C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

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JamesHDI
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C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by JamesHDI »

My 2006 C5 has lost the power steering with the message "power steering faulty" showing on the dash,the thing is ,I'm not sure how to diagnose the problem,ie whether its the motor or some other component that sends the signal to the motor(I think my car has an electric power steering pump)such as steering wheel angle sensor or such like(is that what the steering wheel angle sensor is for?).

I'm really stuck as the car is practically undrivable without it,I have an obd 2 code reader which showed some error codes but nothing relating to the steering system.

Can anyone offer any help or advice as I'm really not sure what to do.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

The first thing I would do is the check the LDS level in the reservoir. Looking at the engine bay (from in front of the car) there may be a cover on the left hand side, extending from the headlamp to the rear of the engine bay. If this exists, remove it (I have an earlier C5 with this cover, held in place with several 'rivets', that can be undone by pulling out the central pin, and then lifting out the whole 'rivet'). You will now see two caps (one which could be accessed with the cover in place; this is, IIRC, for the coolant). Start the car, and drop her down (suspension wise) as low as she can go. Turn the engine off and wait for a couple of minutes. Remove the LDS reservoir cap (that you could not access with the cover in place). There is a mesh affair inside the cap, with vertical slots coming up the side. These are of two different heights. So long as there is LDS fluid (which is normally orange) between the lower and upper markers there is enough LDS in there; however, if it is too low you will need to top it up (and, maybe, search for any leaks).
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by JamesHDI »

Hi Hell Razor,thats a good point regarding the LDS fluid,I'll check the level and report back.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

If you do find the fluid is below the lower point, top her up, put the cap back on, start her up, and then raise the suspension to full height. Wait a couple of minutes, and then drop her back to the lowest setting. Wait another couple of minutes, and then repeat this sequence a few times. Then slowly turn the steering from lock to lock and straight back again to the opposite lock. Then return the steering to the straight position, drop her back to the lowest suspension setting, and check the LDS level again.

The reason for the pauses is to allow any air that may be in the system to dissipate back out to the reservoir.
Last edited by Hell Razor5543 on 01 Jul 2020, 19:41, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by GiveMeABreak »

No! Do not hold the wheel at either end of the lock for any length of time. That is specifically not what you should do.

I will post up the correct bleeding procedure:

All illustrated and the correct method:

viewtopic.php?p=648493#p648493
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by JamesHDI »

I went and checked the lds fluid level,I started the car and lowered the suspension right down and removed the cap,the fluid that was there looked brown and foamy.I left it for a few minutes and went back to check again.I was deceived by the mesh funnel shaped filler,it looked like the fluid level was at the bottom of the filler funnel but when I gave it a prod with a screwdriver thinking it would sink into the fluid it just hit hard plastic,it was the bottom of the funnel with a very thin film of fluid on it!
I couldn't turn the steering lock to lock as it was too stiff without power assistance.
The next step will be for me to top up the lds fluid but I wont be able to do that until the weekend when I can get some more.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

OK, that suggests your problem is due to an insufficient amount of LDS. I would get her topped up ASAP, and then start looking for leaks. Fortunately she is a Facelift C5 (and not an X7 variant), which means you do not have the sub-standard steering rack.

GSF do LDS fluid for (according to their website) £11:15.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by GiveMeABreak »

JamesHDI wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 20:30 I went and checked the lds fluid level,I started the car and lowered the suspension right down and removed the cap,the fluid that was there looked brown and foamy.I left it for a few minutes and went back to check again.I was deceived by the mesh funnel shaped filler,it looked like the fluid level was at the bottom of the filler funnel but when I gave it a prod with a screwdriver thinking it would sink into the fluid it just hit hard plastic,it was the bottom of the funnel with a very thin film of fluid on it!
I couldn't turn the steering lock to lock as it was too stiff without power assistance.
The next step will be for me to top up the lds fluid but I wont be able to do that until the weekend when I can get some more.
Read the link in my last post - be warned - do not top it up beyond the marks shown!

Your problem is unlikely to be LDS fluid if you can see it at the bottom of the filter. If your suspension raises and lowers high to low, then this is not going to be your problem.

The power steering electro pump is operated directly by the battery. I'll have a look at the circuit shortly for you.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Hell Razor5543 wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 20:39 OK, that suggests your problem is due to an insufficient amount of LDS. I would get her topped up ASAP, and then start looking for leaks. Fortunately she is a Facelift C5 (and not an X7 variant), which means you do not have the sub-standard steering rack.

GSF do LDS fluid for (according to their website) £11:15.
It will not be LDS if he can see it at the bottom of the filter James. If there was insufficient LDS he would not be able to raise the car.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by GiveMeABreak »

It may be that you have a problem internally with one of the temperature sensors. If the system gets too hot the assistance is limited at 96°C, and if the temperature reaches 108 °C, assistance is stopped.

This system also has a reservoir of LDS fluid internal to the pump to provide a supply.

There is however a backup system if the electronics fail where the power steering will default to backup parameters.

I suggest you first check the electrical connections, especially terminals 1 & 2 to or make sure the plug is tight and there is not water ingress.
PS A.PNG
Key:

Power connector " a" :
Terminal 1 : + 12 V
Terminal 2 : Earth
Connector "b" :
Terminal 1 : CAN
Terminal 2 : CAN
Terminal 3 : NC
Terminal 4 : CAN
Terminal 5 : CAN
Terminal 6 : NC
Terminal 7 : Ignition+
Terminal 8 : Line
Terminal 9 : NC

If you have a diagnostic code reader (ideally a Lexia), check to see if you are getting fault codes C1203 or C1406. In fact if you are getting any fault codes, post them up.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by GiveMeABreak »

If you have your VIN, please pop that up here and I can check the correct fuses as these are different depending on engines.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by JamesHDI »

Hi Marc,thanks for the info,I'll check that connector tomorrow,I take it that connector is on the pump which is behind the plastic inner wing on the offside wheel?
I'm afraid I don't have a lexia as I was unsure as to what they were,I've seen them on ebay but do they require a laptop or can they be used with a basic code reader?
According to my Autel obd2 code reader I have 5 fault codes,
P1354 A/C refridgerant temp circuit high.
P0461 Fuel level sensor A circuit range/performance
P1435 A/C refridgerant temp circuit range performance
P2408 Fuel cap sensor switch circuit
P1351 IDM input circuit malfunction/ignition coil control circuit high voltage
JamesHDI
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by JamesHDI »

Hi Marc, here's the VIN
VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Yes the electropump assembly is accessed from behind the wheel. You'll have the LDS tank, then underneath that the BHI for the suspension and the electropump assembly.

Diags: The cloned units (often referred to as a Lexia kit) consist of the VCI (hardware) that connects to the OBD port and a laptop. Lexia (Citroen) and PP2000 (Peugeot) is the software used with the VCI for vehicles circa 2007 and earlier. Diagbox is the later software than encapsulates both these pieces of software and of course Diagbox itself that is launched for all PSA vehicles circa 2008 onwards. You can't use them with third party tools.

Those codes don't bear any immediate relevance to the PS system. When I have your VIN I can check the fuse for you.
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Re: C5 2.0HDI Power steering faulty!

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Ok, so definitely worth checking Maxi Fuse 7 near the engine fuse box. This is a 70 Amp fuse that is responsible for the Power Steering Electropump unit on this specific engine.
MF7.PNG
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