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  #1  
Old 05-20-2006, 06:42 PM
simonton
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key wont turn

ive had a mysterious electrical issue in my steering column, and my battery died... whenever i turn the wheel all the way to either side a short kills the battery...

ive been trying to find the problem... and now my steering column is locked and i cant turn the wheel. I tried hooking up a battery and putting the key in the ignition so i could unlock the wheel, maybe start the car and watch the column to see what parts are moving, but the damn key wont turn...

it gets in ok, but when i start to turn it forward it is locked and wont move, and the car starts beeping. the car is definately in park, and i tried it in neutral too and get the same thing>.. whats the deaL??
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  #2  
Old 05-20-2006, 09:20 PM
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Trevor Trevor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simonton
ive had a mysterious electrical issue in my steering column, and my battery died... whenever i turn the wheel all the way to either side a short kills the battery...

ive been trying to find the problem... and now my steering column is locked and i cant turn the wheel. I tried hooking up a battery and putting the key in the ignition so i could unlock the wheel, maybe start the car and watch the column to see what parts are moving, but the damn key wont turn...

it gets in ok, but when i start to turn it forward it is locked and wont move, and the car starts beeping. the car is definately in park, and i tried it in neutral too and get the same thing>.. whats the deaL??
Do you mean that the horn sounds? If so, it sounds(!) like the horn lead is involved. However this is grounded via the horn button to energise the horn, so will not be causing the run down battery. Some wiring has become tangled up. You will have to get in there and look for what is probably something which has come loose.
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Last edited by Trevor; 05-20-2006 at 09:30 PM.
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Old 05-20-2006, 10:18 PM
simonton
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no the horn isnt sounding, the car beeps as if the door were open with the keys in the ignition. which might just be because my door was open at the time... but it only beeps when i try to push the key forward. ive tried wiggling the damn thing every which way and turning it as hard as possible but im afraid to break it off in the ignition
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Old 05-21-2006, 12:49 AM
kuoh kuoh is offline
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When the steering wheel is locked, it puts a bit of pressure on the ignition key interlock. Try turning the wheel a bit in the opposite direction from where it's locked and turning the key at the same time.

As for the wiring problem, how did you determine that the battery gets shorted when the wheel is turned? Did you do some measuring or did you just turn the wheel and come out the next day to a dead battery and assume that was the cause?

KuoH
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Old 05-22-2006, 11:44 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kuoh
When the steering wheel is locked, it puts a bit of pressure on the ignition key interlock. Try turning the wheel a bit in the opposite direction from where it's locked and turning the key at the same time.

As for the wiring problem, how did you determine that the battery gets shorted when the wheel is turned? Did you do some measuring or did you just turn the wheel and come out the next day to a dead battery and assume that was the cause?

KuoH
I've had this problem too and the above solution worked for me.
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  #6  
Old 05-22-2006, 10:19 PM
simonton
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kuoh
When the steering wheel is locked, it puts a bit of pressure on the ignition key interlock. Try turning the wheel a bit in the opposite direction from where it's locked and turning the key at the same time.

As for the wiring problem, how did you determine that the battery gets shorted when the wheel is turned? Did you do some measuring or did you just turn the wheel and come out the next day to a dead battery and assume that was the cause?

KuoH

thanks i got it started...

Everytime i turn the steering wheel completely to one side (either side, not just one), my dashboard lights up like a christmas tree, and my gauges go a little crazy. At least thats how it starts.. eventually the battery light comes on and then the battery dies. But this only happens when the wheel is completely turned. I know its not the battery because ive gone through several...

Its not like the battery is dead the next morning either, it happens quite suddenly. When i dropped in a new battery, at first it seemed the problem was gone, but after a few hard turns, the lightshow started up again every time i fully turned the wheel. I then decided to just take it somewhere safe and stop driving it until i could really take a look at the electrical systems involved with the steering, and as i was making a left turn accross a busy intersection my gauges all went crazy, my lights dimmed, and the car died in the middle of the intersection. It was similar to what happend when my alternator went out, the battery isnt holding enough charge; but i only get a problem when Im turning the car. I can drive in straight lines all day long, and even make small turns, but its those 90 degree turns that kill it. I dont know if its really a wiring problem, or if there is some kind of intense resistence in the steering system. I dont know what could possibly cause so much strain to kill the battery so instantly unless there were some kind of short... unless somehow the steering pump is affecting my alternator??? they are on the same belt... but i dont see how thats really logical?

Last edited by simonton; 05-22-2006 at 10:27 PM.
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Old 05-23-2006, 06:35 AM
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Have you tried the same tight turns, but at a very low speed, or with the front wheels off the ground? I ask because I had a similar episode awhile back and discovered that the battery clamp on the negative cable was slightly loose. Straight line driving was perfectly normal, but any hard turns and I got slight flickering of the lights and occasionally a kick back in the brake pedal, presumably due to the ABS getting a power flicker.

KuoH
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  #8  
Old 05-23-2006, 11:16 AM
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It can be related to the power steering pump causing the belt to slip at the crank pulley. This would cause the alternator to provide an inadequate charge to the battery.

It could be as simple as replacing/tightening the belt or it could be a short in the steering column.
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  #9  
Old 05-23-2006, 04:11 PM
nipper nipper is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earthworm
It can be related to the power steering pump causing the belt to slip at the crank pulley. This would cause the alternator to provide an inadequate charge to the battery.

It could be as simple as replacing/tightening the belt or it could be a short in the steering column.

This is most likely the cause. Since your horn is not honking, i would discount any short in the column. Either its your drive belt, or the altenator output is minimal, and when you turn the wheel to full lock, thats enough drag on things to lower the alt output. Check the drive belt and check the alt output. Also look and see how much your rpm drops at full lock. Some cars have a pressure switch to bump up the idle at full lock, i dont know if SVX does.

nipper
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Old 05-23-2006, 05:01 PM
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Judging from past experience with frozen idler pulleys, I would think that the belt would make one heck of a squeal if it were slipping.

KuoH
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  #11  
Old 05-23-2006, 05:14 PM
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I had the tensioner pulley for my alt/PS belt sieze up on me. There was no warning noises. The only reason I could tell was the faint smell of burning rubber and the voltmeter in my lighter was reporting low voltage.
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Old 05-23-2006, 05:36 PM
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The tensioner pulley has a very small contact area compared to the PS, alternator and crank pulleys, so it is conceivable that it didn't squeal, especially if the belt was dirty.

KuoH
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Old 05-23-2006, 05:38 PM
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Yup, no noise. It ate the belt though.
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  #14  
Old 05-24-2006, 11:18 AM
simonton
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nipper
Also look and see how much your rpm drops at full lock. Some cars have a pressure switch to bump up the idle at full lock, i dont know if SVX does.

nipper
I did notice that my rpm seems to drop a bit when im at full lock...
I tried letting my batteries charge after they died two times. I let the car sit on my driveway for 30 minutes, I turned the wheel to pull it off the driveway and got the standard lightshow, but if I revved up the engine and then turned the wheel the problem was not as bad. It sounds very much like the belt slip... I recently had the steering pump out because it was leaking, maybe i didnt tighten the belt...

But then again the question comes to mind, what if whatever caused my steering pump to start leaking is somehow causing some kind of resistence in the steering system.

I noticed the dipstick on my steering pump cap is fallen off, but i dont see it anywhere.. i dont think it could have dropped into the pump because there is a filter, but I never saw where it went... It was gone when I bought the car..
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Old 05-24-2006, 12:24 PM
simonton
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ok i was just outside and messing around with the car...

The belt is definately not too lose... I jumpstarted the thing and there actually seems to be no problem when i turn the wheel now. The steering pump groans and whines a bit but its hard to say if thats not normal. The only thing i did since the car crapped out a few months ago was inspect some wires that were hanging above the steering column in the engine; the harness for the o2 sensor had been clipped to the frame in the engine, holding it away from the steering column, but that clip had broken and the wires were rubbing against the column. I didnt get a chance to really see yet if they are frayed where contact was made, i did notice a load of tape around one of the wires after i pulled the plastic coat of of them, which had been crushed and chewed up by the column. But i dont see any frayed insulation....

My check engine light has been on forever, and i had assumed it was an 02 sensor, now that i have unplugged the suspected shorting sensor, and pulled the wires away from the column, the check engine light is gone, seemingly along with the mystery short. But i dont really feel comfortable taking the car too far out of pushing distance from my house yet.

Does this sound like it could be the cause? or what were you saying about the horn sounding??? My horn never made a sound, and worked fine throughout this problem. If these wires were shorting on the steering column, could that lead to a blown battery? or is there a fuse somewhere that should have stopped that?
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