Power steering not self centering

[Chris-M]

My daughter has just passed her driving test and is driving our 2009 IQ2 which had been SORN’d in the garage for 3 months.

The steering seems a bit sticky and isn’t self-centering well. If you adjust the angle of the steering column, it can make a short term improvement to the stickiness. 
I sprayed down the steering column with WD40,which helped the wheel turn a bit. The car has brand new tyres and today had wheel alignment done (small adjustment was needed). The steering is a bit better but self centering still not great. I’ve done a visual inspection on the suspension arms and all looks fine.

I’d be grateful for any advice on the following:

1. Do IQs normally have good self-centering? It’s amazing how quickly you forget after driving a newer car

2. Is there a bearing or bushing on the steering column that could get gummed up and provide resistance to steering column turning?
3. If there is a problem with the steering, how could I determine if it’s an issue with the steering column, electric power steering motor or the steering rack. I don’t want to just start replacing components, as that could work out expensive and not fix the issue

All help greatly appreciated.

[Chris-M]

And the Battery is fairly new and fully charged

[Falomain]

6 hours ago, Chris-M said:

My daughter has just passed her driving test and is driving our 2009 IQ2 which had been SORN’d in the garage for 3 months.

The steering seems a bit sticky and isn’t self-centering well. If you adjust the angle of the steering column, it can make a short term improvement to the stickiness. 
I sprayed down the steering column with WD40,which helped the wheel turn a bit. The car has brand new tyres and today had wheel alignment done (small adjustment was needed). The steering is a bit better but self centering still not great. I’ve done a visual inspection on the suspension arms and all looks fine.

I’d be grateful for any advice on the following:

1. Do IQs normally have good self-centering? It’s amazing how quickly you forget after driving a newer car

2. Is there a bearing or bushing on the steering column that could get gummed up and provide resistance to steering column turning?
3. If there is a problem with the steering, how could I determine if it’s an issue with the steering column, electric power steering motor or the steering rack. I don’t want to just start replacing components, as that could work out expensive and not fix the issue

All help greatly appreciated.

How long have you driven the car in these conditions? Maybe the steering assistance needs to self re-calibrate and a few miles drive could help... use a road with straight sections of some length.

[glimp]

The steering on my car (early 2010) centres satisfactorily, although if I don't drive it for a while the steering feels a bit heavy & spongy. This MAY be because my other vehicles are newer, with lighter steering, or it may be that the iQ 'stiffens up' if neglected for a while, or a bit of both.

I'm not a mechanic, but if it's safe to drive, I'd be tempted to use it as much as possible for a week or two, then re-assess. I'm wondering (as a layman) if it might be a problem with the electric power steering - is the wheel hard to turn?

[Antonio2]

Just a few suggestions :

1  Might be obvious - but ensure the tyre pressure are ok 

2   Ensure the wheel alignment is correct  ( "tracking"), as well as the castor angle. These 2 could definitely affect         steering self- centring

3 Ensure the steering angle sensor (SAS), is correctly calibrated. This requires use of diagnostic tool - so ask garage to check this if you don't own one. The SAS check should be carried out after a wheel alignment adjustment. 

 The steering angle sensor relays the position of the steering wheel to the steering ECU. If the angle sensor is "out of calibration",  the function of the Electric power steering (EPS) (and traction control) can be adversely affected.

When the steering wheel in straight ahead position - the angle sensed should read zero.

Admittedly, the fact your IQ has been laid up for few months would unlikely to cause the above

A SAS fault would normally illuminate the "steering warning" (and possible traction control light), and accompanied by a registered fault code found if using a diagnostic tool. If other things draw a blank, it may be worth getting this checked out.

 

[martoto]

The few IQ I test-drove when I was seeking for one were all the same, they did not "dead" centre on their own. Same for the one I bought.