Can you describe the problem more clearly? The dealer could be wrong in it's diagnosis, easily. A physically frozen steering wheel that will not rotate isn't an electrical problem, it's a hardware problem. The power steering is 'assisted' steering. You can unplug it completely and still be able to turn the steering wheel.

I'm guessing that you have some sort of failure in the rack or the lower u-joint. The lower u-joint is $50 and you can replace it in your driveway in a few hours of work.

 

I agree with what RIWWP said. Unless the locking your describing is not the wheel locking, but when you attempt to turn the wheel u feel it resisting turning. That could be a bad torque sensor. On the wiring harness you'll see a connector with three small wires. Disconnect the connector and then use a multimeter to check resistance between pins 1 & 2, then 2 & 3. post your results plz.

 

Hi Guys I have read a lot of this thread but there are too many pages to read every thing. Obviously I am having power steering issues like most on here.

I am getting the P1342 error code and no power steering ever.
When it first stopped I had a weak battery it they started again and then stopped completely.
I tried cleaning the 2 connectors on by the fans which did not resolve the issue.

I checked the voltage with the engine running and got 6.5V at the connectors by the fans and also going directly into the rack. Any suggestions?

I think my next course of action it to clean or remove the connections and solder the joint but it they are passing voltage I don't think that will be the problem.

Oh and Autocrossing the Rx8 with no power steering sucks I have done 2 events now :-( Does anyone have and alternative work around. When it is hydraulic steering you can just drain the race and it acts like a manual rack but this is all electric. Can you pull off the motor or switch in a manual rack from another car?

 

I'm pretty sure that the 6.5v at the connector is the clue to the problem, as I think it should be 12v-14v, whatever the battery is putting out. A voltage drop can indeed cut out power steering. Looking at the wiring diagram, there doesn't appear to be any voltage converter in line between the battery and the steering rack. It passes through the EPS module, so you will need to check to see if the voltage drop is happening in the module or in the wiring before or after.

Alternatively:
The service manual has an article listing diagnostics steps, including several that can detect electrical connection problems.

Steering > ELECTRIC POWER STEERING (EPS) > On-Board Diagnostics > DTC B1342

 

Good point thanks buddy, Ill start there and see if I can get the voltage correct.

 

yeah you definitely should be getting 12 volts to the main harness....other thing that doesn't seem right. You should only see voltage when rotationg the steering wheel. Our cars are "electric assisted" so regarding your question about whether or not their is a manual mode to switch to. Their is. You're in it.

 

I too thought is odd and will have to employ the wife to assist as I had it constantly when the engine was running. I get that it is in manual mode now but it is much harder to turn then a manual rack would be as I have to turn the electric motor also. I wondered if anyone had removed the PS motor and if that was even possible, which I doubt.
I am building a car though and have a welder so I am sure I could make something work.

 

so far, I think I have dove into the ps system more than anyone else has as far as I'm aware. I've torn apart or rack and pinion all the way down. Reason for the hard turning is their is no gears...i believe in most hydraulic PS systems the steering wheel connect to a series of gears so that a slight turn of the steering wheel will turn the wheels a good distance. We dont have that. Here ill post some pics last time I tore mine apart. Its most likely you pscm. Dont know how electronic savvy you are, but you may wanna try reflowing it, b4 you throw in the towel...they aren't cheap & a new one requires a visit to the dealership to calibrate. I warn you though, getting the boards out of the casing takes a good amount of effort and patience as well.

if you're in so cal, id be willing to reflow it for you. Can't do anyworse then where ur at now. Lol

Heres a link to the photo album...I didn't take a TON of pics cuz sun was setting. next time ill be more indepth. hopefully this helps sum1?

As youll see in the pics. its not possible to remove the electric motor, but it doesn't make any difference in or out. the motor is not creating resistance because it has no power...

http://s1316.photobucket.com/user/rpcam/library/

 

Great info thanks buddy. Good to know there is nothing really to do to help the rack more more easily that saved me a tear down job. I am really hoping it is not the control module. I will do some more testing now I have a better idea what I am looking for.

 

glad I could be of some help

 

I just thought I would follow up on this as I worked on the car today. The voltage was again a contact voltage around 8V. I pulled the PS ECU which was extremely hot and now the steering is actually much lighter an more like a regular manual rack. I think the motor was actually resisting my steering inputs which made it very hard to drive.

I am racing tomorrow so hopefully it will be a bit easier to drive. I think the ECU is faulty but it could still be a sensor giving the ECU bad info. I am going to see how the car drives now, if it is still hard to drive I will buy a replacement ECU and see if that fixed the steering.

 

yeah your pscm is toast...it shouldn't ever get hot...your gonna have to take a trip to the dealer once you get your replacement, so it can be calibrated. Unfortunately, they're the only ones that can do it...

 

Good to know, I might just leave it as a manual rack it is not too bad.

 

Like almost everyone else on this thread, I've been fighting intermittent PS problems on my '04 (106K miles). I started on the wiring harness connector cleaning thread - great information by the way. I made one pass through the harness, cleaning & treating the connectors and extending the overflow tube below the radiator. This worked, but only for a couple of weeks.

I found this thread and saw a post about securing the torque sensor connector. Last night I worked on the two connectors (torque sensor & power) at the top of the radiator. In addition to cleaning them, I slightly bent the male contacts before re-assembling to try to provide some "scrub" and using wire ties to secure both connectors. So far, so good.

There seems to be a few different sets of symptoms. My PS malfunction light came on at start-up. Since then, it has mostly either worked or not. Only once did the PS fail while driving. Being an old school driver, I've come to like the feel of the car without the steering assist, other than at very low speeds. Are there any concerns about a failure of the steering components with the assist disabled?

 

time to buy a new rack

 

I really doubt it...but before u throw in the towl. disconnect the torque sensor connector and using a multimeter check the resistance between the left and center pun. And then the the right and center pin. If u get anything outside the range of 10 ohms. Check it at the sensor itself. May just be a failed harness...

 

The problem with ANY electrical item is that, temperature plays a very important role, especially when it is on its last leg. That means when u test it cold/hot, it might work, but then after maybe 10 mins it simply stops working.

And i gotta say this again, the rack has a design life, and03 model is already 11 years old. So it is normal for racks to fail. Sure the wires could be an issue as well. But instead of wasting time, just replace the rack if its really 10/11 yrs old or if it has seen 100/150k miles. Unintended wheel turning is not fun! Dont ask me how i know

 

I guess that my question got lost in my post. After following the advise I found on several posts, my PS is working properly. I suspect that I will end up having to do additional wiring repairs at some point.

My primary concern is the reliability of the rack if it is used continuously with the PS disconnected. I wasn't sure if the steering column, u-joint, etc. were designed to handle the additional stress of non-assisted steering? As I mentioned, I really like the steering feel without the assist, but I don't want to risk breaking a steering component.

 

sorry, I was trying to give you some sort of answer to that question. I have no real data to backup my answer, but logically speaking. The rack&pinion should function fine w/o the motor assist. The internal parts that make up the rack and pinion are all made of a pretty decent alloy and with the system being electric, parts were machined and designed for minimal lubrication. If you go back a page you'll see I posted a link to photos I took last time I decided to tear mine down. I'd find the link. Buy I'm replying from my cell lol. Again...i dont think anybody is gonna be able to give u a true definitive answer for that, but maybe the photos will help you reach an answer.

 

100% agree with you. Temperature does play a vital role, but not so much with a passive-electrical component. It doesnt matter if you check the torque sensors resistance with it in the oven, or in the freezer. The resistance should be the same +/-0.09ohms.

and I really can't convince myself that it does have a design life. I would definitely say the same thing, a rack with 10years+ on it. Regardless of milage has endured a TON of abuse and wear, but the only point of failure (mechanically speaking) so far ive been able to see, is the bearing holds the shaft the u-joint connects to. :|...ive been tryin to find sumbody else who's gone as I depth as I have with these stupid PS systems, but so far...i guess I'm the lone nutcase determined to figure out the cause lmfao...

 

I finally have Power Steering!!

It was the module. I found a used one on eBay, replaced it. i did not have to go to the dealer for re-program. When i turned the key to the on position, I turned the wheel all the way to the left, then all the way to the right. Fired it up, and the light was gone on the dash and i have power steering!

Thanks for all the help, wow what a difference!

 

<p>Congrats! And that's awesome it didn't require a trip to the dealer! From everything I've read, the calibration wasn't absolutely mandatory, but highly advised due to the simple fact the every vehicle is going to be somewhat different when it comes to the steering &amp; suspension. If you could update us a month from now (on any differences you notice that'd be awesome! And glad I could be of some help . I'm really glad to hear replacing your epscm didnt cause any warning lights to linger...id say its probably safe to assume the same if just swapping the rack and pinion.</p>

 

So im STILL having power steering issues. well its not an issue, there just hasn't been power steering in months. I checked electrical and everything seems fine except coming out of the noise filter. there was on 3-4 coming out of it even when I turned the steering wheel back and forth. I assume the voltage should change with the steering wheel speed. I hooked up the rack directly to the battery and it turned the wheel both ways (once power hook up was reversed) (sorry for my non electrical terms lol). so im assuming that means the rack is still working fine. so now im thinking its either the noise filter or the actual torque sensor. im not great with electrical, so this is my diagnostic.


Also, 100% of the time when I turn the steering wheel, there is always a metal on metal grinding sound AND the steering seems to stick and has to be broken free with a quick (snap) turn of the wheel. this is crazy dangerous. when I turn at a stop light, as I make the turn, the wheel is "frozen" turned, and has to be broken free with that "snap". im sick of taking it to the dealer and paying $300 for then to tell me nothing "a wire is grounded out, but we don't know which one". the car is an 07 with only 44,000 Kilometers on it. im soo frustrated with this car I almost wanna burn it to the ground.


I want to try and see if replacing some electrical parts (EPS, noise filter, already replaced steering harness) would fix the problem, but then mazda wont refund the parts it they are opened lol.

 

My power steering went out a while back. (2004 auto RX8) I soldered the wires, replaced the harness (soldered again) and tried a new Power Steering electronic control unit. No dice. I guess it's time to purchase a new rack!?

Any final troubleshooting suggestions out there before I buy a replacement steering rack?
Anyone care to tell me how difficult it is or point me to a walk through for it?

Thanks fellas!

 

I honestly don't think it's the harness. I've replaced mine and am having issues still. These harnesses are designed for mission critical components. So rarely do they just fail. The rx8 has a known issue with the overflow tube from the radiator tank situated right above the connector. Mine was never corroded and appeared in good shape. The power steering would intermittently be disabled when turning the car on and then enabled the next time. Replacing the cable made no difference to this behavior. Anyway sometimes I would reset the steering wheel by recalibration steps (put the carin ACC, rotate the wheel to the max left then right positions, turn off the car and start it up ) and that would enable the PS to work.

Anyway I'm inclined to think I might have a faulty control module.