power steering failed

ameuba10 · 02-28-2008, 11:16 AM

ok so i have a small problem. today when i was pulling into school something weird happened. it was like my power steering failed. all my electricals were on, but it took a ton of strength to turn it. and when i pressed the gas, it didnt do anything. then my oil light and my battery light came on. it was even harder to turn then. but i put it into park. cut the car off, and then back on. after that it was fine. does anyone know what the heck happened?

mrbill · 02-28-2008, 11:40 AM

You stalled.

-mr. bill

***Zeuceone*** · 02-28-2008, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrbill

You stalled.

-mr. bill

lol...

***Truplatano*** · 02-28-2008, 11:43 AM

isnt his car automatic

mrbill · 02-28-2008, 11:50 AM

I don't know why it didn't hold idle, but that's what happened. The engine stalled.

-mr. bill

***cderalow*** · 02-28-2008, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrbill

I don't know why it didn't hold idle, but that's what happened. The engine stalled.

-mr. bill

indeed...

odd for an auto to do it, but it does happen.

ameuba10 · 02-28-2008, 12:30 PM

yea i have an automatic, and it had a full tank of gas. i have no oil leaks or anything. i wasnt drawing too much power, i had my volume on 3, and i didnt have the ac on...but im going to honda in a couple hours.

***gotsnodooks*** · 02-28-2008, 12:32 PM

Are you certain that you didn't stall and not notice?

ameuba10 · 02-28-2008, 12:37 PM

how do you stall an AT?

volvo9 · 02-28-2008, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ameuba10

how do you stall an AT?

You don't. It's nothing that you did. The car probrably let the engine rpm's drop too low and the engine quit. That's usually how automatic cars stall when your foot is off the gas.

ameuba10 · 02-28-2008, 12:43 PM

it just kinda freaked me out when it happened. i didnt know what the heck went wrong. my bud thinks its either now oil, or bad fuel pump. but i havent had any other problems with it. im so lost...

vtecmike1 · 02-28-2008, 12:49 PM

autos can stall all be it rare and random. doesnt mean theres anything wrong its just sometimes when you blip the throttle the revs climb a bit then if your completely off the gas when they drop back down they may drop past the idle range and the engine quits.. call it a brain fart on your ecu's part but i don't think theres anything wrong.
now if it does it once a month or something i'd get it checked out. cuz this should be like a once in a blue moon kinda thing.

ameuba10 · 02-28-2008, 12:52 PM

yea its never happened before. i just dont wanna be on a curvy back road and my steering goes out you know?

vtecmike1 · 02-28-2008, 01:11 PM

its not gonna stall when the rpms are above 700rpms i think your good. your steering only failed because the car was off lol. and even then if your car did stall at lets say 40mph plus. you'd be able to steer no problem. lots of cars dont have power steering and although it does suck when the car is under 5mph being tough to steer you can do it just fine at a decent speed. its harder for a power steering car to steer once the system fails at low speeds cuz we have all the extra crap associated with power steering. but above 5-10mph you would be able to steer just fine.
you got the weight and enertia of the vehicle assisting you

ameuba10 · 02-28-2008, 07:50 PM

what ya know, honda cant do anything for me. they said since it has only happened once, and there is no CEL's they cant do anything

mrbill · 02-29-2008, 11:09 AM

I'm sure they checked your idle speed and found it to spec too. No worries unless it happens again.

But it occurs to me.

Do you live close to school?
Was it cold outside?
Was the car cold (<150 degree F engine coolant temperature)?

Then you might want to check the intake air bypass control thermal valve and the vacuum hoses that connect between it, the intake manifold, and the far side of the throttle.

-mr. bill

GlxyGry06Si · 02-29-2008, 11:11 AM

mine does this but its when it really cold outside and its as soon as i start it. i turn the car off and then back on and it works. i dont know. what you think mr bill.

Cr8tive_leo · 02-29-2008, 11:20 AM

Stalled, also a weak battery could cause this (or bad alternator causing the weak battery) so many things that accumulate to cause a failure.

It's happened to me once with my Civic, and a lot with my old blazer. (Blazer had a fuel pump issue, batery and a long list that made me buy the Civic! WOO!)

ameuba10 · 02-29-2008, 11:44 AM

i live 20 miles from school, so my car was good and warm by the time i got there

mrbill · 02-29-2008, 12:56 PM

Almost didn't want to mention the intake air bypass control thermal valve. So ameuba10, just chalk it up to a gremlin, or I agree with Creative Leo, a combination of small things leading to a stall. You should *not* stress out about this until it happens more than once in a blue moon.

GalaxyGry06SI, first, "really cold" in Jacksonville is how cold?
Every time it's cold?
Sometime's when it's cold?

Either way, you say it only happens once, then it's fine? Then it's almost certainly not the bypass. You have enough intake mods and gaskets you definitely want to make sure that IF you've done a throttle body coolant bypass to be aware of the consequences on rare "really cold" days.

-mr. bill

02-28-2008, 11:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
ameuba10 Senior Member Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: 919 Posts: 2,773 iTrader: 5 / 100%	power steering failed ok so i have a small problem. today when i was pulling into school something weird happened. it was like my power steering failed. all my electricals were on, but it took a ton of strength to turn it. and when i pressed the gas, it didnt do anything. then my oil light and my battery light came on. it was even harder to turn then. but i put it into park. cut the car off, and then back on. after that it was fine. does anyone know what the heck happened?

02-28-2008, 12:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
*gotsnodooks* I am Godzilla U R Japan Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Newport News VA Posts: 1,579 Russ iTrader: 8 / 100%	Are you certain that you didn't stall and not notice? __________________ Assassins do it from behind. Mid Atlantic Crew #9

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02-28-2008, 11:40 AM	#2 (permalink)
mrbill Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: MA Posts: 422 iTrader: 1 / 100%	You stalled. -mr. bill

02-28-2008, 11:43 AM	#4 (permalink)
*Truplatano* 8thcivic__my anti-drug Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Rhode Island Age: 19 Posts: 694 Felix iTrader: 1 / 100%	isnt his car automatic

02-28-2008, 11:50 AM	#5 (permalink)
mrbill Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: MA Posts: 422 iTrader: 1 / 100%	I don't know why it didn't hold idle, but that's what happened. The engine stalled. -mr. bill

02-28-2008, 12:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
ameuba10 Senior Member Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: 919 Posts: 2,773 iTrader: 5 / 100%	yea i have an automatic, and it had a full tank of gas. i have no oil leaks or anything. i wasnt drawing too much power, i had my volume on 3, and i didnt have the ac on...but im going to honda in a couple hours.

02-28-2008, 12:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
ameuba10 Senior Member Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: 919 Posts: 2,773 iTrader: 5 / 100%	how do you stall an AT?

02-28-2008, 12:43 PM	#11 (permalink)
ameuba10 Senior Member Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: 919 Posts: 2,773 iTrader: 5 / 100%	it just kinda freaked me out when it happened. i didnt know what the heck went wrong. my bud thinks its either now oil, or bad fuel pump. but i havent had any other problems with it. im so lost...

02-28-2008, 12:49 PM	#12 (permalink)
vtecmike1 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Simi Valley Age: 24 Posts: 1,231 Mike iTrader: 0 / 0%	autos can stall all be it rare and random. doesnt mean theres anything wrong its just sometimes when you blip the throttle the revs climb a bit then if your completely off the gas when they drop back down they may drop past the idle range and the engine quits.. call it a brain fart on your ecu's part but i don't think theres anything wrong. now if it does it once a month or something i'd get it checked out. cuz this should be like a once in a blue moon kinda thing.

02-28-2008, 12:52 PM	#13 (permalink)
ameuba10 Senior Member Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: 919 Posts: 2,773 iTrader: 5 / 100%	yea its never happened before. i just dont wanna be on a curvy back road and my steering goes out you know?

02-28-2008, 01:11 PM	#14 (permalink)
vtecmike1 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Simi Valley Age: 24 Posts: 1,231 Mike iTrader: 0 / 0%	its not gonna stall when the rpms are above 700rpms i think your good. your steering only failed because the car was off lol. and even then if your car did stall at lets say 40mph plus. you'd be able to steer no problem. lots of cars dont have power steering and although it does suck when the car is under 5mph being tough to steer you can do it just fine at a decent speed. its harder for a power steering car to steer once the system fails at low speeds cuz we have all the extra crap associated with power steering. but above 5-10mph you would be able to steer just fine. you got the weight and enertia of the vehicle assisting you

02-28-2008, 07:50 PM	#15 (permalink)
ameuba10 Senior Member Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: 919 Posts: 2,773 iTrader: 5 / 100%	what ya know, honda cant do anything for me. they said since it has only happened once, and there is no CEL's they cant do anything

02-29-2008, 11:09 AM	#16 (permalink)
mrbill Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: MA Posts: 422 iTrader: 1 / 100%	I'm sure they checked your idle speed and found it to spec too. No worries unless it happens again. But it occurs to me. Do you live close to school? Was it cold outside? Was the car cold (<150 degree F engine coolant temperature)? Then you might want to check the intake air bypass control thermal valve and the vacuum hoses that connect between it, the intake manifold, and the far side of the throttle. -mr. bill

02-29-2008, 11:11 AM	#17 (permalink)
GlxyGry06Si Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Jacksonville, AR Age: 23 Posts: 6,931 iTrader: 3 / 100%	mine does this but its when it really cold outside and its as soon as i start it. i turn the car off and then back on and it works. i dont know. what you think mr bill.

02-29-2008, 11:20 AM	#18 (permalink)
Cr8tive_leo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 40 Posts: 7,800 Adrian iTrader: 5 / 100%	Stalled, also a weak battery could cause this (or bad alternator causing the weak battery) so many things that accumulate to cause a failure. It's happened to me once with my Civic, and a lot with my old blazer. (Blazer had a fuel pump issue, batery and a long list that made me buy the Civic! WOO!)

02-29-2008, 11:44 AM	#19 (permalink)
ameuba10 Senior Member Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: 919 Posts: 2,773 iTrader: 5 / 100%	i live 20 miles from school, so my car was good and warm by the time i got there

02-29-2008, 12:56 PM	#20 (permalink)
mrbill Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: MA Posts: 422 iTrader: 1 / 100%	Almost didn't want to mention the intake air bypass control thermal valve. So ameuba10, just chalk it up to a gremlin, or I agree with Creative Leo, a combination of small things leading to a stall. You should not stress out about this until it happens more than once in a blue moon. GalaxyGry06SI, first, "really cold" in Jacksonville is how cold? Every time it's cold? Sometime's when it's cold? Either way, you say it only happens once, then it's fine? Then it's almost certainly not the bypass. You have enough intake mods and gaskets you definitely want to make sure that IF you've done a throttle body coolant bypass to be aware of the consequences on rare "really cold" days. -mr. bill