gti2000

I was having random problems with my EPS (electronic power steering) last year up until I put my car away for the winter.

Does anyone know if there is actually a part in our cars called an 'electronic power steering ecu'? I have been told the problem could be in relation to my rack & pinion, however because of the random off and on of the EPS light and temporary loss of power steering it sounds like a computer problem.

If anyone has heard of this part please elaborate.

Thanks

slalom44

Your steering assembly has a "Steering Gearbox Assembly" which includes the electric motor. This is a non-serviceable part, and if defective it needs to be replaced as an entire unit. It has a 2-prong electrical connector and a ground.

Separate from this is a "Torque Sensor Assembly" which tells the motor when to apply power. This is located at the base of the steering column as it meets the gearbox. This is also a non-serviceable part that has to be replaced if defective. It has a 3-prong electrical connection

The entire unit is electronically driven by an "EPS Control Unit", which is the brains of the Electronic Power Steering. It looks like a rectangular box with all the connectors attached to the bottom.

If any of the electrical connectors I mention above have corroded terminals (including the ground) it might cause your problem. If you replace the EPS Control Unit or the Torque Sensor Assembly, you have to go through a learning procedure for the the EPS Control Unit to learn the Torque Sensor Neutral Position. There's a procedure for this in the Service Manual. Your best bet is to unplug and clean all of the connections. The Service Manual says to remove the battery terminal before doing this. This means that you want to have your radio code handy before you do this.

Good luck.

gti2000

Are these expensive parts? With the sevice manual, would I be able to investigate this myself?

Thanks for the reply, very informative.

slalom44

The manual shows you what everything looks like, how to remove & install, and how to get the EPS Control unit to learn the torque sensor neutral position. I didn't see anything about troubleshooting.

You may want to try cleaning the terminals and see what happens. If you see some corrosion, try putting some dielectric grease on the connectors after cleaning.

I don't know how much the components cost, but I'd guess that the steering gearbox assembly would be very pricey.