A160 power steering problem

[AMGeed]

My wife's A160 ('98 manual) power steering is behaving very strangely.

On a few occasions whilst driving, the assistance disappears completely and makes turning the wheel very difficult and somewhat dangerous.
It happened to me when I used the car a few weeks ago and it's very unsettling.
Only by stopping the car and restarting brings the power steering function back. I checked the fluid level this evening and it's right on the mark and I can't see any obvious leaks.

Any ideas gratefully received as this must be sorted quickly.

 

[Howard]

Might be the pump on the way out , these are electric on the little a class.

ECU testing can rebuild them for a couple of hundred quid apparently.

Have a read through loftys page , nothing specific for 'heavy' steering but it explains about the pump.

Bert Rowe's-Mercedes-Benz 'A'-class info. Steering height adjustment Steering column, Power steering pump.

 

[AMGeed]

Thanks for that Howard. Very useful bit of info there.