Power Steering/low voltage problem

Jim50thSS · 07-23-2018, 06:47 AM

It has happened twice now. Car displays message to service power steering and I lose power steering while driving. I turn the car off then back on and its back and seems fine. The second time I noticed my voltage seems to be low and then eventually races over 14 volts.

At the lowest the Voltage is near the 10 o'clock line, which I am assuming is 11.5 volts. This happened over the weekend, so I haven't taken it in yet, but before I do I would like to ask if anyone else has experienced this or have an idea of what is going on.

Alpha1BC · 07-23-2018, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim50thSS

It has happened twice now. Car displays message to service power steering and I lose power steering while driving. I turn the car off then back on and its back and seems fine. The second time I noticed my voltage seems to be low and then eventually races over 14 volts.

At the lowest the Voltage is near the 10 o'clock line, which I am assuming is 11.5 volts. This happened over the weekend, so I haven't taken it in yet, but before I do I would like to ask if anyone else has experienced this or have an idea of what is going on.

The lower voltage isn't necessarily an issue. If the car cranks over and doesn't sound labored you should be good there. These cars automatically charge the battery based on electrical load, so when charging isn't needed the alternator is "shut off" you'll see the voltage of the battery on the system and that's it (around 12 V). When the alternator is "on," you'll see the 14+ V.

As for the power steering, that sounds like a dealer visit for some warranty work. There's not much that can be done with electric steering systems without the specialty electrical diagnostic tools, unfortunately.

Need4Camaro · 07-23-2018, 09:07 AM

OP you can read the hell I'm dealing with regarding intermittent loss of Power Steering here:
https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533044

Its been nearly 1 month and they still have my car.
I've gone through the BBB and hopefully GM will either replace my steering torque sensor or lemon it out.

ctrlz · 07-23-2018, 09:07 AM

I'm not sure the two are related. The voltage fluctuation sounds normal to me. As alpha mentioned above, the alternator output fluctuates based on demand. Are you getting any kind of "low voltage" messages/warnings?

Power steering sounds like a problem. You need to pull the code to know more.

07-23-2018, 06:47 AM	#1
Jim50thSS Drives: 50th SS Convertible Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Swanton, Ohio Posts: 103	Power Steering/low voltage problem It has happened twice now. Car displays message to service power steering and I lose power steering while driving. I turn the car off then back on and its back and seems fine. The second time I noticed my voltage seems to be low and then eventually races over 14 volts. At the lowest the Voltage is near the 10 o'clock line, which I am assuming is 11.5 volts. This happened over the weekend, so I haven't taken it in yet, but before I do I would like to ask if anyone else has experienced this or have an idea of what is going on.

07-23-2018, 09:07 AM	#3
Need4Camaro Drives: '17 Camaro 2SS & '99 Camaro Z28 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,836	OP you can read the hell I'm dealing with regarding intermittent loss of Power Steering here: https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533044 Its been nearly 1 month and they still have my car. I've gone through the BBB and hopefully GM will either replace my steering torque sensor or lemon it out.

07-23-2018, 09:07 AM	#4
ctrlz Drives: 2017 2SS, 50th pkg, M6, MRC, NPP Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ocean City, NJ Posts: 3,175	I'm not sure the two are related. The voltage fluctuation sounds normal to me. As alpha mentioned above, the alternator output fluctuates based on demand. Are you getting any kind of "low voltage" messages/warnings? Power steering sounds like a problem. You need to pull the code to know more.

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