Jump start = lose power steering?

[Kaido]

Long story short, wife stopped to help jump start a lady in my 05 Saturn, now the power steering won't work. Getting it towed now, any idea why that happened? It's a leased car and is taken in just about every month for maintenance, so it should be in top-notch shape.

 

[Black88GTA]

Power steering is a hydraulic system, the jump start should not affect it. Did you check the serpentine belt? A broken / missing serp belt would cause loss of power steering.

 

[Minjin]

Jumper cables got intertwined in the belt(s) and threw the power steering (probably serpentine) belt? On many cars, loss of power steering means loss of water pump too. So be glad she didn't try to drive it home.

 

[AMDMaddness]

Power steering uses no actual DC power, it has a pump driven by the engine and a hydraulic driven power assist motor. I will take a wild guess and say one of your belts is broken.

Pete

 

[RichUK]

You sure this isn?t a case of the women driver syndrome?

 

[Mark R]

While some cars do have electric power steering, I don't think the Saturn is one. In the usual case the power steering pump is powered directly from the engine by a drive belt.

Most likely it's a coincidental fault - either a damaged drive belt or malfunctioning power-steering pump.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Originally posted by: Mark R
While some cars do have electric power steering, I don't think the Saturn is one. In the usual case the power steering pump is powered directly from the engine by a drive belt.

Most likely it's a coincidental fault - either a damaged drive belt or malfunctioning power-steering pump.

The Saturn Vue definitely has electric power steering, so it is possible something got fried. Most likely just a fuse/fusible link, though.

 

[Number1]

Getting it towed????

 

[Kaido]

Belt is good, but it looks like it does have Electric Power Assist.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Number1
Getting it towed????

Yeah, it's stuck at the mall

 

[orakle]

Strong-arm it.

 

[yh125d]

Shoulda bought a chevy

 

[AMDMaddness]

Originally posted by: yh125d
Shoulda bought a chevy

Saturn is a GM product so it is a chevy

 

[sonoma1993]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Number1
Getting it towed????

Yeah, it's stuck at the mall

just drive it home, it still driveable without the power steering

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: AMDMaddness

Originally posted by: yh125d
Shoulda bought a chevy

Saturn is a GM product so it is a chevy

Pwn

 

[JMWarren]

Most Saturns have electric power steering. ION and VUE do atleast. Check the fuse, it's probably a Maxi Fuse, likely under the hood.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Power steering is a hydraulic system, the jump start should not affect it. Did you check the serpentine belt? A broken / missing serp belt would cause loss of power steering.

did you check to make sure saturns don't have electric power steering?

 

[BabaBooey]

Originally posted by: JMWarren
Most Saturns have electric power steering. ION and VUE do atleast. Check the fuse, it's probably a Maxi Fuse, likely under the hood.

What I was thinking also...

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Power steering is a hydraulic system, the jump start should not affect it. Did you check the serpentine belt? A broken / missing serp belt would cause loss of power steering.

did you check to make sure saturns don't have electric power steering?

Well excuse me, I guess not. And apparently, neither did the 3 other people who posted after me pretty much saying the exact same thing. :roll: And please, show me where I said that was definitely the cause? I only suggested looking at the belt since it is the easiest thing to check, and someone with zero car knowledge would be able to easily tell if that was the cause of the problem.

But your comment was very helpful though, great contribution to the thread! :thumbsup: