Power Assist Steering Problem

[jamesh]

So the other day, my power steering light went on the dash and I lost power assist. I pulled the fuse to the power steering and replaced it. That fixed the problem....for a while. Now the problem is intermittent. I think it is related to low battery. The battery will start the engine, but it BARELY starts it. I think I killed the battery with a parasitic drain from the stereo system which has been disconnected until I can install a hard wired on/off switch.

I plan to replace the battery and I am hoping that the power steering issue is related to that. I have 32 inch tires and 4/3 offset wheels. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem and if it was related to the tire/wheel combo over taxing the steering motor (motor?). Or has anyone experienced this problem and it was related to something else?

 

[Admin]

 

[NFA_Fun]

My steering was screwy from day one. After several trips to the dealer, they finally did a hard reset on my steering control module. Everything now works great! Was never programmed from Honda....

 

[HUCK]

A friend had the same problem . End result was the clown who installed the winch didn't tighten the ground cable on the battery . Tightened it and problem solved . Check the easy stuff . Good luck , hope yours is an easy fix too .

 

[HondaTech]

The original body style 420 Rancher had issues keeping batteries if equipped with power steering. I've seen so many of those had PS lights due to low voltage.

If your having slow starting issues, I'd first check the connections, then have the battery tested.

On a side note, I would never get power or ground directly off the battery terminal, especially a winch. They should always be powered from the starter solenoid hot side and grounded to the frame. Tying any large cable to the battery terminal is asking for loose connections and a multitude of problems.

 

[jamesh]

These are all encouraging replies. It seems like a low battery could have similar issues as a poor ground. I drained the battery with the sound system which recommended power on/off be controlled through the head unit and no hard wire switch came with the system. I had read somewhere once that could cause a parasitic drain. Guess I had to learn that one for myself to know it really well. Fuse is pulled from that until I get a switch. Finally decided I'm done with the upgrades and have migrated straight into maintenance/repairs, all within 6 months.