In looking for a cause/solution to my new problem I have not found a thread that seems to address this.

I have an 2003 CVT I bought new, and it has 75,200 miles on it now. I have had this occur on the way home from work the past two days in a row during clear mild weather. The flat tyre monitor light flashes on three times. Between the second and third flash, the whole speedo instrument cluster appears to go dead. The speedo, temp and gas needles all drop to zero while moving along at 40 or 50 mph. This happens during the day so I do not know if the dash lights are also going out. Afterward everything seems normal and there are no warning lights on. The trip odometer and service interval are not reset by this fault. The engine does not cut out or stumble, and I have not seen any other lights flashing during or after the event. I think both times this occurred during acceleration while already moving. The a/c was not on either time, but the fan and radio were and I think they kept going and did not cut out. While I do not think this is a flat monitor circuit issue, I reset the flat monitor the first day, and last night I checked the air pressure (all normal) and reset the tyre monitor again this morning. I am not looking forward to diagnostic $/hour for what I hope remains an intermittent fault. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Other than ignoring it in hopes it goes away, is there anyone who has repaired this fault? Thanks

 

you'll think I'm nuts but how old is your battery?

When batteries die in these beasts very wierd things happen . . .

is your 03 on the original battery?

 

My present battery is at least 3 years old. The original failed while still under warranty and was replaced.

I think you might be on to something. This is a new symptom: the battery light came on at least twice that I saw on the drive home tonight. And I have been suspicious of the battery for a few weeks... there has been something not quite right when stating the car every now and then for the past few weeks. I guess I'll get the battery checked out.

 

So here is what I have leaned so far...
I had my battery checked and there is nothing wrong with it. Since the "BAT" light was coming on, my next thing to check was the alternator. So just to see what that would cost, I called MINI of Towson (MD) parts. The 110 amp alternator requires 2 wiring harness part replacements too. One harness is ~$30, the other ~$90, and with the alternator it all costs ~$730. Oh, but you get $50 back for the core charge on the old alternator. That does not include any labor to change out the parts.

So while I am telling the guy from the battery store about this, a guy from an independent BMW repair shop next door jumps into the conversation. \He looked into the Technical Service Bulletins. Low and behold there is one that addresses "one of the following complaints may be encountered:"

The oil pressure warning light is illuminated when the vehicle is in motion but the engine oil level is correct

Charge indicator Lamp to Illuminate

Loss of Power Assisted Steering

CAUSE
The engine wiring harness has chafed though against the starter motor heat shield and is causing a short circuit.

PROCEDURE
In event of customer complaint, check wiring harness near the starter motor heat shield and replace it if necessary. The heat shield mist also be replaced if the engine wiring harness is replaced.

NOTE
An improved starter motor heat shield was introduced into production on August 19, 2003 ;

Part number________Description
12 41 495 806 _____ Starter heat shield;
Refer to EPC _______Engine harness

Defect code 12 51 12 69 00

So there we have it. My car is a 2/14/03 build, so it was prior to the improved heat shield introduction. I did put the car up on ramps to have a look to see if I could spot this frayed wire. That was an exercise in futility. I could hardly get light to shine up to the starter, everything is packed in so tight. I could see some wires in a plastic loom going into the starter under the heat shield but there is no way to see more than that without dismantling half the underside of the car. I did see some wear/fraying damage on the wires for my front O2 sensor. I bent them away from the steering tubing for now. I'll ask the garage to see if they can put a protective loom over those wires while they are at the other work. I have an appointment at an independent repair shop to have this looked at and repaired. I hope it is just the harness and not the alternator.
================================
Safety Complaint Confirmation

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq

Your Complaint Information is successfully submitted.

Your Confirmation number (ODI Number) is: 10282170
Complaint Information

Description:
Electrical fault/failure causes loss of power steering assist while initiating a turn and loss of speedometer and gauges while at highway speed. This problem is described in a TSB SI M 12 05 05 but MINI USA will not honor repair of this dangerous safety defect work as warranty is lapsed and it is not a forced recall. Even though the TSB was issued while this vehicle was still under warranty.
Approximate Incident Date
8/27/2009
Your responses to the questions regarding the incident:
Deaths/Injuries:
No
Property Damage
No
Crash
No
Fire
No
Police Report:
No

 

I love it when a plan comes together like this.

 

I have this very problem now--intermittent power steering coupled with the instrument cluster not working. PS pump was replaced to no avail. I checked the TSB number above and it traces to something else; would anyone have the correct TSB if indeed there is one? Car is a 2006 Cooper.

Thanks.