Steering Lock Stops Car Starting

[Tudordriver]

Is it just me? On occasions I get out of the car and pull on the steering wheel until the steering wheel is locked. Not sure why I do this. I then discovered that on getting back into the car the engine will not start. Very frustating until I worked out the cure. Foot on brake, pull on the wheel to disengage the lock and press the start button. The wheel unlocks as the engine fires up. Odd!

TD

[ianlinux]

Never noticed Boyd, but I'll give it a try and replicate sometime and get back to you

Cheers

Ian

[tarquin]

Hi Boyd

My understanding is that the motorised steering lock has a position sensor and knows where it locked the wheel. If you then mechanically move it by hand, it gets confused, hence you having to go through the procedure. It is best left alone once you hear the motorised lock activate. Mechanically it is not anything like the old locks which as you know you operated manually and which, if you didn't actuate, any would be thief would soon do for you on trying to drive away. Habits die hard

David

[Tudordriver]

Thanks David

In truth I do not deliberately engage the steering lock. It is simply that I sometimes pull on the wheel as I get out the car. The wheel then clicks and locks. Then on getting back in pushing start, all the dashboards lights come on but the engine does not start until the wheel is unlocked

TD

[tarquin]

Ok will test what mine does

David

[tarquin]

Ok

Just tested what mine does. Did the same as you. Stopped the engine and turned the steering wheel clockwise about an inch and it clicked locked. Then i opened the door which then engaged the motorised lock. Closed the door with foot on the brake (mines a auto), pressed the start button. The sound of the motorised lock operated and the steering wheel moves by itself anti clockwise an inch and the car started. Now this anti clockwise movement could be that i have wide wheels and that the initial moving the steering wheel to the right to lock it, may have only tensioned the rubber on the wheels and not moved them so when the lock came off the steering wheel sprung back to its initial position allowing the car to start. On yours, it could be that by moving the steering wheel clockwise, your tyres moved so needed you to pull the steering wheel back to the original position to start the car. My thoughts have changed in that i think you can manually lock the steering wheel which also inhibits the starting of the car. Remembering, that even with older cars, once you had manually locked the steering, you had too "wiggle" the steering wheel to get it off again once the key was inserted. My guess not many people put the lock on purposely so we are not seeing many people mentioning it on here.

David

[Tudordriver]

Bizarre. Just been out to my 1.3 Automatic. Cannot reproduce the problem sitting here on the drive. I can hear the motor unlock and the car starts every time even if I pull the wheel to lock it. So now I need to work out what sequence results in the wheel staying locked and the car not starting. Maybe its when the wheels are turned to their limit rather than being straight, I will test and report back

TD

[tarquin]

Could be, maybe when turned at near full lock, its outside the capture range of the sensor making it "think" its still mechanically locked. Await your testing

David

[s44gtw]

We are not only talking Steering Lock here, and we are not talking manual gearbox cars.

So as well as the steering lock and if engaged or not, when the car is parked we have the Multidrive in 'P' (Park) & the car immobilised, Drive wheels locked,

so lots of possibility for the car starting just as it should.

george

[tarquin]

Yes George

But, Boyd does say he has to move the steering wheel back to where it was before he pulled it to manually put the lock on, so cant be the "P" position causing the problem. You did say "so lots of possibilities for the car starting as it should"

I take it you meant for the car NOT starting as it should

David

[tarquin]

Ok

Update, tested the steering lock on slightly boggy so no road resistance as before.

Stopped the car with steering pointed to the right, engine off and turned steering wheel clockwise until click was heard. On return, with foot on the break, car started no problem

The only thing i can think of that happens with our Verso, is that,sometimes we get out of sync with holding pedals down and pressing start. Sometimes, not pressing down the pedals enough when started.

We await Boyds findings

David

[craggle]

I reckon the steering lock has to release before the engine will start. There is probably a sensor somewhere that tells the car if the lock has released to prevent you starting the car and driving off only to find the steering lock solenoid didn't release and you can't turn the corner that is rapidly approaching.

With a load applied to the steering lock, which you get by moving the wheel after the lock has engaged, the solenoid probably has to work harder to pull the plunger out and unlock the wheel. If you remember back to the old days when you had a key you put under the steering wheel, you often had to move the wheel to take the load off the lock before you could turn the key and start the car.

I'll do a test too and see if I can replicate it. Maybe it just needs the steering lock taking off and some grease added to the mechanism to make it a bit more slippery?

Craig.

[tarquin]

Agree with Craig. Having said that, yesterday i put the lock on and the tyres were under strain from the road friction. The motorised still managed to un-lock under tension and spring the steering wheel back

David

David

[Tudordriver]

I feel a bit sheepish. I have definitely had this happen to me, and I was in the car with my wife a couple of weeks ago when she found that only the dashboard lit up when she jabbed the start button. But now I cannot make it happen. I have tried all sorts of combinations of stopping and starting and the car starts perfectly every time.

I will post back when I discover the secret sequence

TD

[craggle]

In my manual car you can press the start button once to get the accessories like the radio on, press the start button again and the full ignition comes on with all the dash lights but this only happens if you do not press the clutch down.

If you press the clutch you get a green light on the start button and the car will start when you press the button.

I guess yours is the same but replace clutch with brake pedal.

Craig.

[tarquin]

I suppose Boyd you could keep an eye on the start button if and when the problem re-appears and see if it goes green or stays amber. If it stays amber then i would suggest leaving the steering wheel alone and try moving your feet around to see if you can get the start button to go green. If the start button is green and it wont start but with the dash lit up then that is a different story.

David