Q: Was driving and power steering went out. White smoke was coming from my car. I allowed it to cool down but the sensor kept reading

asked by on April 08, 2017

Was driving when power steering went out. Car started to smoke, fuel light came on even though it was fuel and battery light came on even though I had just gave it a jump. Checked the engine and saw oil at the bottom with smal melted pieces of the engine. Car would no longer start and kept reading error on sensor had to get it towed to dealership. What happened and what do I do?

My car has 165000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi there. It’s always best to have a mechanic physically inspect the vehicle to determine what exactly broke on your car. So, anything we list here is just speculation based on what you described in the question. In most cases, when your power steering goes out instantly and you see smoke and oil, it’s due to a power steering pump or power steering line braking. The oil inside power steering systems is hydraulic fluid, which can be very hard on electrical sensors and components. It is quite possible that the power steering fluid may have damaged starter relays or ignition relays - which is why the car is not starting as well. Again, the best way to know for sure is to have a professional mobile mechanic come to your location and correctly diagnose the issues you’re having; so they can recommend or complete the right repairs.

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