I recently took my truck out on a road trip and about 500 miles out, the power steering decided to bail out on me. I tried taking it to some local mechanics but they just plugged in their scanners, charged me $80 and said they don’t know how to fix it.
In the beginning, if you left the battery disconnected for a half hour and reconnected it, you had power steering back but if you turned left too quickly (even from full-lock right to not even straight) it would go out again.
On the way home that trick stopped working and even after resetting everything the power steering stayed locked up. I don’t think it’s the rack since the truck is actively trying to steer against you and keep the wheels straight. Even at 60-70mph it was very difficult going around a bend.
When I got home, I noticed the toe angle of the wheels were decently off so I took it for an alignment and both wheels had a negative toe. I tried disconnecting the battery over night again and the power steering is still locked up but at least the wheels are straight.
I’m not sure what else to do, I was thinking of replacing the wheel speed sensors since a technician from a ford dealership said that might be the issue but I’m also seeing things online about clock springs, steering shafts, and EPS motor belts.
Were any of them Ford dealer mechanics? Did their scan tools have the capabilty to re-zero the system? Did they have the ability to scan live data on a test drive to try and capture the problem? That is what needs to be done to find the problem.
Without good data, you are just throwing expensive parts at it hoping you find the problem. I suggest you head to the Ford dealer
I took it to a ford dealership and they told me I needed a few repairs but when I asked them for the codes so I can also look into it they forgot everything that was wrong with the truck. They wanted $3,000 for the repairs and 4 days to do it but I didn’t feel confident that they were being honest with me.
I just downloaded FORscan so I’m going to see what I can find in there.
On RockAuto a Motorcraft EPS rack is $1500 Throw in some wheelspeed sensors and the labor for all that and $3K sounds about right.
You are not likely to get a cheap fix here. Local mechanics are clueless, the parts are expensive and the labor rates high. Do you want to DIY it? Its still going to cost you about $2000 and you need the tools to calibrate it.
ForScan will help. Get the license and buy a good wired OBD2 cable that has MS Can so you can see everything.
I’m going to run every kind of test and check everything I can. If it ultimately needs the power steering rack replaced then I’ll just have to bite the bullet and get it done.
If by chance I can get it fixed with something as simple as a wheel speed sensor or a clock spring, then I’m definitely going to go that route.
I posted this more to help document the issue than for getting advice since I’ve only found vague forum posts about EPS repairs online.
That being said, good advice is more than welcome.
I did start it up just now and noticed the steering wheel makes a very soft click noise while turning. I don’t know if it could be a worn out steering column from driving home with the power steering fault, or if that’s an indicator to the clock spring being worn out but once the OBD2 cable arrives, I’ll know for sure.
Your clock spring doesn’t have any connection to the EPS that I know of. It is there to connect your steering wheel buttons to the system.
There is a steering wheel sensor (but I believe that is IN the rack?) along with the EPS controller. RockAuto shows two different external steering sensors, however, likely mounted inside the car at the bottom of the steering column.
Try to see if you can read the steering sensor in real time… I’d guess you can read it or that, too, would set a dash light for steering system error. Look for a smooth signal.
Try the steering center calibration (no co$t except the OBD2 cable)
Then fix the cheap stuff first (obvious, huh?) like wheelspeed sensors. The stored codes will tell you which is bad. You need them anyway so no money lost. The traction control and ABS lights should now go out.
If the rack is still messing up… gulp, might have to try the belt kit or bite the bullet and replace it.
Assuming you paid for the trouble shooting and the computer scans at the dealership, you should have gotten a written estimate with an explanation for the repairs needed and the reasons, to include the codes, that indicated the necessary repairs. All that information is yours! That’s like going to the doctor because you are ill and the doctor does not tell you what is wrong unless they can also operate on you… You paid for a diagnostics and you should have gotten it.
If the scans were provided Free, then the dealership is in their rights, they are merely protecting all their work, Mechanics and Technicians at the dealership are not “volunteers” but paid employees.
Understanding the diagnoses can be difficult, also there seems to mistrust because repairs are costly.
Beter to ask on the internet with no diagnostic information to provide. FORScan coming soon.
