Heavy steering

[Jem]

I had this a couple of times today.

While out and about I did some reverse parking and the steering felt very heavy. Almost like the PS was not doing much.

I have a 2006 Honda jazz sport. Bought it a month or so ago. AFAIK its got the original battery on it.

Is it the battery that needs replacing? Also I don't appear to have the radio key code and I had a look in the glove box but did not find the code. Anywhere else it could be hiding as its not in the manual 

Thanks guys 

[chrisc]

It is an electrically driven pump, so if the engine were running, the alternator would deliver far more electrical power than required by the pump.  More likely is that the fluid level in the pump is low, or less likely the pump itself is not working properly.  Even if the tyres were a bit down, the pump provides so much assistance that this would not be a factor

Someone else can assist with the radio key code, there is a way to default it, but I cannot remember how

[guest3418]

The Jazz do does not have a electric pump. It is a complete electrical system without hydraulics.

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[culzean]

The power assisted steering on most modern cars (including Jazz) should be described as Electric servo motor assisted,  and it is a servo motor directly connected to the steering system,  at low speeds it is allowed to draw more current and gives more assistance,  but at higher speed the current is limited and the steering gets 'heavier'.  This system replaced the old hydraulic system because it weighs less,  only draws power when needed and therefore saves fuel (the pump was always running on the old system, typically using up to 5 bhp to turn it, you may have noticed on cars with this system that when you went on full lock the pump noise increased and sometimes the pump drive belt would squeal as extra load came on it).

[bill888]

fwiw, I used to have a very strange problem at parking speeds.  It usually happened when reversing, stopping and then shifting to Drive in my CVT Jazz.  For a fraction of a second, it felt like there was absolutely no power assistance as I tried to turn the steering wheel as the car edged forwards.   The problem has not returned since I replaced the battery 18 months ago.

I thought I read somewhere that the battery has to supplement the alternator to the electric power steering at low manoeuvring speeds.


Are you sure your 2006 Jazz has a radio key code?   I don't recall one being supplied with my 2007 car and I didn't have to enter a code after I fitted a new Bosch battery.  I think I did lose all the preset radio stations so had to put them all in again.

[Jem]

Well I am not 100% sure it has a radio code, I guess I will only find that out when the battery is disconnected.

[chrisc]

So a good test when reversing, if you find the steering heavy, would be to rev the engine a bit and if it became more free to turn, your answer would indeed be the battery.

[guest3776]

Is there a separate fuse for the EPS. ?

If so, it might be blown.

[guest3170]

Was the steering only heavy intermittently or is it constant?

On my previous Honda (Civic Type R 2003 model, also electrical power steering) the assistance would occasionally be lost during low speed activities like parking, reversing etc. It would come back to life a couple of seconds later. The car did it from new, nothing was broken and it was a case of "they all do that sir"...

[Jem]

It seems to sometimes do it. It was heavy the other day but when I was driving today it was ok. So it might be just a quirk of the car.

[guest3776]

Have you checked if you got (too) low tyre pressure in your front tires. ?

[Jem]

The tyre pressures are fine. Pumped them up the other day.

[chrisc]

Tyre pressures seem to make minimal difference to steering wheel effort.  Wife has BMW with 245/35/17 tyres and steering is very light.  She picked up a screw in one tyre and it was 50% deflated (down to 0,8 bars).  Steering still felt the same, but you could tell something was not right.  Some women (and guys) cannot tell when there is a problem and could happily drive with semi-flat tyres.

[Jem]

I have just had a new battery for the car.

The car feels a lot better, quicker when driving and I have not had any heavy steering issues, Was in the city today and parked in a multi story car park. So hopefully that has sorted it!

[Ozzie]

So a good test when reversing, if you find the steering heavy, would be to rev the engine a bit and if it became more free to turn, your answer would indeed be the battery.

Not a good idea  to rev the engine if you have an automatic gearbox