Power steering kaput

mariesnowgoose

mariesnowgoose

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So we finally got round to sussing out (we think!) what is wrong with our camper.

The power steering is leaking fluid which is what is causing the ‘graunchy’ noises when pulling away or reversing to park up on the driveway.

It’s going into a local garage tomorrow, I’m just hoping & praying they can manage to fix the old girl… 🫣 😟 🤞

It’s getting the parts that might be a problem.
 
mariesnowgoose said:
So we finally got round to sussing out (we think!) what is wrong with our camper.

The power steering is leaking fluid which is what is causing the ‘graunchy’ noises when pulling away or reversing to park up on the driveway.

It’s going into a local garage tomorrow, I’m just hoping & praying they can manage to fix the old girl… 🫣 😟 🤞

It’s getting the parts that might be a problem.
Click to expand...
I hope a fix can be done, good luck and fingers crossed x
 
trevskoda said:
A few bottles of power steering stop leak may have sorted it, the seals shrink with little use and cold winters.
Click to expand...

It drives OK when moving, but creaks & groans when doing 3 point turn getting it back on the driveway. Neil has topped the fluid up, but it leaks out.

Anyway, we’ll just have to wait and see what the garage says later today.

The Law of Sod always seems to kick in when things start breaking down. The very same problem has just happened to my old Picasso 2 days ago! That also went into the garage yesterday, now waiting for a verdict 😟
 
How old Marie? Ours is 1996 and we have the same issue sourcing parts but so far we have always managed to source the bits. I often end up doing the legwork for my garage on the internet.
 
mariesnowgoose said:
So we finally got round to sussing out (we think!) what is wrong with our camper.

The power steering is leaking fluid which is what is causing the ‘graunchy’ noises when pulling away or reversing to park up on the driveway.

It’s going into a local garage tomorrow, I’m just hoping & praying they can manage to fix the old girl… 🫣 😟 🤞

It’s getting the parts that might be a problem.
Click to expand...
Was these pipes on my boxer 2002 when steering rack failed. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/39416898...kn59NgTVi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=EMAIl

Al
 
FWIW, I had the same problem with my 2001 2.8 idTD Ducato-based Autotrail and asked over on Motorhomer.com: a link to the thread is below. Another thing that came to light is that, even though my van is Fiat-badged and has Fiat body panels etc, it's actually a Brazilian-manufactured Iveco under the hood, with an Al-Ko chassis bolted onto the cab.

Where to find parts for 2001 2.8 TDi Ducato?

Just put the van through its MOT and got back some advisories. Front brake pads are wearing thin, there's a little play in one of the steering joints, and some corrosion needs treating. However, the biggest 'gotcha' is that a power steering pipe is corroded and I'd like to get it replaced. The...
motorhomer.com motorhomer.com
 
Power steering systems tend to be common to a lot of different vehicles so parts should be okay, I suspected issues with one of our vans a while ago and I took it to the garage, I explained the issue and we took it out on the road, he said we had two problems, one was it was an old van and we should put it on maximum lock as this strained the pump, just back off a tiny bit and the swishing noise would stop, the other was the rubbers on the top of the suspension were getting past it and would help if changed but otherwise the system was fine, of course, I didn't have a leak.
 
I have cancelled the booking for the camper today.

TBH I would prefer a mobile mechanic to come and take a look first before we drive it anywhere.
Going to nip up to another garage which is a lot closer and have a word with them first before committing to anything. They've been recommended by a couple of locals, but they only have their cars serviced, not campers...

We were scalped back in 2020 a few months after we first acquired it. Took it to a garage in Beamish for a through service to be on the safe side, even though it still had 6 months MOT left. Think I put a post up about it at the time. The new handbrake cables it needed - ended up me having to send off to a company in Wales to get them shortened. The garage was about as much help as a chocolate fireguard and charged us extra for the privilege of their uselessness. 😟
 
You have my sympathy Marie. Yours is the same engine as mine. Finding good people to work on them is not easy. It took 11 years to properly sort out my cold starting problem. Nope. Thats not a typo. Various garages tried all sorts from injectors to glow plugs and whilst it improved a bit it was never cured. I always said it was something to do with voltage but they all just said it wasn't. I had a new relay fitted recently and then a new starter motor and for good measure a new battery and finally it's sorted!

I found a cracking bloke in Newton Aycliffe though now to at least do work on the body work and the odd service etc. When my usual garage refused to do the major welding work it needed two years ago he took it on and reckons it's all really good under there now. When he couldn't get the handbrake cables and bits he needed for the MOT anywhere he made them himself. Peter at Bluebell workshop Aycliffe. Might be a bit of a hike for you. Not sure what they are like on engines though.
 
In my case, the issue was a leaking rigid pipe. I noticed it first when doing a three point turn and the steering got very heavy accompanied by the 'graunchy' noise. Luckily, I was only a few hundred yards from a branch of Halfords at the time and so was able to get a litre of power steering fluid, which got me about thirty miles to where I store the van with enough left in the bottle to top up the reservoir to get it to a mechanic a few days later. Unfortunately, it then took over two weeks for the replacement pipe to be delivered.
 
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