VW FOX NO PAS

[Joshthom94]

Hi, my girlfriends vw Fox has lost all power steering and has a solid yellow pas warning light on the dash, I removed the battery and tray to get to the reservoir to check the level, the level was maybe a little bit low but not too bad, I topped up the fluid to the correct level anyway, re-fit battery and still no pas, next I checked what I believe was the correct fuse for the pump (if anyone knows which one it is to confirm would be appreciated) fuse was ok, checked charging voltage - fine, carried out battery test - passed, checked power to pump - fine, checked continuity between angle sensor and pump - fine, ran diagnostic test on the car then and come back with these faults

01288 - Terminal 30 steering assist signal too high - intermittent

01290 - Reference voltage steering assist short with ground - intermittent

I erased the fault codes out of curiousity and turned car off then on and light was out and had full pas, turned car off and on again and was still fine.

Went back out to the car a few hours later without the car moving and light was back on and no pas.

Wondering if anyone has had this problem or has any ideas on how to solve it what else to check, don’t really fancy spending loads of money on a pump if I don’t have to,

Thanks!

[E-bmw]

If you have any intermittent electrical signals the first port-of-call is to check/clean each & every electrical connector in the vicinity.

[Joshthom94]

When removing the plugs from the steering angle sensor and the pump I checked both and both looked in good condition

[imagineifyeswill]

It will be the pump and module assembly faulty, will work intermittently for a time before it packs up completely, common on Polos.

Replacement unit from VW around £800 but search the internet and they can be found recon units for about £275 - 300,

[Joshthom94]

Yeah think I may just bite the bullet and chuck a pump on it, the sensor doesn’t usually go does it?

[imagineifyeswill]

What sensor do you mean, it all comes as one unit, the only other sensor is steering angle which is totally seperate.

[sunbeam alpine]

imagineifyeswill said:

It will be the pump and module assembly faulty, will work intermittently for a time before it packs up completely, common on Polos.

Replacement unit from VW around £800 but search the internet and they can be found recon units for about £275 - 300,

This - I've experience the same problem. Agree with the comments about parts prices as well!

[Joshthom94]

Yes the steering angle sensor bolted onto the rack, I think I’ve narrowed it down to either being the pump or the steering angle sensor, was wondering if the sensor usually goes or if it’s only the pump

[imagineifyeswill]

The steering angle sensor doesnt affect the pump, its the pump and module behind the bumper on the n/s that is the problem.

[Joshthom94]

Ok cheers mate will let you know if it works, what’s the best way to get at it? Bumper off or through wheel arch?

[imagineifyeswill]

Bumper off.

[Joshthom94]

New pump fitted, all seems to be working fine! Thanks

[parisdaniella]

Hi, is your power steering still okay since replacing the pump?? Having the same problem myself so just ordered a pump!

Edited by parisdaniella on Tuesday 24th April 12:33

[Grannia]

this isn't an answer to your question, but can you give me advice. My daughter has a Fox, in May her steering was very stiff and she took it into a garage in Edinburgh, they told her it needed a new pump, £554 later, she was out of the country so the vehicle wasn't being driven, it still has the same issue with steering, she struggles to turn, right or left, she is up and down the A9, and I am worried sick. Went back to the garage, they are now saying, it is a different issue and will cost a further £400 or more, as the power steering fluid is leaking and it needs a new steering rack. I am very dubious, she is a student, and I am a single parent who can ill afford this if not necessary. Something needs done as she cannot continue to drive it like this.

I think this garage is taking advantage, but I do not have the original pump to check this, they didn't give her an invoice, just a receipt. I have arranged for another garage to look at the car. Does this sound right? or has this garage taking advantage of a young lady, who took them on trust. Is there anything I can do?

[meverett]

These posts are old and so many don’t post their fix or what was at fault so thought I would pass on some info as I have just had the same problem with my wife’s 06 Polo.
Checked the battery, had the front bumper off to get to the steering pump connections to clean. Cleaned the connections going to the steering column sensor.
Still getting daily codes relating to implausible signal to steering pump and even an ABS fault implausible signal.
Any way after spending all day on it I could hear something like an intermittent buzzing sound from behind the dash. Got down under the footwell and could see all the electrical connections just above foot height and wondered a slight knock with a foot could cause a dodgy connection. I disconnected all the plugs then blew each terminal out and sprayed with contact cleaner then reconnected, cleared any stored codes and so far (fingers crossed) so good everything is behaving itself and no more fault codes.
This could be useful to someone with the same issues.

[GrowlingAxis]

I've had a issue with my power steering in my vw fox 07 plate for the past month however it was an intermittent issue. I trouble shooted by changing the battery, topping up the fluid, checking the fuse but nothing fixed it. The power steering would turn of when it was on full lock or if I turned too tightly round a corner so it made parking difficult. I finally gave in and bought a new pump, I found one for £40 from a 07 skoda fabia from a breakers on ebay. Changed the pump and fully fixed the power steering, I recommend going though the wheel arch on the front left side and jacking up the car. The pump is on the left and took me and my father in law 5 hours to change but it would have been shorter if I didn't have rusted bolts. I would also recommend taking off the battery and battery tray for easy access though the top. In total it cost me abut £50 instead of the £650 that I was quoted. I hope this post helps someone because I've heard this quite a common issue.

[ashkingie]

I just wanted to say thank you to the above post.

I had the exact same issue on my 07 Fox. The power steering went, so i checked the fuses and the fluid, but I still had the light and no power steering.
I brought an OBD reader, but it didnt report any codes.

After looking on eurocarparts, a power steering motor was like £400+. I grabbed one generic(ish) from ebay from A1 WOKINGHAM CAR SPARES for £40. They were rapid, i ordered the part on Wednesday evening, and it arrived at 12:30 on Friday.

I took apart the battery bay to get access from the top, which in hindsight really isnt needed. You have to access from the passenger wheel. It was a bit of a nightmare getting all the rusted wheel body screws out, and a fiddely removing the old power steering motor. The cables were really hard to remove, i ended up snapping some of the housing - oops.

It was a bit of a gamble as to whether or not this would work, but i thought for £40 i'd give it a go before relenting to the garage.

Anyway, after about 4/5 hours I had it fitted and it worked straight away. Really chuffed, thanks again to the previous poster.