My power steering has been acting up over the last few months but always corrects itself, almost immediately. It fails only on start up and after the car has sat for at least 8 hours. Usually, the power steering comes back almost immediately, but two days ago the power steering stayed off and for the first time the EPS light came on when the power steering failed. This condition continued until after I stopped to buy gas and restarted the car, when everything returned to normal. My idle RPMs are correct and I'm not pulling on the steering wheel before or during the startup. The only commonality is that the temps are always cold when it happens (less than 32F/0C), I'm on a level surface (Not easy in Ithaca and probably has no bearing on the problem), and that the problem goes away eventually. I suspect that it's in the ESP computer, but have no real ideas beyond that. Anyone?

 

Check to make sure your fuse is seated well.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check both of them out this weekend, after the latest snow storm blows through town.

 

Ever had the transmission out? In dropping the front subframe down, you're supposed to undo the power connector (big 2 pin) and torque sensor (little 3 pin) if not undone, it might have pulled the wires pretty hard. Check the connector to see if its tight but also check to see that the wires are still firmly in the connector.

Good luck.

 

I had the "improved clutch" (TSB-54?) installed, but that's about it and that was over a year ago. Still, it's worth checking those connections, as well.

Weather forecast is for up to 6" of snow today and I don't have a garage. IOW, I won't get to the the car until at least some time next week.

 

Seems to be a common problem in the AP1. 2 cars here in Singapore had the same problem, and both lacks power assistance while turning to the right only. It also happen when the car is cold, and does not happen all the time.

Any update on the problem?