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Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:33 pm
by Doggy
My lad's 06 Poxhall went wrong this morning. He started it from cold and set about scraping windows, (-5 hereabouts when I left home this morning).
When he got in, he noticed the ABS/Brake fail light on, but tried moving off and discovered he had no PAS and no brakes, (had to use the handbrake to stop). :shock:
I was trying to think of a single failure that might give these issues, & wondered if an aux drive belt could do it, (if the vacuum pump was driven off it), but it doesn't seem to fit. He doesn't think the battery w/l was on and didn't run it long enough to know if the heater was warming up normally. :roll:

Could these have some sort of common brakes/steering hydraulic system?

Any other ideas?

He's still got a bit of his 3-month's warranty left, but we haven't read the small print.......

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:10 pm
by lozz
its the same set up as the fiat punto
if im correct the modern corsa is electric steering No power steering pump,

a iffy battery can cause these problems with cars fitted with the crappy electronic steering


see ebay link for use of pictures http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vauxhall-cors ... 416f118520

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:19 pm
by Doggy
You could well be right there, lozz - I bin a-googling, much talk of iffy abs sensors/connectors leading to it not knowing the speed and setting the assistance wrongly. But no brakes?

After talking to him a bit more it seems there's a steering w/l and that's on too.

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:23 pm
by steve_earwig
Is the braking vacuum provided by a cam driven pump or something electric?

Or a gerbil running in a little wheel... :?

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:23 pm
by lozz
Steering w/l

you mean the steering lock wont come off ? (sorry lost ya there,)

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:25 pm
by steve_earwig
I guessed warning light :?

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:26 pm
by lozz
Ibet the frost as killed off the battery,

not sure about the poxhall but the fiat kintos with the electric steering Have a Bsi unit like pugs :arrow: wasp hive

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:56 pm
by Doggy
Seems to be working again. :?

Steering's back to normal and TBH I couldn't follow what he was saying about the brakes - OK, but had to press the pedal a few times first :?

Seems the steering is electric and can overload/lock out if held against a lock-stop. They even do an uprated one for driving schools.......

Other common trait is doing odd things if the battery voltage is low, (which seems more plausible, given the -5C temp this morning and the strain of starting even a toy diesel.

My money's on it needing a battery before the winter's out.

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 7:31 am
by Welly
It might pay you (I say 'you' because you'll end up paying for it no doubt) to change the battery in any case? if there's no evidence to suggest its had a battery before then its probably due one.

I've heard these PAS pump need a good Woltage because they consume a lot of Hamps.

Don't know about the brakes? :? :?

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:47 pm
by lozz
Doggy wrote:Seems to be working again. :?

Steering's back to normal and TBH I couldn't follow what he was saying about the brakes - OK, but had to press the pedal a few times first :?

Seems the steering is electric and can overload/lock out if held against a lock-stop. They even do an uprated one for driving schools.......

Other common trait is doing odd things if the battery voltage is low, (which seems more plausible, given the -5C temp this morning and the strain of starting even a toy diesel.

My money's on it needing a battery before the winter's out.

if its the Battery thats causing the fault, he shouid notice a clicking noise, (like relay chatter)
the steering ecu shuts down if the battery is down on volts,

when they lock off, the steering is light on left turns and Megga heavy on right turns, (stupid desighn)
gets me why these little cars need elecy-steering anyway there light enough withought it if the tyres are pumped up to the correct psi :?

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:20 pm
by Welly
The electric motor only provides the Hydraulic pumping action of a traditional PAS pump only it is taken away from the Auxillary parts of the engine (to save fuel). For all intents and purposes an 'electric' PS system is the same as any other.

If they ever produce a steer-by-wire PAS system I will walk off into the sunset and throw my keys in the bin.

(awaits someone to tell me that this kinda system is actually available).

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:24 pm
by lozz
the only thing ifound good about the elecy steering is the Parking, very handy if your in a rush 8)

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:28 pm
by Doggy
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h ... CDsQ9QEwCQ

Might I suggest a compass or GPS to determine where the sunset actually is?

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:33 pm
by lozz
heres the punto set up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn-zjIWI3dY

you will notice the relays are in the motor

Re: Corsa 1.3 CDTi advice please

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:39 pm
by Welly
Doggy wrote:http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h ... CDsQ9QEwCQ

Might I suggest a compass or GPS to determine where the sunset actually is?
Holy sh*t, are you saying that you turn the Steering Wheel......electricity happens.....and that 'thing' pushes/pulls on the track rods for you? or is the steering wheel actually connected, by column, to that thing?