Error Code Obtained.. What do you think this problem will cost?

[LiquidCell]

Okay. I must have had THE WORST night last night, first, I was on my way to a job interview and when I came out I started driving into whitby to pickup an XBOX360 that someone wanted me to mod/flash the drive on. On my way there however my "Check Engine" light came on so obviously I thought "oh ****"

My car is a Chrysler Neon 2000 LX. Lately, what sounds like my exhaust has been getting louder and louder when I hit 40-50KM/h or higher.

Anyways, back onto the worst night ever... I finally found a guy that I work with who has an OBD II Scanner, he plugged it in quickly (I randomly saw him driving down the road (Highway 2) when I pulled up beside him and yelled do you have the scanner, he said yeah we pulled over into a parking lot, he scanned it and it came up with "P0551".

I wrote that code down and then my girlfriend and I went for dinner (by the way, most of you probably already know, but GoldenGriddle is CRAP!

When leaving golden griddle my car was driving really wierd so I stopped immediately, got out and noticed I had a flat. My girlfriends dad came to offer some assistance. Too bad though that the bolts for the tire that is flat are seized on :(.

Eventually, I took my 2 10" JL Subs + Amp + Cap and my decks face plate out, threw it in his car and we went back to my house (this is @ 2am mind you) I looked up the code and this is what it sais:

"P0551 Power Steering Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance"

Now.. I bought an extended warranty when buying this car (the warranty was an extra $700.00 through LubricoWarranty.

I have my powertrain (Engine & Transmission) covered. Will the error described be covered? I tried calling them and isn't it ********.. OPEN 8AM-8PM...

Today I can't get it all fixed because its "Good Friday" and all mechanics are closed :( My car is still where I left it but the place said it's ok...


Does anyone know what the cost to fix it could be?
Thanks
-David-

[B0000rt]

You're probably going to have to jump through hoops to get that aftermarket warranty company to cover repair costs.

You should probably get someone to go back and help you swap the flat tire off and bring her home. Bring a longer 2-3ft pipe with you so you get more leverage with the tire iron. The car is safe to drive without power steering.

[LiquidCell]

hmm I see... Well this warranty company will pay for it, I can assure you of that, I am NOT paying $700.00 out of my pocket just so they can tell me "yah we're not covering it".

Also, he did bring the kind of tire iron you are describing and it still didn't work :(

[B0000rt]

Put a pipe on the end of that tire iron so it becomes longer, and so that you get more leverage! It should come off!

[LiquidCell]

my girlfriends mother and her brother are going to go and take a crack at it. I can't go back there just yet as I have some X360's to flash and then I'm gonna go.

They're gonna call me if they can get it off..

[corrupt123]

The code you're getting is because that sensor is out of range, and the car is going "wtfbbq?"

It could be out of range for simple reasons, like it's disconnected or the sensor is bad, but it could also be a problem with the power steering pressure, which means there could be either too much or too little, which would likely be the fault of the power steering pump.

Now, all that asside, I can pretty much gaurentee you that the power steering system isn't part of the drivetrain/powertrain. The power steering helps you turn, not drive. If your warrenty is only on the powertrain/drivetrain, you're gonna be SOL.

The good news is that you dont need power steering to drive, so once you put a doughnut on the flat you can drive the car and you've already saved yourself a tow. I'm not condoning this however, if the power steering system is bad than you could end up doing more damage to it. If you're not having difficulty turning the wheel though, and you're not getting any weird noises (loud whining is usually due to low power steering fluid) then I'd drive it.

Long story short, you're probably going to have to pay for the repairs, but if you're lucky than it's probably just a bad connection or sensor, and it wont cost a bundle to fix. Check your power steering fluid (no fluid = no pressure) first, and if you're mechanically inclined you could even check the connection to the sensor and maybe the sensor itself.

good luck

[BartBandy]

You bought a Lubrico Warranty and you ate at Golden Griddle?

Can you prove preventive maintenance has been kept up to date? On everything?

Good luck.

[tidus888]

hopefully it is just a faulty sensor or faulty wire that u have.. you never know..

getting a field mouse to chew on ur wire can cause that error =) and itz a pretty common thing!

[Pete_Coach]

I do not think that your warranty will cover that code. It is neither engine nor powertrain. Check your power steering fluid level.

From a Chrysler repair forum describing P0551:
"There is a switch that senses the pressure of the hydraulic fluid which reflects how hard it is working (e.g. like when turning at low speed or when stopped). It then opens the switch (which is normally grounded) and a wire to the powertrain controller senses that and increase the idle speed accordingly so the engine doesn' falter. Here is an exchange I had earlier with another owner about it.
"The switch is located on the back side of the power steering gear. It is supposed to raise the idle speed when you are turning the wheels at low speeds when the system will require more pressure and thus otherwise drag down the idle. The wire to the switch is dark blue/light green (signal) and a black ground; and the signal wire goes to pin 45 of the powertrain control module. So you might check the connector at the switch and the connection to pin 45 of the controller, from pin 2 of the plug...
All I can add is that if you locate the two high pressure lines that run to the steering gear from the power steering pump you will find the switch right next to where those two lines connect to the gear. It no doubt just screws out and then install the new one. The manual says that you remove the electrical plug, lifting the locking tab carefully. Then it says to use a crowfoot wrench and extension to remove the old one. The steering fluid will run out so be prepared to clean catch it, and be ready to screw in the new one to minimize loss. If you catch the fluid in a clean pan you car reuse it. The torque spec with a crowfoot wrench is 12 foot pounds and you have to be careful not to exceed the limit or you may ruin the fine hydraulic threads on the steering gear and then you have a potentially expensive problem. So if you can't get a crowfoot that fits the sensor (when you buy the replacement you can see what the size it) and don't have an extension and a torque wrench you may want to let the shop do it. Make sure the electrical plug is in place with the locking tab engaging the tab on the switch. Refill the power steering reservoir. Start the engine and then turn the steering wheel from lock to lock several times to bleed the air from the system. Use only Chrysler power steering fluid if you loose some of it."
I doubt it has anything to do with the fluid, unless the code started right after that. If the wire seems OK, then the question is the switch stuck open (measure that) or is the pressure really too high when you are driving at normal speed or not even turning the wheel. That would have to measured with a gauge."

[LiquidCell]

My car does make a whining noise and the mechanic that this dealership referred me to said that this noise is normal on many cars... I thought it was something ****ed up :(.

The code you're getting is because that sensor is out of range, and the car is going "wtfbbq?"

It could be out of range for simple reasons, like it's disconnected or the sensor is bad, but it could also be a problem with the power steering pressure, which means there could be either too much or too little, which would likely be the fault of the power steering pump.

Now, all that asside, I can pretty much gaurentee you that the power steering system isn't part of the drivetrain/powertrain. The power steering helps you turn, not drive. If your warrenty is only on the powertrain/drivetrain, you're gonna be SOL.

The good news is that you dont need power steering to drive, so once you put a doughnut on the flat you can drive the car and you've already saved yourself a tow. I'm not condoning this however, if the power steering system is bad than you could end up doing more damage to it. If you're not having difficulty turning the wheel though, and you're not getting any weird noises (loud whining is usually due to low power steering fluid) then I'd drive it.

Long story short, you're probably going to have to pay for the repairs, but if you're lucky than it's probably just a bad connection or sensor, and it wont cost a bundle to fix. Check your power steering fluid (no fluid = no pressure) first, and if you're mechanically inclined you could even check the connection to the sensor and maybe the sensor itself.

good luck

[SeanQC]

if you're using the tire iron that came with the car... try buying a fourway wrench like this one http://tinyurl.com/3bo5fq , you get alot more leverage... I can't guarantee it'll get those nuts off this time, but you'll be glad you have it sometime in the future... also spray some rust remover...

and if those nuts are so rusted that they snap off (which is what happened to me on my intrepid), it's not the end of the world, you're just gonna have to buy some bolts at like $1 each, smack out the old ones and put the new ones in... it's a pain but it'll cost you alot more to get this done at a garage...

and concerning the error code, search the forums at www.dodgeintrepid.net, you'll probably find something useful. you may just need to put some power steering fluid inside,

good luck