Q: My jeep started smelling of smoke and the steering wheel locked up.
I have had codes p1680, and 0320 on my jeep for a long time. But never any issues from them & I couldn't afford a repair so I let it go. Today the car started smelling of fire/smoke while driving about 45-50mph and then I heard a loud sound up under the car and then the steering wheel locked I could barely turn it to get it to the side of the road it was very very tight. I opened the hood and checked my coolant it was full. There was what looked like black sandy mud splattered all over everything.
My car has 150000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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It is possible that your belt on your power steering has broken and the rubber has melted against the exhaust somehow. This would cause the steering wheel to be very difficult to turn. I would recommend checking your serpentine belt to see if it is still in tact. If not I would recommend getting the belt out of there as well as any melted parts of the belt and have it replaced. Once this has been done, restart the vehicle and see if they symptoms are still the same. If not, the problem is solved. If so, the power steering pump or another pulley may have locked up causing the belt to break in the first place. If this is the case, I would recommend having your vehicle inspected by a qualified professional to determine the cause of the issue. Consider YourMechanic as car inspections can be completed at your home or office.
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