Steering Wheel: Goes In - Won't Come Out!

[Loathecliff]

When we first bought this piece of junk we set the seat and wheel positions for both of us and all was fine.

During the last fortnight's waft * around Portugal and Spain the wheel decided that although it was happy to glide gently in when the key was removed, doing the opposite was no longer part of its remit. Why?? We had done nothing to provoke this inaction. So now we have the chore of operating the joystick each time the car is started if the key has been removed.

Have any of the remaining 430 owners here experienced this fault? If so, did you manage to cure it, cheaply?

This is now the second time the car has developed a fault. The first was when the navigation book left itself in our cabin on a boat.

* Though it is becoming more and more like a blast as I love wringing out that V-8. Yes, I know, "aging hooligan" fits :(

[Connoisseur]

if you can get it to the chorus lines it might just start behaving again.........

http://www.madacademy.com/02/2012/childrens-song-lyrics/the-hokey-cokey/

[CustomIce]

This might not be hugely useful but if you try and do a logical fault elimination you may get nearer to the cluprit than singing irritatingly catchy songs at it! (thanks, guess what's stuck in my head now)

Key out makes the wheel retract - contact change noted in ignition barrel (if it's a switch)

Manual controls of wheel position work - power and motors are ok and behaving

Key in does nothing - basically it's not picking up the key has been inserted.

My best guess is that there is a switch/set of contact inside that when the key is inserted they are not making contact any longer, or a wire is off.

Anyone got an exploded diagram of the ignition barrel setup and a schematic?

[Connoisseur]

sorry couldn't resist..........

a bit of info that may (or may not) help - on the similar SC430 set up, wheel motor movement is triggered by way of proximity sensing rather than contact i.e. the motors activate with the key a certain distance from the barrel rather than via contact between key and barrel.

M

[CustomIce]

In that case my guess would be duff sensor, or more likely a trigger wire off.

[Loathecliff]

sorry couldn't resist..........

a bit of info that may (or may not) help - on the similar SC430 set up, wheel motor movement is triggered by way of proximity sensing rather than contact i.e. the motors activate with the key a certain distance from the barrel rather than via contact between key and barrel.

M

If you had posted the version performed by Cliffy, I would have tracked you down.

It initially failed during our smart key phase. Turning that off didn't change a thing.

It's about to get dumped for a long week by the railway track in a one horse Portuguese town*. Maybe that will teach it a lesson.

I might dis the Battery & lock it with that long slender metal object that's hidden in the key, though I worry that on return it might not let me back in :(

* The train catching method might amuse:

One thing to be aware of at the station

(which is unmanned) is that there is no footbridge or underpass, just a

level crossing, and no indication which platform is the one for the

southerly direction to Tunes. That is because the line is single track

in this area, with a split into two just for the station. Trains from

each direction pass here and it appears that the platform each takes

depends on which reaches the station first. That means that you will

need to pick a platform randomly, but keep an eagle eye out for the

approach of the train and be prepared to run across the

level crossing if necessary.

http://ezinearticles.com/?After-the-Ecovia-Do-Litoral-Bike-Route---From-Odemira-Back-to-Faro&id=6207672

[steve2006]

If the setup is similar to the later LS400 models the steering wheel position is memorised along with the seat position so it may be worth setting the wheel position then hitting the seat memory button

[Loathecliff]

Thxs Steve

:) Yes it is the same on the 430,

:( I'd tried that, it made no difference.

'Key out - retract' will be a primary command.

It is 'ign on' that (should) move the wheel out again isn't it?

I'm having similar issues with bbc streaming v downloads at the moment, and only on one pc.

If only I had chosen the pcm career path with telephones 48 yrs ago :(

[Titch LS]

Stuart, just inserting the key is enough to make the steering wheel move, you don't need 'on' position.

[Loathecliff]

Great. Thxs Brian. I have set my intuition with that info. Sometime tomorrow the answer will come to me.

- well doesn't that happen to all of us, sometimes? :)

EDIT - A thought: when does the wheel move in 'smart key' mode please?