok , fitted a brand new battery  started the car up and PAS  light is permanently on and steering heavy - I then paid for a mobile diagnostic service he  tested the  alternator that's working as it should putting out the correct power. He was unable to read a fault  code but was having a high voltage level ( 18.4 vaults ) at the Pump/ECU unit  ... Before I bite the bullet and  book it into a garage , Please could anyone help with further information and advice thank you in advance   very much appreciated 👍

There have been no arguments so "constant" is superflous, only discussion with, I hope, mutual respect.

The problem with either a cheap OBD fault code reader or a multi-vehicle one is that often they will only pick up a high level generic OBD11 fault code but wont be able to interrogate the various sub controllers like power steering or ABS and bring up the manufacturer specific lower level codes, thats where VCDS comes into its own. If you can find someone in your area to do a scan I would before putting it in the hands of a garage.

 

Both my vehicles are fault code city when I do a VCDS scan yet my generic OBD reader always says that there are no faults.

 

However you are correct that any fault that brings up a MIL should generate a generic OBDII code, perhaps not all warning lights are considered MIL's (multi function indicator) I know all the emission and safety specific stuff brings up a generic code.