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Mazda 5 power steering issues.


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pokepoke09
New User

May 19, 2015, 2:41 PM

Post #1 of 8 (2353 views)
Mazda 5 power steering issues. Sign In

My mechanic recently told me that my power steering was messed up, i bought a power steering pump online, i noticed that people sometimes only sell the top portion of the pump, i was wondering what actually controls power steering. Because often times while driving on the highway power steering shuts off for a few moments.

This what the part i bought online looks like

would i need to buy something else?


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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May 19, 2015, 3:52 PM

Post #2 of 8 (2334 views)
Re: Mazda 5 power steering issues. Sign In

? What year is this thing? Seem there's a lot to this particular set up and you only got part of it.


Whole unit should look like this and probably if the part is the problem at all should have looked more like this.........



Intermittent with it now on yours suggests the drive set up isn't right in some way not the pump itself. Not enough info except a bit different than many out there.


BTW - The one shown was close to $700 buckeroos! I wouldn't want to be wrong with that diagnosis before just tossing in part of one,


T



(This post was edited by Tom Greenleaf on May 19, 2015, 4:01 PM)


Discretesignals
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May 19, 2015, 4:01 PM

Post #3 of 8 (2331 views)
Re: Mazda 5 power steering issues. Sign In

Year?

Did your mechanic troubleshoot the system and isolate it to the pump or is this a guess and assuming the pump itself is bad?

Got to remember that your power steering uses an electrical motor to drive the pump. There is also a control module in charge of operating the motor depending on information it receives from sensors and other modules. Other things besides the pump can cause those symptoms.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.

(This post was edited by Discretesignals on May 19, 2015, 4:03 PM)


Tom Greenleaf
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May 19, 2015, 4:03 PM

Post #4 of 8 (2327 views)
Re: Mazda 5 power steering issues. Sign In

You hit while I was making guesses on year on this. Lots to do with it other than pump as was worked on. Not belt driven on the one shown by me,


T



Discretesignals
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May 19, 2015, 4:11 PM

Post #5 of 8 (2324 views)
Re: Mazda 5 power steering issues. Sign In

Nope, not belt driven. The controller that operates the motor has diagnostic capability. Checking for trouble code in the module using a factory or enhanced scan tool would be the first step. If there are codes, might give some directions. Then bidirectional control of the motor and seeing if it fails would be the next step. The bummer is that you really can't tell if the module or motor is bad because the output from the controller is in between the module and the motor. You really can't get into there to see if the module is commanding the motor or not using a volt meter or lab scope. You could stick an inductive clamp on the feed to look at motor brushes, but that could be inconclusive too. Dumb design in my opinion.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.

(This post was edited by Discretesignals on May 19, 2015, 4:18 PM)


pokepoke09
New User

May 19, 2015, 7:40 PM

Post #6 of 8 (2317 views)
Re: Mazda 5 power steering issues. Sign In

The year is 2006, i bought the pump but what i would like to know is what the pump does and what the module does.


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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May 20, 2015, 12:27 AM

Post #7 of 8 (2314 views)
Re: Mazda 5 power steering issues. Sign In

Pokepoke: This seems like the early attempt to get rid of belt driven things to make room I would think and take advantage of more control over power assist more accurately. Nice concept till it fails in some way.


DS basically has indicated or I interpreted that as this diagnosis isn't going to be very DIY friendly.


Pump makes hydraulic pressure but is electrically told when and how much force/assist to put out electrically so would watch that on a scope as he mentioned. Most wouldn't have a scope for this to diagnose where the failure is.


In short it probably isn't getting the right command for adding assist and intermittent anything unless in some memory you have to catch it in the act.


My quick look for the parts was quite discouraging for how expensive this set up is. ~ 10X what a crude set up should be IMO - that's not so smart yet but YOU have to deal with it.


This will probably run you broke guessing with what issue is where by tossing parts at it like many things that's a waste but this is more involved.


So far it isn't known if a steering part is mechanically binding or the assist isn't responding.


Choices as I see it for you are to check all parts that are involved with steering then either buy all the diagnostic equipment or get it diagnosed and do just that. If it just will not misbehave when diagnosed it's a total headache,


T



Discretesignals
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May 20, 2015, 4:30 AM

Post #8 of 8 (2309 views)
Re: Mazda 5 power steering issues. Sign In




There are three main parts to the pump assembly (power pack) in the picture above. The pump, electrical motor, and the power steering module (ECU).

The pump is what moves hydraulic fluid through the steering system (steering rack and lines). The steering module (ECU) is a computer that takes inputs from sensors such as the steering wheel angle sensor and information from other computers in the car. The electrical motor is what turns the pump and is controlled by the module.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.

(This post was edited by Discretesignals on May 20, 2015, 4:40 AM)






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