Hi, new to the forum,

 

I have a problem with my mk1 estate fabia, I bought it second hand in December as a first car, a few weeks ago, the power steering light came on and the steering got very stiff while pulling out of a car park 2 minuets from my house, so I stopped, turned the engine off and on again but it didnt fix the problem, I decided to drive home and within 10 seconds, the light turned off and the steering was fine. Then last Saturday, (the 20th) the light came on and the steering got stiff again for all about 2 seconds then was fine. My Dad assumed it was the fluid being low so we jacked up the car, filled the fluid and bled it free of air inside and then saw my engine oil was running very low.

 

That was on Sunday, though after driving to the Halfords close to my place of work for oil, when I returned to the car, the steeling light came back on and steering was tough, I drove to work and assumed that the light would come off on the way but it did not, it still had problems when I finished work. I've had to get the train  for the past two days and when I leave at 6 in the morning when it's cold, I check the car and the light is off and the steering is fine, though when I return at 5 o'clock where the sun is blistering and its very hot, the light is on and the steering is horrible, does anyone know of any reasons for this or any solutions? Since it's fine when it's cold and broken when it's hot, I assume it's not a pump problem so fingers crossed I dont need to replace it but any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you,

A pump problem is EXACTLY what it is, Christ knows why you think the opposite but it can't be the battery because the voltage is lower when cold and the angle sensor won't be affected by temperature which only leaves the pump unit.

Check strip fuse no.5 in the fuseholder on top of the battery. It may have cracks that are opening and closing with thermal expansion of the plastic tray they mount on. 

Take a well lit, sharply focussed picture and post it here if unsure.

12 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

A pump problem is EXACTLY what it is

 

Whilst we don't yet have confirmation of what was the cause I thought I would post one of the adages from my mentor that has stood me well over the years.

 

It's better to be imprecisely right than precisely wrong!

20 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Whilst we don't yet have confirmation of what was the cause I thought I would post one of the adages from my mentor that has stood me well over the years.

 

It's better to be imprecisely right than precisely wrong!

 

The default attitude to faults is generally that it must be something quick and easy or cheap to fix, this error is then compounded by soliciting confirmation bias online, most contributors are only too happy to support this flawed reasoning.

 

I don't know why, but people generally make problems worse with bad decisions not based on the balance of probability, but based on optimism.

 

So dumb.

I agree with your reasoning and with dismissing the battery as the easy/cheap remedy, whilst you are probably correct in it only leaving the pump unit there are other possibilities like wiring, Petes suggestion is very plausible.

 

5 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

most contributors are only too happy to support this flawed reasoning.

 

Thankfully not all! 👍

11 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Check strip fuse no.5 in the fuseholder on top of the battery.

 

Could be fuse 3 if his car is before 5/2006?

28 minutes ago, TMB said:

 

Could be fuse 3 if his car is before 5/2006?

Yes, good point, before Oct 2005 actually. From Nov 2005 it went to position 5. I put some slightly duff info in the fuse FAQ at one point, must clarify and correct it, or get a mod to.

The one with a really thick red/black wire going to it, and 50A rating.

Edited 25 May, 20233 yr by Breezy_Pete

15 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Check strip fuse no.5 in the fuseholder on top of the battery. It may have cracks that are opening and closing with thermal expansion of the plastic tray they mount on. 

Take a well lit, sharply focussed picture and post it here if unsure.

Me and my Dad took a look at the battery just a minuet ago and you were right, there is a crack in the 5th strip fuse, ive taken two photos to include here, how would we go about replacing those?

Buy a new one and bolt it in.

Well done and a big thankyou to BreezyPete, its people like him that make this forum so great!

2 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

Buy a new one and bolt it in.

 

Do cigarette packets no longer have the silver foil fuse repair liner these days? 🤣

Halford sell a pack of them of mixed ratings according to @TMB. 

Undo the two M6 nuts, remove, clean surfaces if mucky, fit new fuse and tighten, not brutally tight.

 

Great result. 👍 

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/tools/fuses-electricals-and-fixings/fuses/halfords-assorted-oto-strip-fuses-30>60-amp-fuse133-705310.html

6 minutes ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Halford sell a pack of them of mixed ratings according to @TMB. 

 

Yeah, they do.

Found and linked ^, cheers Lee. 

Christ, a simple fuse failure, like wot I must've recommended a hundred times!

But you will be remembered for them or the 100 and oneth time?

 

"A pump problem is EXACTLY what it is"

 

 

2 minutes ago, J.R. said:

But you will be remembered for them or the 100 and oneth time?

 

"A pump problem is EXACTLY what it is"

 

The balance of probability didn't include the fuse for some reason. Still all's well that ends well.

On 25/05/2023 at 04:47, Breezy_Pete said:

Check strip fuse no.5 in the fuseholder on top of the battery. It may have cracks that are opening and closing with thermal expansion of the plastic tray they mount on. 

Take a well lit, sharply focussed picture and post it here if unsure.

Thank you so much, because of your comment, I've saved myself hundreds of pounds since it wasnt the pump, we replaced the fuse and everything is perfect. You really are a life saver

On 25/05/2023 at 20:05, J.R. said:

Do cigarette packets no longer have the silver foil fuse repair liner these days?

 

I remember when people used to stuff that silver paper into Christmas light bulb holders when they didn't have a spare bulb This was before the bulbs had shunts in them.

8 hours ago, AtomicTaco said:

Thank you so much, because of your comment, I've saved myself hundreds of pounds since it wasnt the pump, we replaced the fuse and everything is perfect. You really are a life saver

 

You're welcome. Something similar happens with the ABS system, which on earlier mk1s had its main pump fuse in position 6. On your car that's in position 4 and looks newer, so probably already replaced. 

🙂