Ladies and Gents,
I was backing into my garage at a funky angle, and cranked the wheel to straighten it up into my space. I turned it till lock and my power steering went POOF!
EVIC lit up saying "Service Power Steering" and of course....backing up took a little more effort than usual.
So,
I knew EVIC was a little touchy, as I had previously had the low battery message pop up once (more then 4 months ago), and simply shut down and restarted the car, and the message was gone. No Problems with the battery.
So, following that experience, I shut down the car, and turned it over again, and my power steering magically re-appeared! I backed the car into my space,and inspected the area where the disappearing act occurred. I found a couple drips of what I could only assume to be power steering fluid (I believe also ATF?)
I proceeded to put a piece of cardboard underneath the car in the garage, and here I am, speaking to you guys!
Is this something to contact my dealer the following day about, and drive my other car? or should I drive it carefully to work?
Thank you!
BTW (The car is a 2014 R/T AWD, not the '69 in my sig)
The steering system you have is the EHPS or Electro Hydraulic Power n Steering. The fluid that is in this system is no more than 16 oz. The fluid is a clear to off clear color and has a strange odor to it....different than ATF. The old fluid was MS-9602 ATF+4 for the 2005 to 2010 cars. This EHPS is MS-11655 and completely different than before.
I would have it looked at just to be on the safe side. The cost of the electric pump assembly is about $1,000.00 or more to replace so not something to take lightly. The drip could be just a coincidence too but safe than sorry is better here!
Here is something I wrote about the system back in 2012 when we developed our own fluid and QuantumBlue Catalyst for it.
http://www.chargerforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159701
Most of you know that we at BND Automotive make all kinds of fluids for basically every system of your car.
Several people have posted about how well our QB Power Steering System Fluids work in the 05 to 10 LX and LC cars with typical power steering driven by the accessory belt.
However, most all of you don't know that we have been working on the 2011 and up LC, and LD cars with Electro Hydraulic Power Steering (EHPS) Systems which work by a completely different system and principle!
Remember that the EHPS systems are really a boon for fuel economy (about 1.5% increase) because electro hydraulic power steering systems deliver power by an electric motor and not the engine directly. This means that the engine load does not change as the power is being delivered by the battery and steering motor.
Also the electric motor is operated and controlled by the ECU unit which controls the motor very precisely by accurately monitoring the steering force, vehicle speed and steering angle. This added intelligence makes the system very comfortable to drive and improves the handling & feel to a certain extent.
The disadvantage is that the volume of fluid is greatly reduced and with the rigors of the LC and LD cars....and how we drive them, it is really important to make sure that the fluid will be able to withstand the high performance use that we ultimately put the cars through. The STP (Super Trak Pak) cars have a 13.5 to 1 ratio and really heat the fluid during performance use!
The standard for this fluid is different than the other LX cars from the past in that the old standard was MS-9602. The new standard is MS-11655.
We have studied the system for almost 3 years and have now produced a fluid that far exceeds the OEM capabilities with the QuantumBlue Steering System Fluid for MS-11655 for use in EHPS systems. Higher heat capabilities, smoother operation, and dissipates heat much quicker as well while lubricating the system and protecting the seals and preventing centering bushing scrub.
The system componentry consists of the following:
• Steering Column
• Rack and Pinion Steering Gear
• Electro Hydraulic Power Steering Pump (EHPS)
• Return and Pressure Hoses
• and a Reservoir integrated with EHPS pump
As many of you know, we work to provide aftermarket fluids that exceed the OEM fluids and this includes this new electro hydraulic power steering.
We now have a QuantumBlue Ultra High Performance Electro Hydraulic Power Steering Fluid that exceeds the standard of MS-11655. Mopar requires this type of fluid or equivalent. We make a fluid that is more than equivalent.
It comes in a one pint or 16 fluid oz container and can be introduced into the steering gear via the wheel well.
There is a special procedure that needs to be followed to check the level and also a specific bleeding procedure as well.
The QuantumBlue 1 pint steering system Fluid runs $24.95 each and contains the QuantumBlue Catalyst. Just shake and go.
It helps to understand what you have before you can take better care of it.
Regards,
Brian
BND Automotive LLC:driving:
440-821-9040
www.bndautomotive.com
