SWITCHED ON
OE
QUALITY
VITAL NEWS finds out more about CAMBIARE’S recent
introduction of power steering oil pressure switches.
Cambiare heavily invests in research and development as they
recognise the importance of introducing products that are relevant to
the demands of the current aftermarket. This is clearly reflected with
Cambiare’s four power steering oil pressure switches that covers over
1.2 million vehicles within the UK car parc.
PART NO
VE706142
VE706140
VE706141
VE706134
TOPLINE APPLICATION
Ford C-Max 1.6 (2007-2010)
Ford Focus 1.8 Mk1 (2003-2005)
Ford Focus 1.6 Mk1 (2003-2005)
Renault Clio 1.2 Mk2 (2005-2012)
Since the release of this range late last year, these four part numbers
have been received very well by customers, swiftly moving up the
pareto. In turn, they are firmly on their way to becoming established
part numbers in Cambiare’s engine management range. Cambiare also
expects to introduce more additions to this range as new numbers are
introduced in the aftermarket.
SWITCH BASICS
While power steering oil pressure switches are not new technology, it
is a fairly new product line to be introduced to the aftermarket. The
power steering oil pressure switch works very much like the engine
oil pressure switch. Their core function is to activate the warning light
on the dashboard when oil pressure is low. However, the information
gathered from a power steering oil pressure switch can be used for a
number of purposes.
In some applications the power steering oil pressure switch also feeds
information about demand on the power steering system to the vehicle's
engine ECU. This allows it to manage engine speed during low speed
parking manoeuvres.
It can also be used to
identify power steering
faults and display this
to the driver via the
Engine Management
Light (EML). As these switches are working in the power
steering system, the pressure demands are much greater
than the engine oil pressure switches.
TROUBLESHOOTING
The power steering oil pressure switch has a diaphragm
that either opens or closes the connection depending on
whether the switch is Normally Open (NO) or Normally Closed (NC).
When the fluid pressure is high enough to overcome the diaphragm
spring pressure, it will make or break the electrical contact thus,
signalling steering demands to the ECU.
The diaphragm and switch components are subjected to constant
flexing and heat. Over time, this can cause the pressure switch to fail.
If this happens, the power steering demand information will not be
relayed to the engine ECU. Therefore, the extra loads exerted by the
steering system cannot be compensated for.
A failing power steering oil pressure switch can present a number of
symptoms. Here are a few common ones:
• Engine revs dipping when the power steering is operated
• Engine stalls during low speed steering/parking
manoeuvres
• EML coming on
2 year or
30,000 mile
Increase in demand on the power steering system means increased
load on the engine. As these sort of maneouvres usually occur when
the engine speed is low, the engine ECU will need to increase the
engine speed to compensate for these extra loads or the engine will
stall. This is why the power steering pressure switch is an important
part of the system.
VITAL NEWS ISSUE 44
Cambiare’s power steering oil pressure switches are
warranty
backed by a 2-year/30,000-mile warranty. They
are catalogued on the Cambiare website (www.
cambiare-ve.com), the F:Drive and MAM
Autocat. For more information, speak to your local Cambiare or
FPS representative.
OIL PRESSURE SWITCHES 7