Electro-hydraulic power steering fault

[dandyman1]

I have a power steering fault with my Citroen Dispatch 2.0l hdi 120.
It is the Electro-hydraulic system.
It was working fine. no noise no problems. when i went back to it after starting it up it bleeped at me and on the screen said power steering fault. The STOP has lit up on the cluster.
I had recovery test it on diagnostic tool. no codes. (bad tool) not good enough.
I had my local garage diagnose the problem. they said they had code faults and it was the pump at fault.
I had it sent away for testing and repair. The company said they had to replace a seal that had failed and flooded the motor and circuit board!
sent it back with warranty stickers on case joints. Although it looked like it had been tested because there was a bit of fluid and new protector caps on hose inputs outlets it did not look like it had been opened up. there was no sign of this. looked untouched so to speak. they come with a plastic shroud that is stapled on. the staples are still on/ original and not deformed. Plus the ally case on inside still with oxidised dusting etc.

Put it back on after a week without the van... NO WORK!! I still have the same problem???? arrrhhh! Took it back to my local mechanic for diagnostic again! used a snapon expensive diagnostic tool! same fault codes as before. he said its the pump!
I am at a loose end. he also thinks its not been worked on!!
I am now in a legal dispute with the company who claim they fixed it! I am not sure what my problem is?
If it was the pump it should be fixed! if it was not thew pump the diagnostic was wrong and the pump did not need fixing! they should have sent it back to me and not charged for fixing as per their policy no fault no charge!

Please help. i am pulling my hair out n nearly bald!

[GiveMeABreak]

If the hydraulic fluid has indeed got into the ECU, it's very possible that it has knackered it. If this is the case, even cleaning it thoroughly may not be enough and can result in intermittent functionality. I had 5 litres of Halfords finest screen wash leak, which went through the mat into the boot / spare tyre area where my parking assistance ECU is fitted. I thought I had a duff sensor - until the garage found this purple coloured stain all over the place and sure enough it had got into the ECU itself.

I was lucky because the circuit isn't active until reverse gear is selected, so damage was minimised - however it took me 3 attempts to dismantle, thoroughly clean off the liquid, clean with contact cleaner and replace before it finally got back to normal operation.

I suspect in your case the oil has penetrated the motor / ECU and may not be repairable - which they should of told you. It can take ages to clean out all the contamination - assuming that no other permanent damage has been done. You've got a double problem here - as if true, they say it has leaked into the motor as well as the ECU.

I would pursue you case with the company for a refund - but you'll have to see what their terms and conditions are - If your own mechanic can provide a report stating it is faulty and inoperable, then that may be enough evidence for them to trigger the refund - as they can't really expect you to go to the additional expense of having it removed and sent off to them again and then getting it refitted only for the same thing to happen again.

Your safest bet would be to get an exchange / second hand unit if possible, but make a note of the identification numbers on it - including the ECU.

[GiveMeABreak]

I know these pumps are very expensive - and I'm not sure what you paid to have it repaired - but there would seem to be new ones here for about £200 ish:
https://www.autodoc.co.uk/elstock/7538284


Or this refurbished one from italy:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ENGINE-POWER- ... xyOalTZz2c

[dandyman1]

wow that looks too good to be true?? or maybe not..
I did not see this place when i was looking... I paid £225 for repair service with lifetime warranty. Not worth the paper it isnt written on!
To be honest i dont think they have done anything with it. if it is faultless then they should have refunded me and said so n sent it back but after thinking about it now... who is going to do that? i went with them for warranty reason too but its only what they have done not the whole unit.
i have read so many bad reviews on this company since on yell and glassdoor.. it seems they have really bad ethics and buy second hand units and send them out untouched as referbs???? loads of problems with them and upset customers. this leads me to believe its not the pump and something else??? i hope it aint the pump. i think they found no problem hence not looking like they done anything and resulting in my same problem.. they just couldnt bring themselves to tell me its ok so made up some lie to say they fixed it and charged me??? i researched lots and it seems even citroen have problems identifying exact causes. could be just a bad wire/conection/speed sensor/ steering angle sensor ? who knows?? i might take it to citroen next? or maybe someone with a citroen diagnostic tool?

[xantia_v6]

You won't get much further without knowing the exact fault codes. A Citroen diagnostic tool (Lexia) is best for getting those, although the Snap-On tool may have given the correct codes, can you get them from your mechanic?

[Gibbo2286]

Refurbishment =========The state of being restored to its former good condition.

But in the motor parts business it can mean 'rubbed over with an oily rag.'

[dandyman1]

Thanks guys. Got a fault code of P0602 fault downloading, absence or fault in downloading procedure. if any one can make sense of this??

dont think they even rubbed it down with an oily cloth..

[GiveMeABreak]

That means it cannot read the programme data stored in the EEPROM chip - so this could happen if for example the configuration data was being programmed and power was lost - therefore corrupting it, or the data has become corrupt through electrical overload / shorting other damage (including liquid), so that would be consistent with why the BSI (then main computer) can't communicate with it.

[dandyman1]

thanks for that Marc. is this a fault with the pump unit or could it be something else?

[GiveMeABreak]

Well the code is indicating that whatever is in the pump ECU is gobbledegook - so it could be the code reported from the BSI saying 'I can't understand what this ECU is saying to me'.

It is hard to pin this down as to what the EXACT problem is - there must be some communication between the BSI to the Pump ECU for it to return this code as opposed to 'no dialogue with ECU'. So whether the ECU has lost the programming and can be reprogrammed or whether it is giving this code out because it is symptomatic of a failed download that could in reality be the result of the ECU being damaged.

[dandyman1]

thanks for your time Marc. I do really value your input and its nice to be able to talk to someone about it.. mechanics are a bit like magicians they dont like to reveal how their trick is done!!

Unfortunately i am still getting nowhere.. maybe a trip to the dreaded dealer.. I still dont think it is the pump unit ecu.. i think it might be wires now.. but time and money is just not there. maybe try and ask someone close with citroen diagnostics if they will help as its at least £95 at citroen and they might not let me drive it away???

[GiveMeABreak]

No they can’t stop you driving it away but they can advise you if it is dangerous to drive.

Have a look at the thread here of Lexia owners to see if any are near you. They might be able to help with a diagnostic.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=56452

[dandyman1]

you just keep coming up good! I cant thank you enough.

[Gibbo2286]

I don't suppose going through the battery rigmarole BSI reset might fix this.

[GiveMeABreak]

No it's the Power Steering ECU itself that is reporting corrupt programming Gibbo. A BSI reset can't do anything for that if the oil fluid has leaked into the PS ECU electronics and caused damage. The only way to know is get a proper diagnostic and from that see where to go. The problem is that even trying to re-download the data to the ECU will cost to try as PSA will need to do it and there is no guarantee. By the time the diagnostic time is paid for it would be cheaper to source another a second hand unit I suspect.