Damsel In Distress - Steering Problems!

[R4CH]

Dear kind forum members I am having major problems with my mark 1 ford galaxy and would really appreciate your advice.

 

Last night on my way home as I turned the corner into my road I heard a loud squealing noise and my battery light on my dash came on. The noise was intermittent for the last minute or so of my journey home and the battery light remained on.

 

This morning when I came to take the kids to school the car started up fine but to my terror as soon as I started to turn the steering wheel there was no response whatsoever from the car. I have just gone back out to check the steering and when I turn the steering wheel I can see that the wheels are turning slightly but not enough to alter the direction of the car!

 

I also noticed that the battery light is no longer staying on and there are no longer any squeals.

 

Could somebody please point me in the right direction as to what the problem could be and who I need to call as I am obviously unable to use the car to take it to a garage.

 

I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and offer your advice.

 

Rachael

Dudley

West Midlands.

[R4CH]

Can I just add that I am only able to turn the steering wheel a small fraction before it goes really stiff. I don't have the usual wheel movement.

[sparky Paul]

It sounds like you have lost all power assistance to the steering. The steering will work once you get the car on the move, but it will be very heavy, particularly at low speeds - not really safe to drive, but you might be able to get someone with a bit of brawn to carefully drive it to a garage nearby. Otherwise, you will have to get the car recovered to a garage.

 

When you heard the squealing, the belt on the engine which drives the power steering pump (and other stuff) was siezed - this belt also drives the alternator, which charges the battery, hence the battery warning light coming on. As the battery light is now okay, that would indicate that the belt is now running... however, it appears that you still do not have power steering.

 

That could point towards a failed power steering pump, but this should be easy enough to diagnose by the garage. A new or service exchange pump will be an expensive repair, but it should be possible for them to find a good secondhand unit from a breaker, if required.

 

Hope this helps. :)

[sparky Paul]

Oh, and welcome to the forum! :)

[R4CH]

Thanks for the info Paul.

 

I have just been out to check under the bonnet and noticed that the belt is loose and I could move it using my finger so it is not as tight as it should be.

 

Also when I turned the engine on the belt does not move at all!

 

I am guessing I need to ring a garage and get them to come and collect it as I can't see what else I can try?

 

Big thanks again and thanks for the welcome.

 

Rachael :)

[sparky Paul]

I have just been out to check under the bonnet and noticed that the belt is loose and I could move it using my finger so it is not as tight as it should be.

 

Either the belt has come off, or it has snapped... not sure why your battery light hasn't come on, but not to worry. At this point, there's not really a lot else you can do unless someone with a socket set is prepared to get their hands dirty - it will have to go to a garage, one way or the other.

 

It might just be a case of fitting a new auxiliary belt if nothing else untoward is going on. It could be that the belt itself may have simply failed, or that a faulty belt tensioner, power steering pump, aircon pump, alternator or water pump could have thrown it off - this will need to be investigated and fixed if necessary. Whatever the cause of this, it's a straightforward repair and shouldn't take too long to get you back on the road.

 

It's not really relevant in this case, but it can sometimes help if you mention the age and engine type of the Galaxy you have - you will see that some members put their car details into their signature.

Edited November 18, 2010 by sparky Paul

[Floydey]

Have you checked the power steering fluid reservoir level?

[R4CH]

Floydey - please excuse my ignorance but where is the power steering fluid reservoir and should it be full to the top and am I able to buy the stuff to top it up with from a shop?

[sparky Paul]

Looking under the bonnet from the front of the car, the power steering fluid reservoir is in front of the battery, just to the left of the washer fluid bottle. If you unscrew the lid, there is a dipstick attached to the underside of it. One side is marked 'hot' and the other 'cool', each with a small hatched area marked, the fluid should be up to the level marked - use the 'cool' side if the car has been stood, 'hot' if the car has been driven. You should be able to see the level of the fluid on the dipstick, if not you can wipe with a clean tissue or cloth, re-insert it and read it again.

 

Checking the fluid may help diagnose an issue with the power steering, but the loose/dismounted auxiliary belt will have to be attended to... and unfortunately that means removing the engine undertray for access.

[R4CH]

My poor old Galaxy has just been towed away by my local garage :(

 

The mechanic had a quick look both under the car and under the bonet and said straight away that the belt is intact but when looking under the car that he could see that "one of the pulleys has collapsed" whatever that means?

 

They've towed the car away to price it up so should I expect a large bill now or can anyone tell me how big a job it is and an approx cost of what to expect?

 

Many thanks again :)

[sparky Paul]

The mechanic had a quick look both under the car and under the bonet and said straight away that the belt is intact but when looking under the car that he could see that "one of the pulleys has collapsed" whatever that means?

 

Well, there'll be a charge for the recovery as well as labour and parts... it depends on the the garage really, but I would brace yourself.

 

It also depends which pulley has collapsed. Is yours a petrol or a diesel? If it's a petrol, then the idler pulley or tensioner pulley is favourite - for parts,

[R4CH]

Hi again Paul and thanks for the info.

 

Mine is a Mk1 petrol 2.3 Ghia. I'm not sure about the Ghia bit though - it feels more like a swimming pool as the drivers footwell is always damp and full of water.

 

Anyway, the bad news - the garage just called and quoted me £250 for a new tensioner, a new pulley and a new belt.

 

They won't budge on the price but it's just come mid-month when funds are tight and they've said they'll keep hold of the car until the end of the month when I can pay them and then they'll do the work or to come and collect it even though I can't drive it due to the steering not working.

 

Definately not having a good day and guess I'll just have to find a way to come up with £250

 

:*(

Edited November 18, 2010 by R4CH

[sparky Paul]

Well, a belt is