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We're currently sat in a hotel in Montlucon, central France, courtesy of my breakdown service and thank God for it.
Thursday morning, on an Aire at Villefranche D'Allier, I started to manouevre round to the Borne to fill up with fresh water. The power steering failed suddenly, (Ford Transit base).
The problem was caused by the main engine pulley, on the end of the crankshaft, parting company with said shaft. I managed to extract the pulley. The construction is this; a central sleeve attached to the crankshaft, bonded to a rubber cylinder about 1 and a 1/2 inches thick, bonded in turn to the outer ring on which the 2 drive belts to alternator and power steering run.
The van has done just over 20k miles and is 4 years old next week. I would urge those of you with this base to have the pulley checked. There was no advance warning of impending failure. Had it failed even at 40-50mph on a bend with oncoming traffic, that would have been it for us. At best, as we are in France using N and D roads, we would have been in one of the ditches and probably written the van off.
If you've stalled at low speed and felt the weight of the steering without power assistance, you'll know what I mean.
This is not scaremongering. It has a deadly potential. I've not heard of it happpening to anybody else and I'd rather it didn't.
______________________________________________________________ Norman ´n´ Liz
Moving on
Unless Transits are different I have experienced loss of power steering on a few vehicles over the years and found that at higher speeds you still are able to control the vehicle. The problem usually starts at walking speed and below.
I even had pump failure in a Citroen BX which meant that I lost the brakes, the suspension went down onto the stops but the steering still worked although very heavy.
Hope your problem is not too expensive to fix.
Unless Transits are different I have experienced loss of power steering on a few vehicles over the years and found that at higher speeds you still are able to control the vehicle. The problem usually starts at walking speed and below.
I even had pump failure in a Citroen BX which meant that I lost the brakes, the suspension went down onto the stops but the steering still worked although very heavy.
Hope your problem is not too expensive to fix.
It's comforting to know that the steering is possibly easier at higher speeds. I've never experienced one at speed and hopefully never will.
Costing €344 at a Ford main dealer, labour, parts and tax. Back home I'd have got the parts and done it myself.
______________________________________________________________ Norman ´n´ Liz
Moving on
A few years ago (Easter 2001 I think) our steering did fail, we were leaving a site and trying to negotiate the site roads when it refused to turn right at a tee junction. We stopped on the grass a couple of yards from a tent!
It would turn left and go straight on but not turn right, interesting!
We were able to reverse our 30 metre journey to our pitch and called the RAC. We were near Antwerp on our way to Amsterdam.
Steering rack failure was diagnosed and because of the time to get RH parts in Belgium we returned home on the planned ferry but were delivered to and collected from Dover by breakdown truck, we arrived home a couple of hours late!
Mercedes paid half the cost of the parts and labour for the new rack on our 16000 mile Sprinter which was out of warranty and nearly 3 years old.
The steering rack was a weakness of the Sprinter of that generation, my local garage found that most of the parts suppliers had racks available.
We were just thankful it happened at low speed and on a campsite where we could stay until the garage could look at the van,
Sorry to hear about the breakdown Norman. Good thing is you are both ok though.
Hope you manage to get everything sorted and can continue with your Spanish adventure.
______________________________________________________________ Breathe in, breathe out, move on
Sorry to hear about the breakdown Norman. Good thing is you are both ok though.
Hope you manage to get everything sorted and can continue with your Spanish adventure.
Thanks Morag, we 're hoping the parts arrive today and the garage gets stuck in, so that we can resume tomorrow.
We had hoped to spend a few days each at Millau, Costa Brava and Barcelona on the way, but we'll have to adjust.
Every cloud has a silver lining. It was Carnival weekend in Montlucon.
Thanks for the thought.
______________________________________________________________ Norman ´n´ Liz
Moving on
Well, we're back home in one piece, as is the van, which since the pulley failure, has performed faultlessly, as it did before.
The final cost of the repair turned out to be 424 euros.
Spoke with Ford UK customer service today. They were prepared to offer me a free service for the van, and in my name, for the hassle in France. The van was serviced just before we left the UK and before the next service is due we will have exchanged the van, set up at the NEC last February. Soo, the offer is of no use as it can't be transferred.
C'est La Vie.
______________________________________________________________ Norman ´n´ Liz
Moving on
Well, we're back home in one piece, as is the van, which since the pulley failure, has performed faultlessly, as it did before.
The final cost of the repair turned out to be 424 euros.
Spoke with Ford UK customer service today. They were prepared to offer me a free service for the van, and in my name, for the hassle in France. The van was serviced just before we left the UK and before the next service is due we will have exchanged the van, set up at the NEC last February. Soo, the offer is of no use as it can't be transferred.
C'est La Vie.
Hi Norman
Glad everything turned out well(apart from the cost) and that you are home safely.
Suffered Power steering failure last week-end following a visit to Cheddar, the pump decided to give up the ghost after 16000 miles. Its a 2004 2.4turbo MK6 transit. managed to drive home as 95% of it was on the motorway. As previously stated by Billcreer it makes small manouvres very difficult, but once the wheels are moving its controllable. Luckily for me the pulley was still attached. kept a close eye on the gauges to finish my journey.
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