[Iyengar]

I own a palio 1.6 GTX. One day my stearing started making a grinding noise while trying to stear Left and right. I took it to Manipal motors and the engineer said there is an oil leak due to which the PS oil level had gone below the Min mark. The noise was due to this reason.
He said the only way to fix this was to replace the PS rack. he said there is no way it can be repaired.
And to my surprise, the PS rack comes for a neat 18K + 2K labor.
Thats a hell lot of money. I really feel there should be an alternative to fix the problem.
I also read in one of the post that there could be PS problems if you are upsizing the tyres. I recently changed to 185 Bridgestone Potenza on the company fitted alloys. This comes with 175's from showroom.

Can any one please advice how I can get this problem fixed without having to shell out the hugh bucks..

[kutlee]

visit a local mechanic. i am advised that hard plating the shaft (to increase the thickness) should do the trick of preventing the oil leak. or else try replacing the oil seal (i think there should be one). i too face similar problem and i diagnosed the problem much earlier and have time before i can find a solution.hard plating should cost around 6-8k. i think logically upsizing offers more friction and more load on power steering. this should have been the problem for me atleast i guess. good luck.

[Eddy]

Facing the same problem on the Ikon. Will watch this space for alternate solution. Ford will charge me 20k for this :(

[nim_peter]

I had the same problem on my Palio GTX 3 months back. Went to B.U Motors in Pune and they quoted 19K for changing the Power Steering Rack. I paid that amount to change it, as I was afraid the power steering may fail anytime, esp when riding up and down the hills near Pune.

I still have the old assembly with me. Do let me know if anyone needs it.

[gd1418]

Most PS units, especially the pump is a monoblock unit, hence can't be repaired. I had faced a similar problem with my Safari some years ago. The ASC quoted Rs.40K for replacement.

I turned to my FNG for solution. He sourced a fully functional pump from a total loss Sumo (the PS unit is same for Sumo & Safari) from Mayapuri and installed it. Charged me Rs.6200/- for the same...

[muneemmk]

Power steering rack's oil seals can be replaced,which might stop the power steering leak,if not try sourcing a replacement rack from local spare parts shop, if you can't find a replacement rack for the Fiat (Very Likely) go in for hard Chromium Plating.

If it's the Power steering Pump that went kaput Ikon or Palios spares can be easily found in the local scrap yards,as many 1.6 models of both these cars are finding it's way into the scrapyards for obvious reasons.

[Iyengar]

Thanks for the reply guys..

I did check a local spares guy here in Bangalore. He says he has 3 used PS racks. He is charging me 10K. But he is not giving any guarantee for the part. All he says is he would get it fitted then and there and if there is a problem he would replace it. But the thing is even he does not know the reason why these were removed from the original car..
Am not really sure if its worth taking a change. Coz, 10 is not a small amount for zero guarantee on the part.
Any one in bangalore who knows if I can source this part for a lesser price??

[kutlee]

i guess 10k without 6 months warranty won't be a good idea. spent the rest of the money and buy new one. did you try out hard plating option? i have heard that hard crome comes with 6 months warranty and costs about 3k less. i would not spend on something totally unknown.

[rajivanoj]

@ iyengar

i have tried hard chrome personally for my lancer diesel, i have removed the rack and gave for hard chrome, so that increased the thickness in microns, and installed an power steering seal kit, ( it is non OE) bought for Rs.300/- , but after fitting it still leaked and was failure. Then i gave to mitsu A.S.S they charged Rs.3500/ for seal kit itself Rs.3000 for labour on machining, total cost was Rs.8k. But it was success, and going fine.

but if u can find an trusted and good garage, which has done this before for other cars, you can try by just changing oil seal kit and hard chroming with them.

[Crazy_Eddy]

First things first, get a proper diagnosis on *where* the leak is. If the leak is due to a crack in the power steering rack's casing, replacing it is the only option. If not, you can try replacing the oil seals first; however in most cases this works fine for only a short while.

A word of advice - whatever you decide to do, get it done soon or else avoid using the car while you're deciding. The grinding noise you hear is your power steering pump running dry and the few K's you might save while looking around for an alternative will hit you later when you find the pump damaged as well

Originally Posted by muneemk

If it's the Power steering Pump that went kaput Ikon or Palios spares can be easily found in the local scrap yards,as many 1.6 models of both these cars are finding it's way into the scrapyards for obvious reasons.

What are these obvious reasons?

[muneemmk]

Originally Posted by Crazy_Eddy

What are these obvious reasons?

High parts prices, poor fuel efficiency = low resale value which means no takers for the car except for car nuts looking for a budget scorcher, they mostly end up in scrap yards.

[Iyengar]

Guys.. I finally fixed the problem.. Here it goes..
First I got hold of a local mechanic who was interested to try out alternatives to fix the issue. ( This trait is not seen in any of the authorised centers) .He removed the rack and found that the rack was worn out. Because of this there was a gap between the rach and the inner shaft through which the PS oil would actually flow.
He tried hard plating the part and refixed it. But still there was a minor leak in the rack since the oil would actually get pumped with pressure. Then we decided that the part was gone and had to be replaced.
We got hold of a palio style total damage car. Bought the part from him for 8.5K. It almost as good as new.
got it fixed and it costed me 9.5 K including labor.

My advice to all the people with PS rack leak is to get hold of a mechanic who knows Palio and who has the interest to try out alternatives.

[greatDrive]

Originally Posted by Iyengar

My advice to all the people with PS rack leak is to get hold of a mechanic who knows Palio and who has the interest to try out alternatives.

which local mechanic did you give your car to? Is he a Fiat mechanic?

[Iyengar]

His name is Ali. The place is called Ali garage. Its in Kormangala. He is not a authorised fiat technicial but he has learnt about the car by experience. When I went to him he said he has been working on fiat cars for sometime. And he did not have a problem in removing and fixing back the rack. So I would say even though he is not authorised, he is a good worker.
You would probably go to this place if you are having trouble in getting things done at the authorised service centers. Some thing like my problem.

[mkpiyengar]

Hi All,
This weekend I discovered that the Power steering was hard, similar to manual steering.
On checking found that the power steering reservoir was empty.

Got fluid from nearby HP pump and filled it, steering was smooth again. Now, why did it drain out ?

When I moved the car next day, there was a pool of oil below and the power steering level had gone down.

Told a nearby mechanic to check if some rubber tube or pipe is leaking because I had moved the car to new place and RATS Had a field day in the car, biting everything. Even engine light was on continuously.

So the mechanic checked below and told that the leakage is from the steering box and the steering column seal was gone.

Now, Is the diagnostics correct ? Is there a seal which is separately available ? Or the whole steering box needs to be replaced.

Car: Fiat Siena 1.6 100v

Kava Automobiles is quoting 21K for new replacement and suggested repair is possible at around 6K.

Is the repair a reliable solution ? Am in a fix now !!

Rgds
MKP