C2 Steering Issue

[Guest andie2]

Hello, my C2 developed this problem a little while ago and it has just failed it's MOT because of it trouble is all the engineers I have spoken to are scratching their heads over it.

 

Only when going slow (30 or below) and or parking the steering wheel if let go of will whiz to the right turning the front wheels to the right, sometimes it only swings to the right a little bit other times it really goes for it and the steering wheel looks like it's done a full rotation.

 

The steering wheel no longer sits straight when the wheel are straight ahead and if when parked I lock the wheel straight when I come to release it the steering is very heavy until the car starts to move.

 

If driving above 30 the problem seems to not be an issue and if I let go of the wheel (tried this on an empty road) the car will continue in a straight line.

 

I really need to get to the bottom of this otherwise my car will have to be scrapped.

 

Thank you in advance

[paul.h]

What exactly did it fail the MOT on since driving the car is not really part of the test. Was it a suspension part, tyres not inflated/badly worn/different type on each side, steering part, brakes binding/not balanced, shock absorber fault, etc. Have you recently bumped the car.

Could you put the wording from the failure notice on here, it may help with a diagnosis. I would have thought the MOT tester would have told you exactly what was wrong.

 

I do not know about the C2, but on some Citroens the steering assistance is an electric motor and if so there could be a fault with this or its electronics. Haynes do not do a manual for the C2 but if you do not mind using a French dictionary you can get one by ETAI from Amazon's French site or direct from ETAI.

[Guest andie2]

Hi Paul thanks for replying

 

the failure note says:

 

Nearside (front to rear) brake pipe excessively corroded

Nearside front track rod end ball joint has excessive play

Offside front rod end ball joint has excessive play

power steering malfunction

Nearside front wheel bearing rough when rotated

 

The garage said none of this has anything to do with the problem...but I just can't help thinking it must.

[paul.h]

I would be tempted to go to a Citroen dealer (or a Citroen independant garage) and ask them to have a look and give an estimate for the repairs. They can then redo the MOT.

 

Seems odd the track rod ends are worn out, often these last a car's life, have you done a lot of miles ? The tyres at the front will likely be showing a wear problem which may be visible or felt in the treads as feathering. If the power steering problem is with the steering rack and it requires it to be replaced, then have the track rod ends done at the same time to save money. If the tracking (setting of the track rod ends) is not correct then you can get the car pulling to one side and my experience is that a garage is more likely to correctly set up the tracking than a tyre dealer if it needs adjusting.

 

The wheel bearing is likely to be giving a whining noise when driving which you may have detected.

[argoose]

Hi, gf has a c2, she had fault on steering, found out the speed sensor in gearbox had gone. Sorted most faults, but still had steering fault once after changing sensor. When looking for fixes found that the ECU sometimes gets a dirty signal and freaks out, also there is a torque sensor on the steering column, what I did was disconnect battery turn steering wheel back and forth for a short time, reconnect battery. no problem for over six months now. Don't think it is a cure but a fix. If it goes again think I'll spray ECU contacts with electrical connector cleaner. As last resort Ecu change. Just a thought is there any way you can borrow ECU of good friend, or local scrappy