check esp - Renault not the Freda

[mountainmummy]

Hi

Not a bongo query but I'm hoping some of you techies might have a suggestion.

Our boring car is a Renault meganne sport tourer, 10 reg 1.4 diesel.

We had a new passenger side rear tyre on in November and since then the check esp and spanner light has been coming on intermittently. It seems to come on in more or less the same few spots local to the house, there's a nearby hill that always sets it off and a few other places. It doesn't usually stay on for more than 10 mins (usually goes off at other spits, again locally to our house). I drive 25 miles to Edinburgh every day and it's only once come on on the motorway. It doesn't matter if the engine is warm or cold and there's no change to the handling of the car.

My mechanic (whose a fab chap) ran it through the diagnostics thingy and it's coming back with s steering wheel sensor fault. He's advised us to take it to a Renault garage organ auto-electricion.

Before we shell out for this, I was wondering if getting the wheels aligned and balanced might help. It just seems such a coincidence that this happened for the first time the day after a new tyre was put on.

It's also odd that the error code is tripped in the same few spots every time.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

The Freda continues to be fab and has just passed it's Mot.

[Diplomat]

I get that message from time to time on my 'huge mistake I ever bought' Peugot.

Par for the course on a heap of eurojunk sporting features which nobody needs or asked for. Why isn't the car stable by design?

Fortunately my Peugot resides and is registered in Jersey where they don't have MoT tests otherwise I would be well displeased if it threw one of these erroneous messages during the test.

I don't know whether to blame the designers or the hordes of gutless motorists who can't say "If it's got that feature, I don't want to buy it, thanks very much". That goes for lots of features on the bodged left hand drive cars foisted onto the British market.

Aren't we lucky driving Bongos that very occasionally exhibit a flashing hold light (hasn't happened yet on mine at over 200,000 km).

Driving over a bump made it go off last time on the Peugot panel.


Frank

[philpdr]

I don't know whether to blame the designers or the hordes of gutless motorists who can't say "If it's got that feature, I don't want to buy it, thanks very much". That goes for lots of features on the bodged left hand drive cars foisted onto the British market.

Couldn't agree more with you on the above bit Frank.

[Northern Bongolow]

is it an abs brake system motor,?.

try this from the renault forum.

http://www.meganeownersclub.co.uk/forum ... hp?t=21972

[Jim the Box]

Had a similar problem Sara, turned out to be a faulty abs sensor, came on every time I exceeded 55mph which in my area is only on dual carriageways, the fault would sometimes clear its self, other time I had to get it cleared at my local garage, who suggested it was just dust on the sensor to begin with, however the fault got more frequent, the sensor may have been knocked during the tyre change, then again it may just be coincidence, I have a Renault Master van.

Jim...

[Simon Jones]

Check the size of the new tyre matches the one on the other side. ABS systems monitor the signal coming from each wheel and if one is rotating at a different speed to the rest then it can show a fault code.

[mountainmummy]

Thanks for all the replies.

Tyres are all same size and fault code is reading a steering wheel sensor fault.

Think it will have to be an auto electrician. I was just wondering if the wheels were mis-aligned if that could affect the steering wheel sensor.

Sara.

[Diplomat]

If my intermittent ESP 'fault' is anything to go by, wiggling a few likely connectors might effect a cure. That's worked for erroneous lambda sensor alerts on yet another of my fleet.


Frank

[the laird]

Sarah sounds like it's the steering wheel position sensor that's went faulty,tied up with your ESP system,you could clear the fault but prob will come on again ,steering wheel angle sensor required me thinks?
Regards gordon

[the laird]

Just a thought Sarah ,they may have damaged or upset the tyre monitor system if it is fitted.

[mountainmummy]

Don't think we have one Gordon.

Think it'll be a new sensor as you suggested earlier, will have to wait until next year though.

Hope you had a fab Xmas.

Sara

[the laird]

Hope you guys have a good one also Sarah.bet your missing the Toyota?

[Jim the Box]

As Gordon said Sara, it's probably a sensor either knocked out of position or damaged or even just dust on it, not an expensive fix, most garages will clear the fault and change the sensor, as I said in my previous post, in my case it was the abs light, the fault cleared as soon as I changed the sensor.
Seasons greetings!
Jim...

[nth]

You often find that having the wheel alignment adjusted brings the ESP light on. If the wheel alignment is adjusted on a car with ESP you normally need to re calibrate the steering angle sensor afterwards, might be worth trying this before replacing the sensor. Unfortunately you need decent diagnostic equipment to do this.