Steering fault
- Thread starter Chiefmechanic
- Start date
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Deleted member 14916
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Hello,
I got the same fault last week. VCDS said it is to do with the aluminium section which is part of the steering fluid reservoir located below the near side headlight. I've not yet attempted to fix it. Periodically my steering has become a little heavier this week. I did clear the fault code and it has not returned.
Have you been able to scan the fault codes on your vehicle?
Cheers,
Andy
I got the same fault last week. VCDS said it is to do with the aluminium section which is part of the steering fluid reservoir located below the near side headlight. I've not yet attempted to fix it. Periodically my steering has become a little heavier this week. I did clear the fault code and it has not returned.
Have you been able to scan the fault codes on your vehicle?
Cheers,
Andy
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Not scanned it yet but there is no power assistance now.
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Vcds scan complete
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Steering works now but not sure why or how long for. Any ideas what the fault is and where to look. Checked the loom for wear in the engine compartment but all looks good.
I see there s a measuring block test for the steering. Does anyone know how to talk me through it.
I see there s a measuring block test for the steering. Does anyone know how to talk me through it.
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
No 17 instruments in vcds. Car is driven every day but will check the charging voltage when I next get back to it. There is also an airbag fault on the drivers side which I assume to be the steering wheel.
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Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Airbag fault came straight back once cleared with vcds. Changed the airbag with a spare I had and fault has stayed off.
Steering fault has not reappeared but one of the boots on the rack has a hole in it causing slight oil seepage. Is the oil special to the a2 or is it standard power steering fluid. I would assume the boot on the steering rack is a dealer only part.
Steering fault has not reappeared but one of the boots on the rack has a hole in it causing slight oil seepage. Is the oil special to the a2 or is it standard power steering fluid. I would assume the boot on the steering rack is a dealer only part.
froggy
Member
I’ve had power steering issues since I got this A2, I can’t say if long term this will cause serious or dangerous issues so please take this as cautionary advice only, a £2.99 bottle of STP power steering fluid from Euro car parts did the trick for me. The genuine stuff from Audi is around £13 a bottle if memory serves. (Passenger headlight out job for access) For the first day it was like new and then settled to being just a touch heavier and mine has been fine for around 4 months now. Mine is due to a leak on one of the boots too - advisory on last mot - only a small leak, but the boot is coated in it. What I found was unfortunately the boot cannot be replaced on the steering rack and the whole lot has to be replaced. Some refurbed racks on flea bay for around £120 then about 3-4 hours labour. Very happy to be corrected by more experienced members on the rack replacement here, as not sure how long my steering will last now.
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Just bought a steering rack boot off audi. £10.47. I’ll be replacing mine. Next week.
froggy
Member
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Not fitted yet. Doing the rear brakes first.
froggy
Member
Just had new brakes all round for mot. Brembo front discs £11 Amazon. Bilstein pads £25 Amazon. Complete rear kit including outer hubs springs cylinders etc £65 from Germany through eBay. Fitted for £80 so about as cheap as it gets. If he hadn't messed up the brake pad wear sensor I would have been very happy!
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Got the steering wheel symbol again. Cousin reversed up a kerb and the symbol came on. Tried to delete it with vcds but it says it gives me the following message.
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Where is the control module for the steering?
Chiefmechanic
Active Member
Anybody
Clackers
Member
Not too sure if it is the same item you are talking about, but the steering angle sensor is located within the steering column shroud...directly behind the steering wheel...I thought I would give an answer rather than nothing! I have a steering angle sensor available if you are interested!
ajsellors
A2OC Donor
The power steering control electronics and electric hydraulic motor are a self contained single module. Its fitted in the front corner of the car under the nearside (passenger) headlight on the outside of the chassis leg. You need to remove the headlight to see the filler cap for the fluid reservoir to check the level and top up but to work on the pump you need to remove the wheel and plastic wheel arch liner. The power steering controller itself is a simple affair and doesn't have a non-volatile memory so it sends it faults for storing to the instruments. I have had that message when clearing my dash instrument errors so I wouldn't worry about that so much.
The power steering module communicates with the dash to get road speed and the engine ECU to get engine speed. The speed information is important as the assistance level is dependent on road speed. High assistance a low speed and parking and load assistance at high speed. As having the correct amount of assistance at the right speed is a safety issue, if the steering module sees an interruption in communication or something that's unexpected, it goes into "emergency mode" with low assistance. The warning symbol you are seeing is shown when the steering is in "emergence mode" and the steering goes heavy. You also get error 00566 stored in the dash for this.
00566 can mean that there is an interruption or issue with the CAN bus communication or it can simply mean that the steering has going into "emergency mode" for another reason. Have you checked the fluid level since you had the leak? Is it correct? If its not correct I would check the connectors on the pump for corrosion and the wiring for damage. The CAN bus wiring from the steering connects to the ABS CAN bus wires in the engine bay before going into the interior of the car to get to the dash so if there was a wiring issue further in then I would expect to see problems with the ABS too.
Regarding the comment about steering angle, early cars have a "G250" steering angle sensor on the steering rack itself for measuring the wheel position. There are separate fault codes for this if G250 it is faulty as this is wired directly to the steering controller. Later cars don't have this sensor and use the measurement from the steering angle ring sensor in the steering column inside the car for this. The steering column angle sensor has built in electronics and other modules such as the ABS and power steering read the angle via the CAN bus from the sensor. A problem with this module could be recorded as a communication error fault code.
If you want to check the CAN bus wiring using a multi meter, I would suggest that all modules on the bus are disconnected first to prevent any damage. That is steering pump, ABS, engine ECU, dash and steering angle. Then check steering 4 pin connector pin 1 to dash green pin 19 and steering pin 2 to dash green pin 18. You can also check the steering angle sensor wiring, pin 5 to dash green 18 and pin 4 to dash green pin 19.
If the fluid level is OK, there isn't corrosion on any of the connectors and the wiring is fine, there could be a problem with the steering angle sensor.
regards
Andrew
The power steering module communicates with the dash to get road speed and the engine ECU to get engine speed. The speed information is important as the assistance level is dependent on road speed. High assistance a low speed and parking and load assistance at high speed. As having the correct amount of assistance at the right speed is a safety issue, if the steering module sees an interruption in communication or something that's unexpected, it goes into "emergency mode" with low assistance. The warning symbol you are seeing is shown when the steering is in "emergence mode" and the steering goes heavy. You also get error 00566 stored in the dash for this.
00566 can mean that there is an interruption or issue with the CAN bus communication or it can simply mean that the steering has going into "emergency mode" for another reason. Have you checked the fluid level since you had the leak? Is it correct? If its not correct I would check the connectors on the pump for corrosion and the wiring for damage. The CAN bus wiring from the steering connects to the ABS CAN bus wires in the engine bay before going into the interior of the car to get to the dash so if there was a wiring issue further in then I would expect to see problems with the ABS too.
Regarding the comment about steering angle, early cars have a "G250" steering angle sensor on the steering rack itself for measuring the wheel position. There are separate fault codes for this if G250 it is faulty as this is wired directly to the steering controller. Later cars don't have this sensor and use the measurement from the steering angle ring sensor in the steering column inside the car for this. The steering column angle sensor has built in electronics and other modules such as the ABS and power steering read the angle via the CAN bus from the sensor. A problem with this module could be recorded as a communication error fault code.
If you want to check the CAN bus wiring using a multi meter, I would suggest that all modules on the bus are disconnected first to prevent any damage. That is steering pump, ABS, engine ECU, dash and steering angle. Then check steering 4 pin connector pin 1 to dash green pin 19 and steering pin 2 to dash green pin 18. You can also check the steering angle sensor wiring, pin 5 to dash green 18 and pin 4 to dash green pin 19.
If the fluid level is OK, there isn't corrosion on any of the connectors and the wiring is fine, there could be a problem with the steering angle sensor.
regards
Andrew