hey guys....

weird thin happened to me today.....my power steering cut out....i shut the car off, started it back up and it was fine. it happened a few times.

any ideas?

thanks
bob

 

Check the power steering fan - it's under the car between the front wheels. If the fan is blocked or clogged with debris (a common occurrance) then something might be overheating. Usually when the fan gets blocked the power steering fuse blows, totally taking out the power assist though - weird that it "resets" when you restart the car.

 

The steering will also shut down if the battery is low and/or the alternator is not working properly.

 

This is a classic first symptom of the power steering pump failing, something that seems to happen fairly often at around 40000 miles or so. It will probably continue to work for a while, then fail off and on intermittently until it fails completely. This is a relatively simple job to do yourself and can be done in an afternoon if you are at all mechanically inclined. If your car is not under warranty the dealer will probably want upwards of $800 to fix this. The part itself runs something like $400, I can't remember the exact price.

 

Is it safe to run without the power steering pump? I mean, if mine were to "go out" tommorrow, could I wait a few weeks while I earn more money and be ok?

This is theory here, based on a brief time with a non powersteering car.

I know that the car could be controlled still, but old cars with no power steering had different mechanical ratios in the linkages. The MINIs are made for power steering so the ratios are not good at all for no power str. I guess what im trying to say is its more turns lock to lock in a non powersteering car than in a powered steering car, thus alot more effort is needed to steer a broken powered str. car than a normal non powered str. car.

 

My power steering pump was leaking internally, and replaced under warranty a couple years ago (with maybe 22K miles).
If it is working intermittently, check if the fluid level is low..

 

If it were the stuck fan / fuse issue, you'd know because the car would overheat.

Chances are, your power steering pump is dying. If you're under warranty still, get to the dealership. If not, well, get to the dealership. :D

You can drive the car with an inoperable power steering pump, but it isn't fun. On the interstate, you won't notice it. On an exit ramp, you probably will notice something is up, but it won't be bad. In a parking lot, you'll hate it. I had to drive mine about 300 miles without the power steering when mine failed. 100 miles home from a MINI run when it failed, and 200 miles to the deapership. Not recomended, but possible.

 

thanks for the replys guys.....i'm gona hook my meter up and run it into the car so i can watch the voltage when it happens.. i'll also check the fluid although i'm embaressed to say i can't find the resivour or stick..HELP!
she has 122,000 on her so warrentee is my wallet )
thanks
bob

 

the reservoir is to the right of the coolant overflow tank. The dipstick is part of the cap and on mines the cap is a bastard to loosen.

 

Yes -- but the car will drive like a truck at low speeds. It will be a major pain at low speeds, especially parking. It happened to me in 2003 and the story can be read here. The good news is that after the pump was replaced, everything worked fine.

 

If it's the pump you're looking at about $500.

 

My local dealer (International MINI) wanted $671 for a recon'd pump

Classic MINI sold it to me for $305 (including the NAM discount)

 

Same problem here. My '02 MCS had the ps pump go out intermittently, then would not turn off when the car was shut off. I need to have it replaced, but don't have the $1600 to shell out to the dealer. Any one have "how to" instructions on replacing the pump? I also found one for about $300 but I want to make sure this won't be impossible for a non-expert to do myself. Any tips?

 

I dropped in to post about the exact symptom Bobbyn was having. Searched "power steering" beforehand, and hit the bull's-eye right away .

Guess it's not an "idiosyncrasy" but rather a cry for help from the power steering pump. Won't wait until next Service to get it looked at by dealer for a possible warrantied fix.

Thanks,
Tatt

 

hey guys

mine went in and out for a while the quit for good...i sold the car as is and bought a new mcs. there were a few how to do's here you'll have to do a search....i'm pressed for time.

good luck

bob

 

Mine did the same thing before I bought it... took it in and got the power steering pump replaced and it works like a charm. Also had to replace the fan, as it was making a low "grumbling" sound when the fan kicked on... think I had debrit in the bearings.

$180 bucks for what looked to be a plastic fan out of a computer

Love my MINI tho

 

i had the same symptoms on my '03 MCS, and the diagnosis was the pump itself. brought it to 2 dealers (Morristown, NJ and Westchester, NY) Morristown quoted me 1,200 + tax, Westchester quoted 900 + tax. i thought it was strange so i went with the cheaper obviously. after they did the work i discussed it with the service manager and being that my warranty ran out only 4k and 3 months ago he extended a bit of good will my way and only charged me for half. so for ~$450 installed i was back in business and very impressed.

 

Cool. That's a pretty good sized serving of good will. My warranty only been in effect since January 2005, so I'm should be good if i don't procrastinate too awful much . Also, 25% variance between the 2 quotes seems a wide swing. Morristown must have the platinum encrusted bionic super pumps.

Tatt

 

If your car is out of warranty and cost is an issue, see https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=104969 for more information on a much less expensive fix for the pump and fan.

 

I just replaced my pump at 100K. I searched autoparts.com to find a juk yard outside Philly that had a used one from an '05 for $100. My brother and I replaced the unit w/o instructions in about 4 hours. A lot of learning time but it was not seriously difficult. It sits directly above the cooling fan and is cramped but not unmanageable. Oh, my symptom was a dead battery. The pump ran continuously, even with the ignition off.

 

I think this may be my problem. (2004 MC) First, the power steering stopped working if I started the car on a downhill slope. I think it also cut out when driving too. I added some power steering fluid and I think that may have helped a little bit for awhile, but now it is completely kaput. Parallel parking is damn near impossible, but it drives fine on the freeway.

The thing is that I am living off unemployment right now, so will need to do the work myself. I can't shell out money for a part without being sure that the pump is the problem. Is there a way to be sure?

Also, any good links for where to buy one from?

Any links describing where this part is an how to replace it?

Thanks so much!

 

does anyone have pictures of the pump?
i have an extra s2000 power steering pump- it uses an electric system similar to the mini's. I'd be curious if i could retrofit that pump.

Putting it very simply... all the power steering is a pump driven by 12 volts- assuming i could connect the fluid lines, maybe i've found a more reliable setup?